How to Email a Scanned Document

When you need to send information by email but your document is on paper, scanning and attaching the document to an email message allows you to transmit the information through your regular email account. All you need is a scanner, and you're well on your way to using the Internet to transfer your file.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Place your document in the scanner and choose a low resolution. Although scanners allow you to choose a high resolution, that feature is better suited for transferring photographs into your computer for editing. For documents, a resolution of 100 dpi (dots per inch) is a good choice.

2. Open your computer's Control Panel and select the "Scanners and Cameras" icon to open the scanner wizard. Follow the instructions to choose a location to save your scanned document. Create a new folder on your desktop, making it easy to locate the file later. Scan as many documents as needed to this folder.

3. Use your email account and create a new message, inserting your intended recipient's email address in the "Send to" field. You must type in the email address exactly.

4. Look at the top of your email window to find the "Insert" menu. When you click on it, a drop-down menu will appear, select the "Attach a File" option and choose the location of your document.

5. Highlight the desired document in the folder and double-click on it to attach it to your email message. Check to be sure the document attaches by looking for the file name in the "Attach" box above your text.

6. Repeat Steps 1 to 5 if you need to attach more documents. Send your email as usual.

Tips & Warnings

• The steps above are intended for the Microsoft Outlook application. If you're using a web-based email service or a different email client, the features may be slightly different, but the process is the generally the same.
• Some newer scanners give you the ability to scan a document directly to an email message by selecting that option on the scanner itself. If so, attaching a document to your email message is as easy as the touch of a button.