No scanner on hand? Take photos of your documents with your phone: PDFRoll whitens the background, sharpens the text and combines all your photos into a single clean PDF, right in your browser.
How it works
- Select or take photos of your pages.
- Choose the look: document, grayscale or color.
- Click “Create PDF”.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install an app?
No, the site works right in your phone's, tablet's or computer's browser.
Can I take the photo directly from the site?
Yes, on a phone, “Select images” lets you take a photo as well as choose existing images.
Can I scan several pages into the same PDF?
Yes, select several photos: each one becomes a page of the same PDF.
Which style should I choose?
“Document” for printed or handwritten text on white paper, “Grayscale” for a document with photos, and “Color” when colors matter.
Can I copy the text from the scan?
Run the PDF through “OCR PDF” afterward to make the text selectable and searchable.
Is the document cropped automatically?
No, the photo is kept as is. Frame the document as tightly as possible when you take the shot, or use “Crop PDF” afterward.
Are my files sent to a server?
No. Everything happens in your browser: your documents never leave your device.
From phone to PDF in seconds
On a phone, the “Select images” button also lets you take a photo: you can snap your pages one by one without leaving the site. You can also choose photos you've already taken. Each photo becomes a page of the PDF, in file order, and the document is saved as scan.pdf.
There's no app to install, and your photos aren't sent to a server: your browser does the processing.
The three styles and page size
- “Document”: white background and crisp black text, ideal for a letter, a form, an invoice or a receipt.
- “Grayscale”: for mixed documents that contain photos or drawings.
- “Color”: brightened colors, to keep a stamp, highlighting or a logo in color.
With the “A4” size, each photo is centered on an A4 page, in portrait or landscape depending on the photo's orientation. With “Photo size”, the page takes exactly the image's proportions.
Tips for a sharp scan
- Frame the document as tightly as possible: the tool doesn't crop or straighten the photo.
- Lay the sheet flat on a dark, plain surface in a well-lit spot.
- Avoid your phone's shadow and flash glare on the paper.
- Hold the phone parallel to the sheet so the lines stay straight.
If a page is upside down or crooked, fix it afterward with “Rotate PDF”; to remove an unwanted margin, use “Crop PDF”.
Making the scanned text usable
The resulting PDF is made of images: the text can't be copied or searched yet. Run the file through “OCR PDF” to recognize the text. For photos you want to keep as they are, without processing, use “JPG to PDF” instead.