How to Scan Documents to PDF — Phone, Scanner & Browser Methods

Why Scan Documents to PDF?

In a paperless world, scanning documents to PDF is essential for:

Filing receipts for expense reports and taxes

Digitizing contracts and signed agreements

Submitting ID documents for verification

Archiving old paperwork before shredding

Sharing physical documents via email

The good news: you don't need a scanner anymore. Your phone camera works just as well.

Method 1: Scan with Your Phone (iPhone & Android)

iPhone (Built-in Scanner)

Apple has a document scanner built right into the Notes and Files apps:

Open Notes → tap the camera icon → Scan Documents

Position your document in the viewfinder

The camera auto-detects edges and captures

Adjust corners if needed → tap Save

Tap the scanned document → Share → Save as PDF

Pro tip: The Files app also has a scanner. Open Files → tap the three dots → Scan Documents.

Android (Google Drive Scanner)

Open Google Drive → tap + → Scan

Point camera at your document

Auto-crop adjusts edges

Add more pages if needed

Tap Save → saves as PDF to Drive

Alternative: Samsung phones have a built-in scanner in the Camera app (detect document mode).

Method 2: Desktop Scanner + ExactPDF

If you have a flatbed or sheet-fed scanner:

Scan to image — Most scanners save as JPEG or PNG

Open ExactPDF → Go to Image to PDF

Upload scanned images — select all scanned pages

Arrange order — drag to reorder pages

Choose page size — A4, Letter, or fit to image

Convert → Download your multi-page PDF

Scanner Tips for Best Results

Setting	Recommended Value
Resolution	300 DPI (text), 600 DPI (photos)
Color mode	Grayscale for text, Color for photos
Format	JPEG (smaller) or PNG (higher quality)
Contrast	Increase slightly for text documents

Method 3: Browser-Based Scanning (Webcam)

No phone scanner? Use ExactPDF's browser-based tools:

Take a photo of your document with any camera

Transfer the image to your computer

Go to Image to PDF Converter

Upload your photo

The tool automatically fits it to a standard page size

Download as PDF

Making Scanned PDFs Searchable (OCR)

Scanned documents are just images — you can't search or copy text. Fix this with OCR:

Go to ExactPDF OCR Tool

Upload your scanned PDF

Select the language of the document

Click "Extract Text"

Download searchable PDF or copy the text

OCR works best with:

Clear, high-contrast text (black on white)

300+ DPI scans (higher resolution = better accuracy)

Straight alignment (not skewed or rotated)

Optimizing Scanned PDF File Size

Scanned documents are often huge (5-20MB per page). Reduce file size:

During scanning: Use 300 DPI instead of 600 DPI for text

After scanning: Compress the PDF — typically 70-90% reduction

Color to grayscale: Color scans are 3x larger than grayscale

Multi-Page Document Tips

Scanning a Book

Use a phone scanner app for curved pages

Press the book flat against a dark surface

Scan two pages at a time, then split later

Scanning a Stack of Papers

Use a sheet-fed scanner for speed

Scan all pages to images, then convert all to one PDF

Or scan to individual PDFs and merge them

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best scanning app for iPhone?

Apple's built-in scanner (Notes or Files) is excellent. No third-party app needed.

How do I scan multiple pages into one PDF?

Scan all pages as images, then use Image to PDF to combine them into one document.

Can I scan and edit the text?

Yes! First scan to PDF, then use OCR to make text selectable, then convert to Word for full editing.

What resolution should I scan at?

300 DPI for text documents, 600 DPI for photos or documents with fine detail.

How do I reduce the file size of a scanned PDF?

Use our Compress PDF tool — it can reduce scanned PDFs by 70-90%.

Start Scanning

Turn your paper documents into organized PDFs:

Image to PDF — Convert scanned images to PDF

OCR PDF — Make scanned PDFs searchable

Compress PDF — Reduce scanned PDF file size

Merge PDFs — Combine multiple scans

Scan to PDF Now →