How to Scan a Document into a PDF

The Adobe Portable Document Format, or PDF, is a commonplace secure document form utilized by many businesses. As the move toward a paperless office continues, scanning paper documents into PDF files will become an essential skill for many. The steps for scanning a document into a PDF are simple.

(Note: The following steps were outlined using Adobe Acrobat 9. However, general functions of the Acrobat program have remained relatively consistent over the years, and these directions should assist users of most recent Acrobat versions.)

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Adobe Acrobat (Acrobat Reader is not sufficient)
• Paper documents
• Flatbed scanner

1. Position the first page of your document on the flatbed scanner and close the lid.

2. In Adobe Acrobat, under the File menu, choose "Create PDF", then "From Scanner" and then "Custom Scan."

3. In the Scan dialog box, choose your configuration settings. This will vary based on the nature of the document you wish to scan (e.g. color or black & white, images or text).

4. Click "Scan."

5. When the scanning process is complete, Acrobat will ask you if you wish to scan more pages into the file. If you do, position the next page on the flatbed scanner and click "Scan More Pages." Otherwise, click "Scan Is Complete."

6. Repeat the above steps as necessary to scan a multi-page document.

Resources

• Adobe Acrobat 9 Instruction Manual