Scan a document with your printer or phone (and email it)

Scan with your phone (no scanner needed)

Scan with your printer to a computer

Windows: open the Windows Scan app, choose your scanner and Source (Flatbed or Feeder), then select Scan. Scans save to Pictures\Scans unless you pick another folder. Mac: in Preview, choose File > Import from Scanner. The maker's free app (HP app, Canon PRINT, Epson Smart Panel, Brother Mobile Connect) can scan straight to PDF too.

Scan to email: three ways

(a) From the printer or maker's app. Some printers have Scan to Email on their screen. HP's needs an HP account and doesn't work over USB, and Brother calls it Easy Scan to E-mail under Apps. In the HP app (formerly HP Smart), scan, then choose Share > Basic PDF > Mail. In Canon PRINT, scan, then Share > PDF > Mail. Epson's scan-to-cloud needs an Epson Connect account. Many home printers need the maker's app or a cloud account for this.

(b) From your phone. Scan in Notes, Files or Google Drive (step 1), then tap Share and choose your email app.

(c) From your computer. Scan to a PDF (step 2), then attach the file to a new email.

Scan both sides (double-sided)

Printer with a 2-sided (duplex) document feeder: look for a 2-sided, duplex or scan both sides setting in the maker's app or on the printer's screen. Canon, for example, calls it Scan both sides when scanning from the ADF.

Feeder that scans one side only: scan the fronts, flip the whole stack without changing the order, then scan the backs. Use the app's combine option if it has one. The HP app has + Add and reorder tools, and HP's full printer software has a 2-sided (manual) setting that puts pages in order for you. Or merge the two PDFs. On a Mac, use Preview: View > Thumbnails, then drag pages between PDFs. On Windows, use the maker's free app, or the free, open-source PDFsam Basic, whose Mix tool interleaves fronts and backs, even in reverse order. Download it only from pdfsam.org.

Phone: scan side 1, flip, scan side 2, and so on, all into the same scan so it becomes one PDF.

Tips for good scans

• Save as PDF. It keeps multiple pages in one file.
• Give the file a clear name, like 2026-10 Electric bill.pdf.
• Keep it small enough to email. Gmail allows up to 25 MB of attachments, and bigger files are sent as a Google Drive link. A lower resolution or black-and-white scan makes files smaller.
• Don't email sensitive documents unprotected. Tax forms, IDs and medical records are better sent through a secure portal or a password-protected file.