badloHow to Scan Documents With Your Phone
Updated
A modern phone camera is sharp enough to replace a scanner for most paperwork. What makes the difference is how you take the photo.
Taking a good photo
- Use daylight near a window, and turn off the flash, which causes glare.
- Put the page on a dark, plain surface, so that its edges stand out.
- Hold the phone directly above the page and parallel to it.
- Tap the text on the screen to focus, and hold still.
- Take a few steps back and zoom in slightly if your shadow falls on the page.
Turning photos into a PDF
Open Scan to PDF in your phone's browser and press Upload. You can take a new photo or pick from your gallery. Use the arrows to set the page order, press Add more files for any you missed, and pick a style.
Choosing a style
| Your document | Best style |
|---|---|
| Printed text | Black and white, or Grayscale |
| Handwritten notes in pencil | Grayscale, as faint lines may vanish in black and white |
| Stamped forms or ID cards | Clean color |
| Photos | Original |
After scanning
- Trim extra background with Crop PDF.
- Bring the size down with Compress PDF.
- Make clear English text searchable with OCR PDF.
Private documents
Only share ID cards and financial papers with those who really need them. If you only need to show part of a document, take out the rest with Redact PDF.