Turn your smart phone's digital camera into a document and image scanner.
Scanners are useful devices for converting printed documents into a digital format that can be sent via email or fax. In the past, you had to use a flat-bed scanner connected to a computer to digitize documents. However if you have the right software and a smart phone with a digital camera, you can turn your phone into a scanner, creating a truly mobile office.
Instructions
1. Find scanning software that is compatible with your smart phone. Consider Qipit and ScanR.
2. If you choose Qipit (as of 2010, this free program only works for iPhones), download it at the iTunes Store onto your phone. Take a photo of the document you want to scan. Make sure to fill the screen up with it. Within seconds, you will receive a clear digital copy of the picture as a scan. Qipit also offers another feature that allows you to upload and store your scans on Qipit's servers for free.
3. If you decide to use scanR, it can be used with or without software. If you use it without software, it works basically the same as Qipit but also offers optical character recognition when processing the photos. If you wish to use the software, download and install it from the ScanR website. You will be provided with a link that you can open in your phone's web browser. Follow the instructions for installation.
4. Go to your smart phone's "Main Menu," then to "Applications" and open up "ScanR." Take a photo of the document you want to scan using the phone's camera. Make sure you fill up the screen when you take the picture, but avoid cutting off the borders. Save the photo, and ScanR will automatically transform it into a scan. The software has a built-in address book feature that will allow you to enter the email addresses or fax numbers of the people to whom you wish to send the scan. As of 2010, scanR will give you the first five scans for free and charge $3 per document after that.
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