How to scan a document via email – Carswellfamilyfoundation

Document scanning is an extremely useful life skill, both for personal purposes, such as preserving old photos, and for professional purposes, such as sending official documents or signing a document. In 2024, smartphones will make scanning truly easy.

Many of best printers are also equipped with built-in scanners, combining two useful functions in one device. Worth checking out best all-in-one printerswhich can be supplied with scanners equivalent to standalone scanners.

Today we will learn how to scan a document in an email using a scanner or smartphone to scan the document before importing it into an email to Gmail, ProspectsAnd Apple Mail application.

Tools and Requirements

Document to scan
Smartphone or scanner
Email Application

Steps to scan a document into Word

Scan a document
Open your email application
Import and send the document

Step by step guide

1. Prepare the document

Photo scanner in action.

(Image: © Shutterstock.com / Ja Crispy)

To get a good scan, whether from a smartphone or a scanner, your document must be free of stains and other defects that could obscure its contents.

If you plan to scan a document using your smartphone, make sure it is well lit and has a flat surface. For scanners, also make sure the scanning platform is clean.

2. Scan the document to your computer or phone.

Desk

(Image: © Shutterstock)

If you’re sure your document is ready to be scanned, you have two options: a scanner or a smartphone.

If you have a scanner or a printer with a scanner, connect it to your PC or Mac (via a wired connection, Internet or Bluetooth), open an application, e.g. Windows Scan (or Image Capture on macOS) and make sure your scanner has the correct settings and can see the document. Scan the document whenever you like and save it as PDF, JPEG or other format.

Program on a smartphone Google Drive the app is a great choice. Just open the app, go to the bottom right corner to open the camera, a blue frame will appear around the document, scan and save. It’s that simple.

3. Open your email application.

Two people sit at a table with a Mac Studio, Studio Display, and Vision Pro headset in front of them.

(Image: © Apple)

Now that you have scanned the document, go to your email application of choice. We’ll be looking at Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, but there are an almost endless number of good email apps to choose from – some might say there are too many.

In Gmail, start composing an email and buttons will appear at the bottom to insert files (for PDF scans) or images (for JPEG scans). Select them, open the file, and your scan will appear in your email.

In Outlook the process is similar. Create a new email, choose Insert > Images, find the file, and add it. To add a PDF, choose Insert > Object and do the same as for the image.

Finally, in Apple Mail on macOS, start composing a message and the paperclip icon will let you add all file types at once.

Frequently asked questions about scanning a document to email

Do you need a standalone scanner?

The answer really depends on how many documents you want to scan and whether you want to be able to scan many sheets of paper at once. If you scan a lot and/or need to input a large volume of sheets, standalone scanner this is the best choice.

After extensive testing, we found that Canon Maxify GX4020/GX4050 (USA/UK) it’s the best scanner money can buy right now, and Epson ES-C380W Best suited for home office tasks.

Should I just use my printer’s scanner?

Good question. Again, the answer depends: if you need to scan high quality photos, we recommend purchasing photo scannerand the same thing happens if you need to scan high-quality or unusual documents for work.

Many of best printers come with a built-in scanner, and all-in-one printers comes with a scanner, as the name suggests. For casual scanning, this will probably be more than enough.

Epson EcoTank ET-3850 Considered our best all-in-one printer, it does almost everything well.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to scan a document is a really useful life skill that can help in professional and personal contexts, as well as for preserving old documents and ensuring nothing gets lost.

All major email apps, such as Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail, include the ability to easily open and send scanned documents. Improvements in smartphone cameras mean you can almost always have a document scanner with you.

We hope this guide was helpful and thanks for reading.