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Scan Documents with your iPhone

Posted by Mark E. Mueller | Jun 16, 2024 | 0 Comments

JPG  and PNG formats are not for documents

Not many people have a fax machine these days. Many people have multi-function printer/scanner machines, but the scanner function is often too wonky and complicated for infrequent use. So what do you do when you need to send a copy of a paper document to someone? 

  • If you're in no hurry and you have a copy machine, stamps and envelopes, you could mail a copy. 
  • You can head to the office supply store and use the business services center to send a fax (if your recipient has a fax number).
  • You can use your iPhone to scan to a PDF, then text or email the PDF. See the Instructions below.

Whatever you do, DO NOT SEND JPG OR PNG PHOTOS OF YOUR DOCUMENT! Doing so requires your recipient to convert and organize a bunch of dark, fuzzy, poorly framed images. It marks you as someone who does not have their sh*t together. And it increases the risk of mistakes. 

Scan-to-PDF with your iPhone

Here is a simple how-to guide for scanning documents with the iPhone Notes app:

  • Step 1: Open the Notes app on your iPhone and tap the New Note button in the bottom right corner of the screen. You can also open an existing note if you want to add a scanned document to it.
  • Step 2: Tap the Camera icon on the toolbar above the keyboard and select Scan Documents from the menu that pops up.
  • Step 3: Place the document that you want to scan in front of the camera. The app will automatically detect the edges of the document and capture it. You can also manually adjust the corners by dragging them on the screen.
  • Step 4: If you have multiple pages to scan, repeat Step 3 until you are done. Then tap Save in the bottom right corner of the screen. You will see a preview of your scanned document in the note.
  • Step 5: You can edit your scanned document by tapping on it. You can crop, rotate, add filters, or mark it up with your finger or an Apple Pencil. You can also sign your document by tapping the Add button and then Signature.
  • Step 6: To share your scanned document, tap the Share button in the top right corner of the screen and choose how you want to send it. You can also save it to your Files app or iCloud Drive.

I hope this helps you scan documents with your iPhone Notes app.

About the Author

Mark E. Mueller

Attorney at Law

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