Scanners are invaluable tools for both personal and professional use. What if you could take multiple PDF files and combine them into one document? Technology has allowed for this, but it can be a bit confusing if you are not familiar with the process.
While scanning printed material into digitized versions is a pretty common practice, most people aren’t aware of how to scan multiple pdf files into one document, whether it be for work or personal purposes. Given how widespread this application is today, there are plenty of businesses and self-employed people who would find the capabilities of new multifunctional devices very appealing. Consequently, this article was created to introduce anyone interested in purchasing such a device as to what they should expect from it, and give an overview on how to scan multiple pages into one document.
Did you just get a new document scanner for your computer, only to find that it won’t let you import multiple files into one PDF? Maybe you’ve been in the market for a scanner, and are frustrated by the seemingly endless options. We’re here to help you with your scanner dilemma – and tell you how to scan multiple pages into one PDF file, using scanners made by Canon, Epson, HP, or Brother.
Scanning multiple pages into one document is often not as easy as it sounds. However, if you know the right steps to follow, this task can become a simple job. You will find in this article all the necessary information on how to scan multiple PDF files into one document and even more!
Scan Multiple Pages Into One PDF on Windows Using NAPS2
Windows PCs come preloaded with a utility called Windows Fax and Scan to help users scan documents. This utility, however, can’t make a single PDF from multiple scans.
This is where the batch scan mode of a free and open-source app like NAPS2 can scan multiple pages and save them in one PDF file.
If you’ve already installed the drivers for your scanner, here’s how you use this app to scan your multiple pages into one PDF:
- Connect the scanner to the Windows PC using a cable.
- Download, install, and launch the NAPS2 app on the PC.
- On the main app screen, select Profiles. Add a profile for the scanner to the app.
- Select New on the following screen to add a new profile.
- Enter a name for the profile at the top; this could be any name of your choice.
- Then, select Choose device, select your scanner from the list, and select OK.
- Configure various options on the screen, and then select OK at the bottom.
- Select Done to close the Profiles window.
- Put the first page into the scanner.
- Come back to NAPS2, select the small arrow next to Scan, and select Batch Scan. Alternatively, press the Ctrl + B keyboard shortcut.
- In the window, select the newly created profile from the Profile dropdown menu.
- Choose Multiple scans (prompt between scans).
- In the Output section, select Save to a single file.
- Then, select the three dots in the File path field to choose a folder to save the PDF file in.
- Lastly, select Start at the top to start scanning the page.
- When the first page is scanned, a prompt on your screen will appear. Put the next page into the scanner and select Scan in this prompt.
- After scanning all the pages, select Done in the prompt.
A single PDF containing all the scans should be available in the specified directory.
Scan Multiple Pages Into One PDF on macOS Using Preview
On macOS, the built-in Preview app can be used to make one PDF out of multiple scans.
Steps to use Preview to scan multiple pages into a single PDF:
- Make sure the scanner is connected to the Mac with a cable.
- Select the Launchpad in the Dock on your Mac, search for Preview, and open the app.
- When Preview opens, select the File menu and select Import from.
- If you don’t see any options on your screen, select Show Details at the bottom.
- Select PDF from the Format dropdown on the right.
- Check the Combine into single document option.
- Adjust other options as needed.
- Select the scan preview on the left and press Command + A on your keyboard. This selects your entire scan.
- Select Scan at the bottom.
- Put the next page into the scanner, and select Scan in Preview.
- Select the Preview window in the background to view the PDF file.
- Select the File menu and select Save to save the file.
In addition to Preview, you can use Image Capture to scan multiple pages into one PDF file on macOS.
Scan Multiple Pages Into One PDF File on Android Using Google Drive
Google Drive is one of several apps that can be used to combine multiple page scans into a single PDF file.
Here’s how you do that:
- Install the Google Drive app on your phone.
- Launch the Google Drive app, and tap the Add (+) icon at the bottom-right corner.
- Select Scan to open the scan function.
- To begin scanning, point the phone’s camera towards the page to be scanned. Tap the shutter button when the document appears properly in the camera frame
- If the result looks good, tap the check icon to save the first scan, else tap X to re-start the scan process.
- Preview the first scan. To add a page to this new PDF, tap the Add (+) icon at the bottom-left corner.
- Repeat this process for all the pages of the document.
- Finally, tap Save to save the single PDF containing the multiple scans.
- Name the PDF, choose an account, select a folder to save the file in, and tap Save.
Scan Multiple Pages Into One PDF File on iOS Using Apple’s Notes
When using an iPhone or iPad, use Apple’s Notes app to scan multiple pages into one PDF file.
To use this feature, make sure the iPhone or iPad runs iOS 11 or later. Check the current iOS version by going to Settings > General > About on the device. You’ll see the iOS version next to Software Version.
Upon confirming that the device runs the supported iOS version, follow these steps to scan multiple pages into one PDF file:
- Open the Notes app on the device.
- Tap the icon at the bottom-right to create a new note.
- On the new notes screen, tap the Add (+) sign at the bottom and choose Scan Documents.
- Point the camera towards the document, and press the shutter button to take a photo of the document.
