Scan to PDF online
Photograph each page with your phone and combine them into one PDF. No scanner, no app, and nothing uploaded to a server.
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How to scan to PDF without a scanner
A phone camera captures documents more than clearly enough. The trick is to shoot them properly and then assemble the pages in the right format.
- Lay the document on a dark, plain table so the edges of the page stand out.
- Shoot in daylight, from directly above, with the phone parallel to the page. Skip the flash, which leaves a glare spot in the middle.
- Fill most of the frame with the document. For multi-page documents, take one photo per page.
- Upload the photos here, check the page order and choose Letter or A4.
- Click Make PDF and download the file.
Letter or A4, margins or not
For documents in the US and Canada, choose Letter; almost everywhere else, A4. If the scan will be printed, turn on 1 cm margins so the printer doesn't clip text at the edges. If it's only being sent, no margins needed.
Rotation and order
Photos taken sideways are rotated correctly, because we read the orientation stored in each photo. Reorder pages by dragging the thumbnails. Missed a page? Add it with + Add more and drag it into place.
Sharper scans
Wipe your phone's lens: fingerprints leave a hazy film. Hold the phone steady and not too close, or the edges of the page will be out of focus. For small print, use the main camera without digital zoom. Turning on the grid in your camera settings helps keep the lines of text level.
Signatures and stamps
If the document has a blue signature or stamp, shoot in daylight: under warm indoor light, blue turns gray. We put photos in the PDF without recompression, so the colors stay as they were in the shot.
If the PDF is too heavy
Phone photos go in without recompression, so 5 pages can come to 15-20 MB, while portals and email often have limits. In that case:
- after building, compress the PDF to 1 MB: the Strong level keeps text readable;
- or before building, compress each photo to 200 KB.
What you can scan
- IDs, passports and proof of address for applications;
- signed contracts, leases and letters;
- medical forms, certificates and statements;
- receipts and invoices for expense reports and refunds.
To attach your scan to an existing PDF, such as a form from your bank, use merge PDF.
Your documents stay with you
The PDF is built in your browser, and scans of IDs and contracts are never uploaded. Free: up to 60 pages at a time, no daily limit, no watermarks. Pro Photo: up to 500 pages at a time.
FAQ
How do I scan a document with my phone?
Photograph it from above in daylight, without flash, on a dark table. Then combine the photos into a PDF here.
Which page size should I choose?
Letter in the US and Canada, A4 elsewhere. Add 1 cm margins if the scan will be printed.
How do I make the scan smaller?
Compress the finished PDF on Medium or Strong.
Is it safe for my ID?
Yes, files are never uploaded to a server.