Administrations, schools and employers increasingly ask for documents "in a single PDF": ID card, diplomas, payslips, certificates. You don't need a scanner. A phone camera and a few minutes are enough, as long as you follow a few rules.
Step 1: take good photos
The quality of the final PDF depends almost entirely on the photos.
- Light. Use daylight near a window. Avoid the flash, which creates a white reflection on glossy paper.
- Flat and straight. Put the sheet on a dark, flat surface and hold the phone directly above it, parallel to the page.
- Fill the frame. The page should take up most of the picture, with a small border around it.
- No shadows. Your hand and phone can cast a shadow. Move slightly to the side if needed.
- Sharp. Tap the screen on the text to focus before taking the picture.
Tip: iPhone users can also use the built-in scanner in the Notes or Files app, and Android users the Scan button in Google Drive. They straighten the page automatically.
Step 2: combine the photos into one PDF
- Open JPG to PDF. It also accepts PNG and iPhone HEIC photos.
- Select all the pictures at once.
- Put them in the right order by dragging the thumbnails, or with the arrows on each page.
- Choose A4 as page size and Small margin for a document that prints correctly.
- Keep Merge all images into one PDF checked and click Convert to PDF.
Already have several PDFs, for example one per document? Combine them with Merge PDF.
Step 3: make it lighter
Phone photos are large, so a PDF of ten pages can easily reach 20 to 30 MB. Most online forms accept far less. Run the file through Compress PDF with the Recommended level. Text stays perfectly readable and the file usually becomes 5 to 10 times smaller.
Step 4 (optional): make the text searchable
A PDF made from photos contains images of text. You cannot select, copy or search the words. If the recipient needs that, for example to copy a reference number, use OCR PDF. Choose the language of the document, including Arabic + French for bilingual papers.
Checklist before sending
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| All pages are present and in order | Missing pages are the most common reason for rejection |
| Every page is readable when zoomed | Blurry scans are often refused |
| File size is under the limit | Many portals accept 2 to 5 MB only |
| The file name is clear, e.g. "Name-Documents.pdf" | Helps the person processing your file |