A clear scan makes an application smoother: it is easy to read, small enough to upload and less likely to be sent back. You do not need a scanner. A phone camera and some care are enough. This guide explains how to scan documents so they stay readable at a small file size.
Prepare the page
- Place the document flat on a clean, plain surface. A dark table makes the paper edges easy to see.
- Smooth out folds and remove staples or clips that cast shadows.
- Remove plastic covers if they cause reflections.
Light and position
- Use even daylight, or a bright room with light coming from above or from two sides.
- Avoid your own shadow falling on the page, which often happens when you hold the phone directly overhead.
- Hold the phone straight above the page, parallel to it, so the text is not skewed. Tilted photos make the far edge smaller and harder to read.
- Keep all four corners in the frame, and wait for the camera to focus before you shoot.
Use the scanner in your phone or a scan app
Many phones have a built-in document scanner in the camera or notes app, and several free scan apps are available. They detect the page edges, straighten the page and improve contrast. If you use the normal camera instead, crop away the table around the page afterwards.
Colour or black and white?
For plain text documents, a black and white or greyscale scan is smaller and often easier to read. For documents with stamps, logos or photographs, such as ID cards and certificates, keep colour so that details remain visible. Follow what the form requires.
Turn the pages into one PDF
- Open the images to PDF tool and add your page photos.
- Put them in the correct order using the arrow buttons.
- Create the PDF and download it.
Keep the size under the limit
If the PDF is too large, you have a few options, which you can combine:
- Scan at a sensible resolution. Most uploads do not need more than a clear, readable page.
- Remove blank or unneeded pages with the PDF page extractor.
- Use the PDF compressor. The Recommended level is a good first try. After compressing, open every page and make sure small text is still readable.
Check the scan before you upload
- Is every word, number and date legible when you zoom in?
- Are the pages complete, in order and the right way up?
- Are names, numbers and dates visible without glare?
- Is the file size and format what the portal asks for?
Need the text from a scan?
If you want to copy text from a printed page, use the text extractor. It works best on clear printed text, so a good scan helps there too. Always proofread the result, especially names and numbers.
The tools mentioned here process your files in your browser and do not upload them to our servers. Keep the original photos until your application is complete.