The camera on your Android phone makes it easier than ever to scan documents to PDF. Learning how to work and collaborate successfully from a distance is now more crucial than ever as hybrid and remote work become a mainstay of how many businesses run. And even though it is ideal to digitize your company’s workflows, sometimes printing or scanning paper documents is necessary for work. Thankfully, you can quickly scan and share printed documents using the camera on your Android phone. This article explains three techniques for scanning documents with an Android smartphone.
How to Scan Documents on Android
No matter if it is for work or personal use, scanning documents is something that all of us occasionally have to do. Thankfully, we no longer need a large, cumbersome machine to digitize our documents. Any smartphone with a camera will do. There are numerous methods for scanning documents with your Android phone’s camera.
Document sharing and editing online are simple with the use of scanners. The only thing you need is your Android phone and its camera. Even if you are using one of our favorite low-cost Android smartphones, you can scan crisp images of documents for personal or professional use.
One frequently underrated superpower of smartphones is their ability to scan documents fairly accurately and convert them to PDF files without the use of a bulky scanner. Of course, smartphones have replaced a wide range of devices, including fax machines, and scanners. Sadly, printers are still not being replaced.
Using Google Drive
Surprisingly, Google Drive does a good job of identifying documents and modifying them to make them appear as though they were scanned by a scanner. You should be aware that Google Drive does not allow you to save scans as images. Direct export of the PDF files to your connected Google Drive. The next step is to choose between taking a screenshot of the document to save it as an image on your phone or using another app to convert your scanned PDF into a JPEG.
How to Scan Documents with Google Drive
- First, open Google Drive on your Android device and make sure you’re signed in with your Google account.
- At the bottom right, click the floating “+” symbol.
- A menu with choices will appear. Select “Scan.”
- You might need to give the app permission to access your camera before it will start to operate. Place the paper in the proper position, then take the picture with it fully in the frame.
- Your confirmation of your desire to use the image will be requested on the following screen.
- If it looks good, click the checkbox.
Google Drive tries to crop and lighten images automatically. With the crop and color buttons, you can make manual adjustments if necessary. Once the document is centered in the viewfinder, all four corners should be visible, and your view should be primarily flat. Press the shutter button.
- Tap the Add Page button to include a new page in the document.
- Tap “Next” to proceed.
- Giving the file a name and selecting a location to save it are now options. The file will be saved as a PDF at the chosen location.
How Do I scan additional pages of documents?
After you have given the image your approval, you can scan more pages or make edits by doing the following:
- Press (+) icon to insert additional pages into the current document.
- Reload and redo icons allow you to retake any added pages.
- The crop icon is in the top-right corner; adjust the crop/distortion correction there.
- Alternate color settings by clicking the palette icon in the top-right corner.
- The three dots in the top-right corner of the screen let you delete, rotate, or rename the scan.
- Although the defaults ought to work fine in most circumstances, there are additional options in the nested settings menu that let you alter the paper size, orientation, and image quality.
When you are satisfied with the outcomes,
- Click the checkmark in the bottom-right corner. Drive prompts you to enter a name and save the location in Google Drive.
- When you tap Save in the lower-right corner, it ought to be there.
You successfully created a PDF using the camera on your phone.
How to Use Microsoft Lens to Scan Documents on Android
The App Store and Google Play Store both have the standalone Microsoft Lens app available for download.
If you use your Android phone camera to scan documents frequently, Microsoft Lens is a useful app. There are no extraneous features to navigate through because that is all it does. The app launches and immediately takes you to the viewfinder. All the tools you require are readily available with just a few taps in the viewfinder. You can switch between various modes by moving your cursor along the bottom of the viewfinder, just below the shutter, as you search for different objects. You can quickly switch between scanning business cards, photos, and whiteboards, each of which activates a different mode, even though you will probably use the Document mode by default.
- To begin with, launch Microsoft Lens on your Android device and confirm that the “Document” tool is selected in the bottom bar.
- To take a picture, aim the camera at the document and press the shutter button. You might see Lens automatically identify the document’s outline.
- Next, outline the document using the handles on the following screen before tapping “Confirm” to continue.
- You have access to a few more tools now. You can crop, rotate, add a second photo, use filters, and more. Tap “Done” when you’re ready.
- Finally, you can change the document’s name, select a location for it to be saved, and tap “Save.”
The digital copy of the document can be exported as a PDF or saved in Gallery (the iOS version is the Photos app). Select your preferred option, and you’re good to go.
How to Edit Scanned Documents in Microsoft Office Lens
The workflow to edit a page that you have captured for your document is straightforward. The Add New button will take you to the viewfinder, where you can add more images if you need to add another page to your document. For each page of the document, repeat that procedure as necessary.
You can navigate between pages by left- and right-scrolling when several images have loaded. You can quickly swipe up to access filters if you want to change the style of your documents, such as making them black and white.
In the current document, images can be deleted, cropped, rotated, changed to a different document type (which modifies preset filters), made into a text overlay, or drawn on. Pinch-to-zoom functionality enables you to annotate or add a signature as needed.
How to Export Scanned Documents in Microsoft Office Lens
When you are satisfied with the scanned document, you are ready to export and save it. Along with saving it as a JPEG image to the gallery, you can also save a PDF file to the storage on your Android device. You can also upload the picture to PowerPoint, OneNote, or OneDrive. Alternatively, if you would prefer to convert the documents to text, you can import them into Microsoft Word for OCR.
You see a list of the files you created in the app once the document has been saved in a particular format. Using the three-dot menu on each one, you can then share or delete them.
