Digital documents such as PDFs offer versatility and convenience that can't be matched by paper-based documents. Digital format is also best in terms of presenting and protecting your file. To convert your paper-based documents to digital files, you'll need to use a scanner to produce a PDF version of your physical documents. We'll cover how to do that, and the top 5 best free scan to PDF tools that are currently on the market in the article below.
Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor Wondershare PDFelement Wondershare PDFelement provides the most useful toolkit for scanning digital PDF from physical documents directly. It can scan documents to not only PDF, but also other file types , such as JPG, PNG, TIFF, Excel, and Word. It supports scanning to PDFs from different devices. And you can modify configurations such as DPI, page size, and resolution.
You can also use the OCR PDF feature to recognize scanned content and convert the scanned PDF into text so it is editable and searchable. And it can rotate, crop, merge or split the scanned PDF file. It is not only a PDF scanner but also a PDF editor and converter.
"I am an administrator on a construction site, so there use to be a lot of manual paper form filling. I've been able to scan the current form and turn them to fillable online forms in no time. Making for better QA and ease of access come auditing. Plus saves so much time for everyone involved." (Source：G2)
On the main interface of PDFelement, click the "File" > " Create " > " From Scanner " option.
Now, the "Scan" window pops up, and you can select a scanner to connect. Then you can also set other settings for scanning. If you need to identify text and make the scanned PDF editable, tick "Recognize Text"(OCR) .
After that, click the " Scan " button, and the scanning process will begin at once. Once scanning one page, a pop-up window will appear with options "Scan is complete" or "Scan more pages". You can choose the one that's suitable for you.
Once the scanning to PDF process is completed, the newly created PDF file will open automatically. If you want to edit the PDF, you can go to the "Edit" tab, or you can simply click the "Save" button to save it.
After you have done editing, you can simply click the "Save" button to save the scanned PDF file.
Advanced Scan to PDF Free is a popular tool for scanning physical documents into PDF for free. It is different from other free applications, and it packs a decent number of advanced features that enable you to modify scanned PDF files in many different ways. For instance, the application allows you to customize the size of the page and modify the compression type when setting up the scanning profile.
You can also add digital signatures and passwords to protect your files, which offers a nice touch for the average user.
When you conduct a simple search on the internet for "Free Scan to PDF" software, you'll likely be bombarded by a huge database of results. This specific tool is the brainchild of FreeAudioVideo Software, a website that hosts a large collection of free apps. As its name suggests, Free Scan to PDF is a free app currently available for Windows.
Like many free applications in its class, as a simple app in both presentation and function, Free Scan to PDF gives users a set of standard features for both pre-and post-scanning , including tools like page management, cropping, rotating, selecting, and copying. You can even edit the metadata of the PDF, share the scanned PDF files via email, dropbox, and protect your PDF files with passwords and digital signatures.
"Free Scan to PDF is for scanning and saving PDF files without editing them. The only customization settings it comes with are resolution, paper size, paper source, bit depth, contrast, and brightness." (Source：Digitaltrends)
NAPS2 (Not Another PDF Scanner 2) is a very useful PDF scanner that has many useful features – all for free. NAPS2 doesn't come with a sleek user interface or a detailed user guide that many of us would expect with other similar tools.
NAPS2 is very simple-to-use. To scan, you simply select a custom scanning profile, choose a destination folder, scan and save them as PDF . The scanning profiles on the app can be customized based on the scanning sources, document size, resolution, and other settings that make it quite easy to use the scan to PDF freeware.
"PDF support is basic and straightforward: Simply select a number of images and click the Save PDF button to produce a PDF that includes them, one per page. " (Source：PC World)
Scan2PDF is another simple but efficient scan to PDF freeware that lets you scan paper documents into a variety of formats, including PDF. The application is free software for Windows systems. It gives users a shortlist of extra features, which is quite generous for a free application.
You can combine multiple scans into a single PDF file , and this feature is usually only available on paid applications. You can even rearrange the page order of the combined file, rotate the pages, and import additional files from your hard drive to add to your merge list.
Overall, if you don't scan a ton of papers on a daily basis, it will work well as a scanning tool for you.
"Scan2PDF does its job: scan files and saves it in a PDF format. I have a very basic portable flatbed scanner, the CanoScan LiDE100. I simply installed the drivers for the scanner, and Scan2PDF does the rest. Portable version also available on the website." (Source：AlternativeTo)
Quick Scan allows you to scan documents quickly and easily on Windows-based platforms for free. Quick Scan offers both speed and simplicity, as well as functionality, making it the best free scan to PDF software for the average users.
The application is most notable for its various color modes, including RGB, black and white, and grayscale. You can select the color mode you want for your PDF file depending on the quality and speed required. For instance, if you choose the RGB mode, you can get the highest quality output but it scans quite a bit more slowly than black and white, which is probably of lower quality but produces scanned PDF files more quickly and with better font clarity.
"Phis is the perfect scanner app for anyone who wants to stay organized and save time. it's reliable, fast, and produces great scans." (Source：Google Play)
Everyone loves to hear about a free scan to PDF software that will make your life easier at home or in the office. However, while most of these free scan-to-PDF software will help you create high-quality output PDF files for free, there may still be some malware issues or viruses associated with them. We've collected a list of the safest programs to use below. Here are the top 6 free scan to PDF software that is currently available on the market.
Adobe Scan to PDF is a free app for your mobile device. With this app installed on your phone, you can easily scan documents, forms and other paper files to PDF for free. It can also rotate, crop, merge PDF documents after scanning.
Yes. Windows 10 comes with a built-in scanning software - Windows Fax and Scan. And also, you can download a free windows scan to PDF software - Windows Scan from Windows Store, which can help you scan documents to PDF for free on Windows PC.
With HP Smart app on your computer, you can easily scan documents to PDF. Launch the app, click the Scan > Get Started, and select Scanner. After setting up the scanning configurations, click Save to save the documents in PDF format.
