Ever need a digital version of a paper document? For example, if you needed to get a document to someone in a hurry, say your solicitor or an accountant acting on your behalf, you would be in a position to offer him or her a scanned copy attached to an email instead of waiting for the Royal Mail or whoever to deliver it. Digital copies are also a great way to back up important documents in case the originals become lost or damaged.
But as it turns out, the built-in cameras of many smartphones and tablets available today can actually shoot high-quality scans of paper documents, with a process that is not only quicker but easier than traditional scanning. In this lesson, we’ll talk about some apps you can use for the App store and Google Play mobile devices.
Downloading a scanner app
Another way of scanning your note with your smartphone is to download a different mobile app onto your device. There are many apps that can be used to achieve this goal, but they all work in the same basic way. These apps can also change text documents into PDF files. However, most of the prominent scanner apps include QuickScan (Android and iOS) but you may have more options if you do a quick search within your app store on your device.
To scan a document with your phone:
- Place the document you want to scan on a flat surface, like a desk or table.
- Run the scanner app edit PDF scan on iphone then proceed to instructions that are being displayed. Procedure followed may differ from app to app but in most cases, you will be required to place the device directly above a document thereafter use the device’s camera for photographing.
- The document is then saved in your device as an image or a pdf file. From there you can mail the document to some other person, save the document on your desktop computer, or simply keep it on the device for records.
Mobile device scanning tips
Scanning documents with a mobile device is quick and easy, but results aren’t always as consistently good as you might get with a desktop scanner. Here are a few tips for cleaning up your overall mobile scans:
- Use bright direct light. Shadow lighting as well as indirect lighting will cause some areas on the document to become unreadable after scanning.
- Hold the device directly above the document so as to avoid distorting the scan. The phone is actually not right on top of the document as captured below hence the app requests that we move it before scanning which doesn’t make sense.
Tips for scanning documents to PDF
- If you scan documents to PDF using either of the methods, there are certain tips that can help you optimize your outcomes. Ensure that the document is clean, flat, and well-illuminated without shadows or glare or wrinkles that may distort the quality of the image.
- Orient your document in line with the edges of your camera or scanner, and guides or grids may be employed to perfect the cropping and orientation.
- Select an appropriate resolution and format for your scanned PDF file; bear in mind that the higher the resolution, the better the quality but it will also result in a larger file size.
- Before saving or sending it review and edit your scan PDF file for any errors like pages missing, blur text or wrong colors.
Benefits of Document Scanner Apps
Still in doubt about going paperless? Why wait one more day when your business can benefit from this and why not right now? The list of the top reasons for scanning documents:
1. More Office Space
Storing your business records in prime office real estate is an expensive proposition. Scanning your documents frees up office space so it can be put to use for generating more revenue for your company. Instead of residing in big file cabinets, thousands of files can easily be stored on a single server.
2. Enhanced Information Preservation
When you have your important historical documents, then you want to keep them preserved for ages. Yet every time they’re handled the ageing process accelerates. Document scanning is the “last touch” solution. In the first place, this permits taking care of important information and physical deterioration against protection. But this may be done by and large by any tons of other means out there.
3. Better Data Security
Protecting hard copy information is, at best, difficult. Scanned documents can then be encrypted, with protection passwords and safely stored in a cloud. Next, access levels can be assigned to specific users, with tracking capabilities that extend to all file activity.
4. Improved Staff Collaboration
Document scanning enables the sharing of the documents and also eases increasing collaborative work on projects in a way that does not require duplicating them physically onto paper. As such, electronic copies of information may be viewed by various staff and in different locations at the same time.
5. Audit Compliance
Compliance is a reality that most businesses have to grapple with. Firstly, by virtue of the document scanning, your company has been enabled to meet its bag legal and regulatory obligations quite easily. Secondly, the digital files can be stored, organized, indexed as well as produced at great speed to suit the requirements of any auditors, however demanding they may be.
6. Better Customer Service
It’s difficult to give consistent customer service if you have customers in more than one region. Document scanning allows you to get important information to your clients much faster than having to print and mail them bills, invoices, statements and a host of other items.
7. Less Paper Clutter
Clutter equals death to production. That the paper clutter in your office doesn’t have to be status quo. Document scanning avoids the massive paper build up in the first place so that your employees can produce at their best without which they’re already surrounded by.
8. Improved Disaster Recovery
Paper documents are especially vulnerable to fire, flood and other natural disasters. The good news is that document scanning provides better disaster recovery for your business. All digital images can be backed up either on tape or hard drive, or protected electronically with an e-vaulting solution to enhance retrieval time.
9. More Time
This is according to an AIIM survey which states that the process may take as much as 37 minutes to locate one paper file. Document scanning streamlines file access for everyone throughout your company. Documents can be made accessible from your desk without even trying and in no time.
10. A Greener Planet
Scanning documents isn’t only friendly to your business – it benefits the environment too. According to The Paperless Project, the average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year. That’s a lot of trees! And even when a meager fraction of that paper ends up in the waste stream- it causes harm to the environment. Document scanning reduces your business ‘ paper consumption for an environmentally friendlier planet.
Now that you know the benefits of document scanning are too good to ignore, why wait any longer?
FAQ
1. How do I scan a document with scanner app?
- Open your Smartphone or scanner app.
- Find the “QuickScan App”
- Touch and hold the widget.
- Drag it onto your Home screen. You may be asked to select an account.
- Choose the folder you’ll save documents inside.
- Tap Select.
2. How do I scan a document step by step?
- Ensure your scanner is turned on and connected. Press the power button on your scanner to turn it on
- Open “QuickScan – Document Scanner App”.
- Place the pages you want to be scanned into the scanner. …
- Initiate scan.
- Save scanned documents.
