Scan a letter with the phone in your pocket
Turn a paper letter into a tidy PDF using only your phone, and send it without going anywhere near a scanner.
The doctor’s office wants a copy of a letter. There is no scanner in the house and there has not been one for years. There is one in your pocket, and it is better than the one you used to own.
A scanning app is not the same as taking a photograph. It finds the edges of the paper, straightens the picture out, flattens the shadow, sharpens the writing and puts the result into a PDF — the tidy, official-looking sort of file that offices expect.
Key points
- Scan a paper letter with your phone and save it as a PDF.
- Add several sheets to one scan instead of sending four separate pictures.
- Send the scan straight to somebody from the phone.
What to remember
- Take the picture, keep it, choose PDF, name it, save. The same five steps on every phone.
- When somebody official asks for a copy of a document, scan it rather than photograph it. It takes the same amount of time.
- Share is the same button everywhere on a phone. It always means "send a copy of this thing".
Try this
Find the scanner on your own phone — try Notes, Files, or the camera — and scan one thing you would hate to lose. The furnace certificate is a good candidate. It takes about a minute and you will have it for ever.
Practice: Scan a letter with the phone in your pocket. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.