Printing, scanning with your phone and making PDFs

University portals, landlords and offices constantly ask you to 'upload a PDF' or 'bring a printed copy'. Knowing how to scan with your phone, make a clean PDF and print on campus saves you a panicked trip the morning a form is due.

Scanning with an iPhone

• Open Notes, create a note, tap the attachment (paperclip) button and choose Scan Documents (Apple).
• Point the camera at the page; in Auto mode it captures automatically, or use the shutter button, drag the corners to fit the page and tap Keep Scan (Apple).
• Add more pages to the same scan, then tap Done (Apple).
• To save straight to a folder, use the Files app: tap the More button, choose Scan Documents, then pick a location and Save (Apple).
• To sign a scanned form, open it, tap Markup, then Add and Signature, and drag the signature into place (Apple).

Scanning with an Android phone

• Install the Google Drive app if you do not have it, open it and tap the camera icon (Google).
• Line the page up inside the blue outline, take the photo, then adjust the crop and rotation, switch to greyscale if useful and use the clean tool to remove marks (Google).
• Add extra pages, tap Done, give the file a clear name, choose PDF as the format and pick a folder (Google).
• Drive saves scans as searchable PDFs, so you can later find text inside them (Google).

Getting a scan that is accepted first time

• Put the page flat on a dark, plain surface in good daylight so the edges are easy to detect.
• Include every page, in order, in one PDF rather than sending separate photos.
• Zoom in before sending to check that every word, stamp and signature is readable.
• Name files clearly, for example 'Surname_Firstname_Passport_2026.pdf', so the receiver knows what it is.
• For when you need a certified copy rather than a plain scan, and how to send ID documents safely, see the Official Documents and Paperwork module.

Turning any document into a PDF

• Word on a Mac: File, then Save As, open File Format, choose PDF and click Export (Microsoft).
• Word for the web: File, then Print, choose Save as PDF as the printer and click Save (Microsoft).
• Word on iPhone or iPad: File, then Export, then PDF (Microsoft).
• Any app on a Mac: File, then Print, then click the PDF button in the print dialogue and choose Save as PDF (Apple).
• On a Mac you can also add a password via Security Options when saving the PDF (Apple).

Printing on campus

• Most universities use a print system where you upload or send a document, then release it at any printer with your student card. Check your university's IT pages for the exact steps.
• Example: at the University of Dundee you log in to Pay2Print, choose your file, printer and colour, then hold your ID card to the printer reader to release it; jobs wait in the queue for 30 minutes (University of Dundee).
• Printing is usually charged per page, and colour costs much more than black and white: at Dundee, single-sided A4 was listed at 5p in black and white versus 30p in colour (University of Dundee, prices as fetched October 2026).
• Print double-sided and in black and white unless colour is required, and check the print preview first to avoid wasted pages.
• Do not leave printing until the last hour before a deadline: queues and broken printers are common at busy times.