- Adjust the scanned photo using the handlers on the screen. Tap Keep Scan at the bottom if the scan looks good. Otherwise, tap Retake to take a new photo of the page.
- Repeat steps for all the pages.
- When all the pages are scanned, tap Save at the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the newly scanned document in Notes.
- Tap the share icon at the top-right to share the multiple scanned pages as a single PDF file.
2 Steps for Scanning Multiple Pages into One PDF
Step 1. Launch PDFelement
Open PDFelement on your computer and click the “Back” button on top. Then click the “File”>”Create”>”From Scanner” option. It will activate the “Create From Scanner” dialogue box.
Step 2. Scanning Multiple Pages to PDF
In the pop-up dialogue box, select the scanner that you want to use. Adjust the settings of your scanner. Click “Scan” to start the process. If you’re going to scan more pages, you can select the “Scan more pages (sheet2)” option. If you prefer scanning multiple pages into one PDF, you can click the “Combine PDF” button to combine them all.
An All-in-one PDF Solution
PDFelement is a complete PDF editor tool designed with several editing features ranging from text modification to page modification. It supports Windows, Mac，iOS, and Android systems, and you can try it on any of the systems.TRY IT FREE
Key features of PDFelement:
- It allows you to combine multiple documents into one PDF.
- It makes you edit PDF files, including text, images, and pages.
- PDFelement supports creating PDFs from a scanner, HTML, images, or Office documents.
- You can convert PDF to other formats like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Images, Text, and EPUB.
- It allows you to fill out or create PDF forms with text fields, buttons, lists, and more.
- The OCR feature allows you to edit or copy text from scanned PDFs.
- Extract data from many PDF or paper forms in one batch job.
- You can also sign your PDF by inserting the electronic signature and protect it with the password.
PDFs are a trusted format for exporting documents that you want to share with others or release publicly. Of course, PDF, which stands for “portable document format,” are also infamous for being temperamental and difficult to manage if you don’t have the right tools.
This is especially true if you need to scan and merge multiple pages of a PDF into a single document. Here are the steps you need to make sure you can accurately save multiple scanned pages into a single PDF document.
FOR WINDOWS PC USERS
Windows PCs come preloaded with a utility called Windows Fax and Scan to help users scan documents. This utility, however, can’t make a single PDF from multiple scans.
Usually (but not always) the software that comes with a scanner allows you to create images. It’s possible that some scanner software will permit you to create PDF files but that is usually reserved for higher-end units, not the kind of scanner that typically comes with low-cost, multi-function printers.
If you cannot access such a tool, you can create a PDF document from multiple pages in Windows using Kofax Power PDF to scan your documents. If your scanner will allow you to insert more than one page at a time using a sheet feeder, simply put the multiple sheets in the tray and execute a scan and Kofax will automatically combine each page into a single PDF file.
FOR CANON MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTERS
1. Place documents. Press (COPY/SCAN) to switch to the Scan mode screen.
2. Highlight <Remote Scanner>, and then press [OK].
3. Select [PDF (Multiple Pages)] in [Save as Type]. Specify the required settings as needed and click [PDF Settings].
4. Specify the required settings as needed and click [OK].
Click [Start]
FOR APPLE COMPUTER USERS
On Apple computers, the built-in Preview app can be used to make one PDF out of multiple scans.
Steps to use Preview to scan multiple pages into a single PDF:
- Make sure the scanner is connected to the Mac with a cable.
- Select the Launchpad in the Dock on your Mac, search for Preview, and open the app.
- When Preview opens, select the File menu and select Import from.
- If you don’t see any options on your screen, select Show Details at the bottom.
- Select PDF from the Format dropdown on the right.
- Check the Combine into single document option.
- Adjust other options as needed.
- Select the scan preview on the left and press Command + A on your keyboard. This selects your entire scan.
- Select Scan at the bottom.
- Put the next page into the scanner, and select Scan in Preview.
- Select the Preview window in the background to view the PDF file.
- Select the File menu and select Save to save the file.
- Point the camera towards the document, and press the shutter button to take a photo of the document.
- Adjust the scanned photo using the handlers on the screen. Tap Keep Scan at the bottom if the scan looks good. Otherwise, tap Retake to take a new photo of the page.
- Repeat steps for all the pages.
- When all the pages are scanned, tap Save at the bottom-right corner.
- Tap the newly scanned document in Notes.
- Tap the share icon at the top-right to share the multiple scanned pages as a single PDF file.
Importing the PDF as an Image
If nothing else works, you can still get your scanned document into Word as an image, as described by Microsoft. Scan the document or take a picture of it with your smartphone and save it on your computer in an easy-to-find location. Go to the “Insert” tab on Word and choose “Pictures” from the “Illustrations” group. Navigate to your image in the window that pops up, highlight it and click “Insert.” Then, position and resize the image as needed.
Conclusion
Normally, you will drag a bunch of PDF files into the app. Then, based on which scanner you use, you may be asked to log in using your email and password. It’s pretty straightforward with most mobile scanners that allow you to scan your documents to PDF on the go.
When you have multiple PDF documents and need to combine them into one single document for easy download and sharing, it can be time-consuming for you to do that by yourself. Fortunately, there is a right way to combine PDFs in today’s digital age where many services are available to help you solve this problem easily.