How to Scan Documents on Android

Isn’t it incredible that you can do most if not all office tasks on your smartphones? That includes scanning documents. In fact, with apps like zShot, you can scan documents on Android in less than a minute.

In this post, we will teach you how to scan documents on Android using zShot document scanning app, Google Keep, Google Drive, and the built-in app of Galaxy.

zShot

Our very own zShot has five tools and one of those is a document scanner. You can add annotations, hide sentences, resize the document, and many more.

If you’re a content creator, educator, or business owner, then zShot is perfect for you. You can scan book passages or excerpts in one hot minute… and then make a slideshow or add text to your scanned file right away!

Here’s how you can scan documents on Android using zShot:

On your zShot app, tap Document Scanner.
Tap Scan Documents. You could also import a file from your gallery.
Point the camera to the document you want to scan.
Squeeze out the viewfinder if you want to isolate important paragraphs.
Tap the red button to capture the document.
You can resize, crop, or rotate the position of your document by tapping the “Edit” button.
Blur the words you’d want to redact by tapping the hide button.
Add annotations using the marker-shaped button.
To eSign the document, use the signature button and trace your signature on any part of the document.
You can change the size of the file to Large, Medium, or Small.
Tap Save as PDF or as JPEG if you’re done with your changes.

Google Drive

You probably had Google Drive installed on your Android smartphone when you brought it. You might have thought that it’s only for uploading and storing files, but you’re wrong! It also has a document scanning app that can instantly save your document as a PDF.

I tried scanning a page from my favorite book, The Secret, and the result was a scanned document with almost perfect clarity.

Here’s how I did it:

I opened my Gdrive app.
At the bottom left part of the app, I tapped on the rainbow plus (+) button.
I tap on the Scan button, which is shaped like a camera.
It will open your camera.
You can tap on the shutter button to scan your file.
As for the file I scanned, I captured a page out of the book, The Secret.
I’m quite satisfied with the result so I tapped on the checkmark button.
After tapping that button, Gdrive will instantly open the file. You can now edit it. If your photo has a background, Gdrive will automatically crop the document. You can still change this by tapping the crop button.
If you crop the file, Gdrive will allow you to bend the cropping lines into any angle. That means you can crop a parallelogram shape out of the file.
If you’re satisfied with the shape, you can tap the Done button below.
After that, Gdrive will instantly brighten and increase the clarity of your file.
Below, you can tap the palette-shaped button to add a Black and White filter, Color, or Color Drawing filter, or just None. Choosing None will let you keep the original raw scanned file. Black and White filter and Color Drawing will let you keep the edited version of Gdrive.
At the bottom left corner, you can opt to scan another file.
If you’re satisfied with your scanned file, you can tap Save at the bottom right corner of the app.
You can instantly save it as a PDF. Don’t forget to rename it. Gdrive will also allow you to save your file in any folder in your Gdrive.
Gdrive will bring you back to the folders. You can now view your newly scanned PDF.

Galaxy’s built-in scanner

Galaxy has actually a built-in scanner in its camera. Most users may have already used this scanner, but some still don’t know that it exists! Whether you want to scan A4 files, books, or business cards, you can do it with this built-in scanner.

Here’s how to use it:

Launch your camera.
At the top left corner, tap on the Settings button.
Under Intelligent features, toggle Scene Optimizer and Scan QR codes. This will let your camera’s AI recognize a document whenever you point your camera to it.
Toggling Scene Optimizer will open two settings, Document Scan and Starburst. Toggle them too so that your camera will show a Scan button whenever it recognizes a document. Starburst, meanwhile, will improve your rear camera’s lighting if you’re in a dark area.

Scan documents on Android: Tips and tricks!

guy scan documents on Android — Make sure to scan your files properly to avoid disappointments.

Although having an awesome app like zShot will help you scan clean and clear documents, you can do a few tricks to improve the result. Follow these tips when you scan documents on Android phones:

Put the document on a flat surface. If your document is a white paper, you can place it on a dark table. This way, your camera’s AI can easily recognize crop out the document of the background.
Position the file where the light falls on them. This makes it easier for the camera to recognize the document.
Avoid letting shadows fall on the document. Your document scanner app’s camera might crop that out since it recognizes it as a dark area.
Don’t hold your document since you might take several shots before you can settle on the perfect image. You don’t want your hands to become shaky, do you? It’s better to trust an object for that task.
Place your camera directly above the document to avoid a skewed perspective.
If your file has a colored photo, save it as PNG. This will compress the photo without reducing its quality.
If you have a lot of storage space and want to save many details on your document, save your file as a Tagged Image Format File (TIFF). This will keep as much data on your file as possible, making it clear and high-quality.

Why scan documents on Android?

It doesn’t matter if you’re in the hospital business or accounting industry. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re a business owner, a content creator, or a freelancer. Wherever you work, you must make it a priority to have a reliable document scanner app on your Android phone.

Almost everyone these days does creative and office tasks. With the rise of solopreneurs, people are creating their own ads and managing their clients at the same time. One way to streamline a couple of office tasks is to have reliable productivity apps on your smartphone.

If you can’t scan documents on Android, then you’re not making the most out of your smartphone. With the wonders it can do, it’s only logical for you to use to scan documents as well. After all, the purpose of having an Android smartphone is for you to do things more conveniently, right?

Why use zShot to scan documents on Android

You will need something more than an app that is equivalent to an expensive paperweight on your phone. Having a scanning app that can do than one more task is just one way to streamline your admin work.

Sure, you have Gdrive, which is installed on your smartphone when you bought it. But you need something that has more features that allow you to annotate and conceal sentences and paragraphs on your document.

For example, you are creating a social media cards for your client. You may use other photo editing tools, but what if you need to edit it quickly and at the same time scan a letter or receipt? Using more than four apps could eventually kill your phone if you’re not careful.

Enter zShot. We have a document scanner, a photo editor, a video editor, slideshow maker, and collage maker in one. We know many people juggle different tasks today. That’s why our mission is to help those people use something that could lighten their load. zShot helps us fulfill that mission.

Final words

Android phones can do many amazing things. If they couldn’t, then Apple wouldn’t shake in its boots with the likes of Huawei in the market! One of those amazing stuff, of course, is scanning documents.

If you want to exercise the full capability of your Android smartphone, then start with zShot! You can scan documents on Android using zShot, and you can do other tasks that will save a huge chunk of your time.

Scan documents on Android with zShot app

If you’re a business owner or freelancer with a busy schedule, why wouldn’t you want an app that can:

Scan documents
Edit videos
Enhance photos
Make slideshows
Create collages

Best of all, it’s 100% free.

That’s the zShot app for you! Five tools in one app.

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How To Scan Documents On Android