Scan to PDF turns photos of paper documents into one PDF, one photo per page. Use your camera or add JPG and PNG photos. Everything happens in your browser, so images stay on your device.
How to scan a document to PDF
- Open this page on a device with a camera, or have your photos ready. Allow camera access to scan.
- Hold the page flat, fill the preview, and tap Capture page. The frame is saved at up to 2400 pixels on its longest side.
- Turn the page and repeat, then tap Stop camera.
- Or drop several JPG or PNG photos onto the upload area, or click Choose files.
- Check the thumbnails; rotate, move or delete pages as needed.
- Choose a page size, orientation and margin, or keep A4, Auto and 10 mm.
- Click Create PDF from … pages and wait for each page to be prepared.
- Click Download PDF. Camera-only scans are named
scan-YYYY-MM-DD.pdf; uploads use the first file name plus-scan.pdf.
Camera or uploading photos
The camera is quickest when the document is in front of you, and works well on phones and tablets. A desktop webcam is supported, but holding a sheet steady in front of a laptop is awkward.
Uploading suits existing photos or a device without a usable camera. Uploads keep more detail: images up to 4000 pixels on the longest side are preserved, while a live capture is limited to 2400 pixels and saved as a JPEG at about 92 per cent quality. That is enough for readable A4 text but may show less fine detail.
Getting a good scan
Lighting. Put the page on a flat surface near a window or under a bright, even light. A lamp on one side casts a shadow, and a camera flash can leave a bright patch.
Straight edges. Fill the frame with the page, leaving a small border. Keep the phone roughly parallel to the paper; a steep angle makes one end of the text smaller and distorts the page.
Steadiness. Hold the phone with both hands, or rest your elbows on the table, and wait for the preview to settle.
Resolution. A 2400-pixel capture is about 200 dots per inch across an A4 page that fills the frame, which is enough for most text, receipts and forms. For very small print, upload a higher-resolution photo.
Clean the lens. A smudge creates a soft, hazy scan that zooming cannot fix.
Page size, orientation and margins
A4 is 210 × 297 mm and is standard in most countries. Letter is 8.5 × 11 inches and is standard in the United States and Canada. Fit image makes each page the size of its image at 96 pixels per inch; it is best for notes read on screen.
Orientation controls the page shape on A4 and Letter. Auto gives a landscape page to a wide image and a portrait page to a tall one. Portrait and Landscape force every page the same way; with Fit image, the image decides.
Margin adds white space around each page: None, 10 mm or 20 mm. The default is 10 mm. Most office printers cannot print to the paper edge, so a margin prevents text from being clipped.
Rotating, reordering and deleting pages
Each thumbnail has buttons to rotate the page left or right by 90 degrees, and the angle label shows what will be applied. The side arrows move a page one place earlier or later, which helps when a double-sided document was captured as all the fronts and then all the backs. The trash button removes a page from this document only; your original photos are never changed.
Rotation is applied when the PDF is built, not just in the preview. Every page is redrawn into a new JPEG canvas with its rotation, and the PDF receives the resulting width and height, so a page turned 90 degrees gets the correct page shape. This re-encodes each page as a JPEG, so it is not lossless.
Privacy: the camera stays on your device
The camera preview uses the browser's own camera access. Frames are drawn onto a canvas, turned into JPEGs, and kept in memory until you create and download the PDF. Nothing is uploaded to Lembog or any other server.
The camera stream stops when you tap Stop camera, when you leave the page, and before a PDF is generated. No account is required, and no copy is kept after you close the page.
Limitations
- There is no OCR. Each page is an image, so text cannot be selected, searched or copied.
- No edge detection, cropping or deskewing. A page photographed at an angle keeps that perspective. Trim borders afterwards with Crop PDF if needed.
- Camera quality varies. Low light, a shaky hand or a dirty lens reduce sharpness; the tool does not sharpen or brighten images.
- JPG and PNG only, 15 MB each. iPhone HEIC photos are usually converted to JPG by the photo picker; if not, change Camera > Formats to Most Compatible.
- Every page is re-encoded as a JPEG. This keeps the PDF manageable but is not lossless, and the output has no password protection.
- Very large batches are limited by memory. There is no fixed page limit, but dozens of high-resolution pages use a lot of memory on a phone.
Common uses
It is handy for expense receipts, signed forms, ID copies, certificates, handwritten notes, homework, tenancy paperwork and medical letters. It is also useful when someone asks for a PDF and you only have a phone photo.
A scan shows everything on the page, so check the preview and delete unwanted pages before sharing.
Related PDF tools
- To convert existing photos with support for WebP, GIF and BMP too, use JPG to PDF.
- To trim scanner borders or unwanted edges, use Crop PDF.
- To fix sideways pages in an existing PDF, use Rotate PDF.
- To make a scanned PDF smaller before sending it, use Compress PDF.
- To combine a scan with other documents, use Merge PDF.
Scan to PDF FAQ
Are my photos or camera frames uploaded?
No. Camera frames and uploaded images are processed in your browser, and the PDF is created there. Nothing is sent to Lembog or any other server.
Can I scan with my phone's camera?
Yes, in a modern mobile browser over HTTPS. Your browser asks permission the first time. If you deny it, upload JPG or PNG photos instead.
Why won't the camera start?
The device may lack a camera, the browser may be blocking access, or another app may be using it. Check permissions and close other video apps. Upload photos if it still fails.
What image formats can I upload?
JPG and PNG, up to 15 MB each. iPhone HEIC photos are usually converted by the photo picker; if not, change Camera > Formats to Most Compatible.
Does the PDF have searchable text?
No. Each page is an image, so text cannot be selected or searched. Run the PDF through an OCR tool if you need searchable text.
Can I rotate, reorder or delete pages before saving?
Yes. Use the arrows under each thumbnail to rotate in 90-degree steps, the side arrows to move a page, and the trash button to remove it.
Is Scan to PDF free?
Yes. It is free, with no signup, watermark or page limit, and everything is assembled on your own device.
Why does my scan look blurry or dark?
Usually lighting or steadiness. Use even daylight, avoid shadows, fill the frame and hold the phone still. Clean the lens too; the tool does not enhance images.