RTF vs T2T
A detailed comparison of Rich Text Format and txt2tags — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
Rich Text Format
Documents & TextRTF is a cross-platform document format that supports basic text formatting like bold, italic, fonts, and colors. It is readable by virtually all word processors, making it useful for maximum compatibility.
About RTF filestxt2tags
Documents & Texttxt2tags is a minimal markup language that can be converted to many output formats including HTML, LaTeX, DocBook, and plain text. Its syntax is intentionally simple, using only ASCII characters for all formatting directives.
About T2T filesStrengths Comparison
RTF Strengths
- Plain ASCII — portable, grep-able, and diff-friendly.
- Supported by every word processor on every OS since 1990.
- Cannot carry macros or embedded code — relatively safe to open.
- Simple enough to parse by hand or generate with a small script.
- Good interchange format when DOCX compatibility is shaky.
T2T Strengths
- Plain-text source → multi-format output.
- Simple syntax.
- Tiny implementation.
Limitations
RTF Limitations
- Frozen in 2008 — no modern features (no comments, poor styles, no track changes).
- File sizes are bigger than DOCX for the same content (no compression).
- Images are base64-encoded inline, inflating files further.
- Visual fidelity drifts between Word versions despite the spec.
T2T Limitations
- Superseded by Pandoc.
- Tiny ecosystem.
- Limited modern tooling.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | RTF | T2T |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | application/rtf | text/x-txt2tags |
| Extensions | .rtf | — |
| Standard | RTF Specification 1.9.1 (2008) | — |
| Character set | ASCII with Unicode escapes (\u) | — |
| Extension | — | .t2t |
| Targets | — | 15+ formats including HTML, LaTeX, man, Wiki |
Typical File Sizes
RTF
- Short formatted letter 15-50 KB
- 20-page report with styling 150 KB - 1 MB
- Document with embedded images 2-20 MB
T2T
- Short article source 2-20 KB
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Convert between RTF and T2T online, free, and without installing anything. Encrypted upload, automatic deletion after 60 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
RTF (Rich Text Format) is a document format used to store paginated text, with optional formatting, tables, images, hyperlinks, headers and footers. It sits in the documents & text family and is typically associated with a specific office suite or publishing pipeline that defined the format and ships the canonical reader.
RTF (Rich Text formato) is a document formato used to store paginated text, com optional formatoting, tables, images, hyperlinks, headers e footers. It sits no documents & text family e is tipicamente associated com a specific office suite ou publishing pipeline that defined the formato e ships the canonical reader.
Modern office suites — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, Apple Pages — open most RTF files with reasonable fidelity. If your installed software does not support RTF, convert to DOCX or PDF first using KaijuConverter; both open in virtually every reader, including free online viewers.
Modern office suites — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, Apple Pages — abrir most RTF arquivos com reasonable fidelity. If your installed software does not support RTF, converter to DOCX ou PDF first usando KaijuConverter; both abrir in virtually every reader, including grátis online viewers.
Upload the RTF to KaijuConverter and pick DOCX, PDF, ODT, RTF, HTML, Markdown, or plain text. Our pipeline runs LibreOffice headlessly plus pandoc for text formats — the same engines behind professional document pipelines. Styles, tables, images, and hyperlinks survive the conversion intact.
Yes, to a high degree. Standard fonts, headings, lists, tables, images, hyperlinks and page structure transfer cleanly. Custom fonts substitute to the closest match if not embedded; obscure layout features unique to RTF (frames, legacy macros) may flatten to static content in the target format.