How to Scan Documents to PDF with Your Phone

Scanning PDFs is one of the most annoying things many of us have to deal with in our personal and professional lives. Be it mortgage documents, a car loan, or other sensitive paperwork you need to preserve and share in a secure digital format, Adobe's ubiquitous PDF is a reality of dealing in docs in the modern world. Fortunately, you don't need a hardware scanner or big, bulky multifunction printer to digitize your paper documents: all you need is a smartphone, an app, and a couple of minutes. In this post, we'll break down how to scan documents on iOS 13 and higher and Android 11 and higher.

Updated features in iOS and Google Drive allow you to scan documents for free with your phone or tablet. A program or app performs the scan using your camera and, in many cases, converts it into a PDF automatically. This guide shows you how to do it, whether you own an Apple or Android device.

 

Image Source: Upsplash

How to Scan Documents with iOS

The release of iOS 11 added a scanning feature to Notes. Here's how to use it:

1. Open the Notes app and create a new note.

2. Tap the Camera icon and select Scan Documents.

3. Position the phone camera over the document. Notes automatically focuses and captures an image, but you also can do it manually by tapping the shutter button.

4. After you scan a page, drag the handles to crop the scan. Tap Keep Scan to continue.

Note: To scan the document again, select Retake.

5. Repeat this process for all the pages you want to scan. When you're finished, select Save.

 

Image Source: Upsplash

 

 

How to Scan Documents with Android

You need Google Drive installed to scan documents with Android. The app generally comes pre-installed on Android devices; if not, simply download it from the Google Play store. To scan:

1. Open Google Drive and tap the + symbol.

2. Under the Create New tab, select Scan.

3. Position the phone camera over the document and tap the Shutter button when you're ready to capture the image.

4. Tap the check mark to keep the scan or the back arrow to retake it.

5. Tap the + symbol to scan more images, or Save to finish and upload your document to Google Drive. There are also options to crop, scan, or rotate the scan, or adjust its color.

6. When you finish scanning your documents, enter a file name for your new PDF and choose a folder to save it in. Then, select Save.

 

Image Source: Upsplash

 

How to Scan Documents with PDF Reader Pro

Available scanner apps include Adobe Scan, Microsoft Office Lens, CamScanner, Abby FineReader PDF, Genius Scan, TurboScan and more, but PDF Reader Pro is positioned as an easy and fast way to create high-quality scans on iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It's easy to navigate and use without much of a learning curve. 

Here's the guide to scan documents to PDF with PDF Reader Pro:

1. Download and launch PDF Reader Pro

2. Select Scan and click , or you can take photos or import photos from Gallery;

3. Position the phone camera over the document and tap the Shutter button when you're ready to capture the image.

4. Click Finish, here you can crop them, and click Done;

4. Click  and choose Store as PDF / Export as PDF; There are also options to crop, rotate the scan, or adjust its color.

5. Or you can click Done, then tap and choose Export to PDF, Rename, mark as Favourite or Delete.

PDF Reader Pro is more than just a document and photo to PDF app and won't just convert your scanned files or images into PDF format, and it can also aid you in reading, editing, and annotating your different PDF documents. Moreover, it is trendy software with high-end Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology that makes it possible to edit scanned PDF files and search text in it. 

Final Thoughts

Our smartphone cameras have become so sophisticated, they’re capable of capturing high enough detail to perform the same tasks that used to require a desktop scanner.

You can certainly take a picture of a document, but if you need it to be in a document format, such as PDF, you’ll want to use an app that provides that ability along with other tools for making adjustments. PDF Reader Pro is the preferred choice that can solve all your PDF problems in one place. Now you can take a free trial to see how this PDF scanner app will boost your work.