How to Use Adobe Scan to Digitally Capture Files on Your Phone
If you need a different set of features than what the Google Drive app offers, Adobe Scan is a capable alternative to conventional document scanners. G Suite’s services can benefit from deeper integration, which Adobe Scan can provide but is willing to forego.
How to Use Adobe Scan to Scan a Document
- Get Adobe Scan by visiting the Google Play Store.
- Launch Adobe Scan and give the necessary permissions.
- Aim the phone’s camera at the scanning area, making sure to get a complete view of the document.
- As soon as a document is visible, Adobe Scan automatically captures it.
- To the left of Auto-Capture, select the Aperture icon if you would prefer to manually position and capture your document.
- Once you have all the documents you want to be included in a particular PDF captured, you can review your scans by tapping the gallery icon in the lower-right corner.
- From the review screen, you can change the name of the PDF, add new pages, rearrange the contents, and more. Utilizing the bottom navigation bar, you can also alter the crop, rotate images, select color preferences, or remove pages.
- After you are satisfied with your scan, click Save PDF in the upper-left corner.
Scan Document to PDF
#1. Download a Scanning App
On an Android phone, you must use a scanning app to scan documents into PDF format. The Google Play Store offers several scanning applications, including Adobe Scan, CamScanner, and Microsoft Office Lens. Select the app that best fits your needs from the Play Store.
#2. Set Up the App
Open the scanning app after downloading it, then configure it. Most scanning apps will require you to create an account to save the documents you have scanned to the cloud. You have the option of signing up with your email address or logging in with a Google, Apple, or Facebook account. To complete the setup process, adhere to the instructions.
#3. Position the Document
Place the document you wish to scan on a flat surface, ideally against a dark background for improved contrast. A straight edge and properly aligned document are a must. Some scanning software includes a grid or other guidelines to aid in aligning the document. As you hold your phone directly over the document, make sure the entire thing is visible in the camera’s field of view.
#4. Take a Document Image
After positioning the document, use the scanning app’s camera icon to take a picture of it. Make sure to get a clear, well-lit image that includes the entire document. You can take another photo or adjust the lighting if the one you took is blurry or poorly lit.
#5. Edit the Picture
The scanning app will show you the image of the document after taking a picture of it. If editing is required, you can crop, rotate, or change the brightness and contrast of the image. Some scanning applications also offer extra capabilities like the ability to annotate or add filters to the document.
#6. Save to PDF
As soon as you are happy with the image, you can save it as a PDF file. You can choose the “Save as PDF” option in the majority of scanning apps. A description or a name change for the PDF file are also options. You can also customize the resolution and quality of the PDF file using some apps.
Open the camera app, then place the document so that it fills the entire screen. The document will be recognized automatically by the camera app. Click the scan button. Start the camera app, then aim it at the document you want to scan. The document should have a yellow border around it. Then, Touch the yellow icon with the letter “T” inside it to scan the document.
Where is the Scanner on Android?
Download Google Drive and open it to scan documents using Android phone camera, or use a scanning app like Google Lens to locate the scanner. Most of the time, scanning a document requires using the camera on an Android phone.
How Do I Scan a Document and Email It as a PDF?
- You can add a new document by clicking the “+” icon after opening the cloud storage drive on your Android device.
- To position your device’s camera to take a picture of the document, open the camera app by tapping the camera scan icon.
- For each page of the document, click or tap the circle capture button to take a picture.
- To scan the images into a PDF file, select the checkbox with your mouse.
- Clicking the three dots in the upper right corner of your screen will bring up a menu that allows you to email the scanned document.
How Do I Scan a QR Code on Android Without an App?
Android 10 and Android 9 (Android Pie) both come equipped with built-in QR Code readers, just like iPhones do. On Android 8 or Oreo, QR Code scanning does not require an app. QR Code scanning is only possible on Android smartphones running Android 7.0 and later with an app.
The ability to instantly scan QR Codes without an app is provided by Google Screen Search. Simply aim the camera at the QR Code, hold down the Home button for a long time, and select “What is on my screen?” The QR Code link will be available to customers.
Google Lens is an AI camera interface that can recognize QR codes as well as other objects in the frame. It is accessible through Google Assistant and the camera app.
You can access Google Lens by using Google Assistant or by downloading Google Lens and starting to scan QR codes.
Where Can I Scan and Email Documents?
You have two options for emailing the scanned file from your Android phone after it has been saved in Google Drive.
Send a link to Google Drive You are only going to share the PDF file’s Google Drive link. The recipient must click the link to view your scanned document.
- Select your PDF file by tapping the three dots icon in the Google Drive app. Go to the menu and choose Download.
- Your phone will download a copy of your PDF that is offline. The Downloads folder is where you can locate it.
- Currently, open the email application and start a new email. The PDF document you downloaded in Step 2 should be attached by tapping the Attachment icon.
Why Can’t I Scan With My Android Phone?
Your phone’s camera may be unable to read a QR code if it is either too close or too far away. Obtain a close-up of the QR code with your camera. After that, gradually pull the camera away from the QR code. A foot or so should be between your camera and the QR code. make sure the code is displayed on your screen correctly. Other options include clearing your camera’s lens and improving the lighting on the code.
Conclusion
So that is how simple it is to scan documents on an Android device and save them as PDFs or images. You can regularly scan and digitize documents using Microsoft Lens, one of the best apps for this task. On iOS or Android, it is not the only app that is accessible. If the Microsoft Lens does not appeal to you for some reason, you can also try the other techniques mentioned in the article or look into some well-liked substitutes.
In conclusion, it is now much simpler than ever to scan documents to PDF using the camera on your Android phone because a variety of scanning apps are easily accessible on the Google Play Store. You can scan your documents, save them as PDF files, and access them at any time or place by following a few easy steps.
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