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How to Convert Scanned Files to Editable PDFs

Published On : December 26, 2022 by: Anjali Latwal/Category(s) : Technology

Go through this guide to find out how to convert Scanned Files to Editable PDFs

Table of Contents

Here’s how to convert Scanned Files to Editable PDFs

The days are over when we had to use digital cameras to capture photographs of paper documents, then transfer those pictures to our computers using memory cards, and then edit the files using tools such as Paint. It is now much simpler to digitize papers in order to lessen the amount of paper that is wasted and to expedite the creative process. It is as simple as taking a photo of your paper with your cell phone and then storing your file to cloud storage so that you can view it from any device.

What if, however, the scanned document you want to save consists of numerous pages, such as an article or storyboard? Won’t the individual scans take up a significant amount of space in the cloud? And what if the document you’re working with is a form that still has to be editable and able to be filled out?

PDF files, on the other hand, are ideal for this purpose. Documents that were originally created on paper, such as contracts, can be made far more dependable, shareable, and editable by converting them to PDF format. In a moment, we are going to demonstrate how quickly a scanned document can be converted into an editable PDF format; but, before we do that, let’s go over some document scanning best practices.

Instructions on how to convert scanned documents to PDF format:

You can guarantee that the document you wish to scan can be simply converted to a PDF by doing a few simple things beforehand. This begins with the method that you use when you are scanning the paper in the first place.

When preparing your paper for scanning, ensure that you complete the following:

Place the paper on a flat surface and make sure it is not creased in any way.
Find the correct light source and direction to illuminate your paper so that there is no glare in the photographs that are created by the light reflecting off the surface it is sitting on.
Keep your camera or smartphone level and perpendicular to the surface you’re photographing; don’t tilt it.
Only include in the photograph the thing that you wish to scan, and make sure that the surface is clean of any other objects.

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How can a scanned document be converted into a PDF file?

The process of scanning a document and converting it to an editable PDF file is now far less complicated than it was in the past. To begin scanning notes, storyboards, and other tangible items that can be converted to PDF and shared with coworkers or customers, all you need now is your mobile phone and a service like Dropbox. Let’s take a look at some of the more straightforward approaches to scanning documents using Dropbox.

Scan any necessary papers and upload them to your Dropbox account

There is a document scanning option available inside the Dropbox mobile app, which makes it simple to scan documents and upload them immediately to your Dropbox account. To make use of this function, follow these steps:

Launch the Dropbox application on the mobile device you’re using.
To add more, click the plus sign (+).
Select Scan Document.
Take a photograph of the document you want to scan and save it to your computer.
If required, you should either make adjustments or add more pages to your manuscript.
Just go on to the next step.
Make any necessary changes to the settings for saving.
Create a name for the file.
Check that the file is saved in PDF format rather than PNG format.
Adjust the picture quality settings.
Select the directory in which you want your scanned image stored.
You can save your scan to your Dropbox account by clicking the Save button.

Users of the Dropbox Professional and team accounts have access to a function called optical character recognition (OCR), which allows them to search for text inside scanned files.

Convert an image to a PDF Scan

You can convert photographs that are already stored in your Dropbox account to PDF format by using the Dropbox mobile app on your mobile device. In order to do this, the picture file must be in either the.jpg ,.jpeg, or.png format. To scan a picture into a PDF format, follow these steps:

Launch the Dropbox application on the mobile device you’re using.
Tap the ellipsis icon (it looks like three dots) that is located next to the name of the picture file that you want to convert.
Click the Save as Scan button.
If required, you should either make adjustments or add more pages to your manuscript.
Just go on to the next step.
In the options for saving the file, you should make sure that the file format is set to PDF.
Simply choose the Save option to save your scanned image in your Dropbox folder.

Here’s how to make edits to your scan

When you’ve finished creating your scan inside the Dropbox mobile app, you can go to the Edit view to modify the file. These are the following:

Changing the scan settings or putting in a filter: To adjust the setting, touch the symbol that looks like three sliders at the bottom of the screen.
Putting the pages in a new arrangement: After selecting Arrange from the menu that appears next to Edit, you can move pages around by first depressing and holding down on the page you want to move.
Increasing the number of pages: Tap the symbol that looks like two pages joined together with a plus sign, and then follow the on-screen instructions.

Using the in-app PDF editor that Dropbox provides, scanning, editing, and sharing your documents is a breeze.

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How to transform your scanned files to editable PDF format?

You are able to immediately begin making simple modifications to a scanned document as soon as you upload it to Dropbox using the Dropbox mobile app. You can edit PDFs stored in your Dropbox account at dropbox.com, even if you’d prefer to work on a larger screen, such as the one on your laptop or desktop computer. Dropbox also integrates with other PDF editing applications, such as pdfFiller and Adobe Acrobat, making it possible to make more detailed edits to PDF files.

How to edit PDFs with Dropbox?

Open the PDF you want to edit while you are logged in to your Dropbox account, and then click the Edit button located above the file preview. To make changes to your file:
To add more PDF pages to your project, tap the Insert page button and then follow the on-screen directions.
Your whole collection of pages will be shown as thumbnails in a list along the left-hand sidebar of your window.
Choose the page thumbnail you want to move in the sidebar on the left, and then drag it to the desired location to rearrange the pages.
To remove a page from your PDF file, choose the thumbnail of the page you want to delete, and then click the Delete page button.
To rotate a page, click on its thumbnail, and then choose either Rotate right or Rotate left from the menu that appears.

On Dropbox.com, the interactive PDF forms with fillable fields are the only ones that can be completed. To submit an interactive form, you must first choose a field that can be filled in, and then input your responses into the resulting text box.

Conclusion: So, this is how you can convert Scanned Files to Editable PDFs for your use. We hope that you will find our guide helpful. However, if you encounter any issues, you can leave them in the box below.