Scan to PDF conversion of a paper document into the computer and afterward saving it on a Windows or Mac computer. If already, have a scanned image of the document, convert it to a PDF file thru a free online converter.
Let’s understand the process of scanning and converting a paper document into PDF through the following the steps.
- On Windows
- On Mac
- Converting a Scan Image File into a PDF
Scan to PDF : On Windows
Connect the scanner to the computer. Depending on the scanner, try can do this via the USB cable, or connect wirelessly over the network if the scanner has that feature.
Every scanner is different, so consult the manufacturer’s user guide for instructions on how to properly connect the scanner to the computer.
Place the document into the scanner. The document in question is that one which must be turned into a PDF.
Open Start. Tap the Windows logo placed at the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Type fax and scan into Start. Start searching the computer for the Fax and Scan program.
Click Fax and Scan. Locate a printer-shaped icon at the top of the Start window to open the Fax and Scan program of the PC.
Click New Scan. Button placed in the upper-left side of the Fax and Scan window will open a new window.
Ensure the scanner is selected. in case of multiple scanners on the network, check the “Scanner” section at the top of the window for the one you wish to use. If the scanner currently in use is undesirable, tap Change… to select the scanner.
Select a type of document. Click the “Profile” drop-down box to either select Photo or Documents.
Select the type of scanner. Tap the “Source” drop-down box to select one of the following options:
Feeder for selecting the documents to be fed into the scanner through a chute and used for scanning multiple documents into single PDF.
Flatbed for picking scanner that has a lid which must be lifted up to place the documents.
Click Scan. Placed at the bottom of the window, will prompt the document to stat scanning into the computer. It can even help to change color options before clicking Scan.
Tap File. After the document finishes scanning, tap in the upper-left corner of the window for a drop-down menu to appear.
Tap Print…. It is placed in the drop-down menu.
Press the “Printer” drop-down box. Get the box in the upper-left side of the Print window.
Tap Microsoft Print to PDF. Present in Printer drop-down menu, use default settings to scan image into the computer as an image so as to convert the image to a PDF.
Click Print. This is placed in the lower-right side of the window.
Select a save location. Tapping a folder on the left side of the window.
Enter a name for PDF. Enter the name in the field to the right of the “File name” heading.
Tap Save. Placed at the bottom of the window to save the scanned file as a PDF in the selected save location.
Scan to PDF : On Mac
Connect scanner to the computer. Depending on the type of the scanner, connect via the USB cable, or connect wirelessly using home Wi-Fi in case scanner has the required feature. Every scanner is different, so go as per manufacturer’s user guide instructions to properly connect the scanner to the computer.
Place document in the scanner. The document you wish to turn into a PDF must be place into the scanner.
Click Go. The menu item is placed in the upper-left corner of Mac’s screen.
In case unable to get it, Go and click Mac’s desktop or open a new Finder window.
Click Applications. Placed near the bottom of the Go drop-down menu, Mac’s Applications folder will open.
Double-click Image Capture. The program’s icon resembles a camera. Scroll down to find and press open Image Capture.
Select the scanner. Click scanner’s name in the upper-left side of the window.
Select a scanner type. Tap the drop-down box next to “Scan Mode” to further click one of the following:
Feeder – To select documents when they are fed into the scanner through a chute. Used for scanning multiple documents into one PDF.
Flatbed – Select in case the scanner has a lid that must be lifted up to place the documents.
Select a destination folder. Tap the “Scan To” drop-down box, click a folder like Desktop to send the PDF.
Press the Format drop-down box. Placed in the middle of the right side of the page.
Click PDF. The option is placed in the Format drop-down menu to ensure the document will scan into PDF format. If the option unavailable, use the default settings to scan the image into the computer as an image to be later converted into a PDF.
Click Scan. Placed in the bottom-right corner of the window, click it to scan the document into the computer to save it as a PDF in the specified location.
Scan to PDF : Converting a Scan Image File into a PDF
Open the PNG to PDF website. Go to http://png2pdf.com/ in the computer’s web browser. If unable to scan a document directly into a PDF, the website allows to turn a scanned image like, a PNG file into a PDF. If the scanned document is a JPG file, go to http://jpg2pdf.com/ instead.
Click UPLOAD FILES. Placed in the middle of the page, click it to open a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window.
Select scanned image. Go to the folder in which scanned image was saved, press the image to select it.
Click Open. Placed in the bottom-right corner of the window, it will help in uploading the image to the PNG or JPG to PDF site.
Wait for the image to get converted into a PDF. It will take only a few seconds.
Click DOWNLOAD. Placed below the converted file in the middle of the window, click it to prompt PDF to get downloaded onto the computer.
The steps given above when followed religiously, will help to scan to PDF conversion of a paper document.