Email Scanning Is A Must For Desktop Users
While I love the convenience of browser-based webmail platforms as much as anybody, sometimes its simply impossible to beat the power that comes with using a dedicated piece of email software.
Email continues to remain an attractive vector for cybercrooks seeking to introduce viruses and malware programs onto users systems through corrupted attachments. Every desktop email user should have an antivirus program with email scanning installed.
Should You Use The Scan To Email Feature Of Your Printer
Scan to email may look like a quick and effective way to scan a document and send it online. And it is, just not for every document and recipient.
One of the main disadvantages of using the scan to email feature is the risk that the document wont reach its recipient.
When youre using the scan to email feature, its harder to check that the email address youre entering is correct because you may not receive an error message if you entered it incorrectly. You wont receive any warning if the intended recipient has changed their email address or if their inbox is full either.
Recipients also cant reply to a message delivered from a printer as the return email address will show as a no-reply address. You can rarely customize your message, and you wont hear back from recipients if they try to contact you using the email address on the message.
If you want to use the scan to email feature, you should only do it when you can personally confirm that the email reached its destination, and you should only use this function with documents that arent very important as they might not get through on the first try.
So, what should you do instead?
Scan Images Or Documents Using A Scanner And Your Mac
If you have a scanner or a printer with a scanner, you may not need any special software to scan an image.
Before you scan, you need to open your scanner. Then, follow the instructions for either a document-feeding scanner or a flatbed scanner.
Note: The following options might not be available for your scanner. If these instructions differ from what you see onscreen, refer to the documentation that came with the app youre using.
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Scanning A Document Using A Mobile Device
Both smartphones and tablets are capable of scanning documents. But its more than simply snapping a photo of a contract to make it an official scan.
Youre going to need a special app like Tiny Scanner, Cam scanner, or Microsoft Office Lens. These will take your snapshots and turn them into scanned PDF copies.
Another option is to use Google Drive. This is the preferred option if youre using an Android device. Most smartphones today come with the Google Drive app already installed.
Heres how you can use it to scan and send a document.
Document Scanning Alternative Adobe Scan

Adobe Scan is another great PDF scanner app for iPhone iPad. It is powerful, easy to use and best of all, it is totally free to download and use without any limitations or ads. Check out this tutorial to scan paper documents using iPhone for free. What you need to use this free PDF scanning app for iOS is your own email address to sign up a free account with Adobe.
Update Aug 2019: this article was originally published in Dec 2015 and has since been updated. in this update, we added the free document scanner app, Adobe Scan.
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Scan To Email: How To Email Scanned Documents
In this article, well show you multiple ways to scan and email your documents. Well show you various techniques such as:
- How to use your printers scan to email function
- How to scan from your computer
- How to scan with your phone
- How to attach your document to an email
Well also show you how to transform your document into a digital document that you and your recipient can sign online.
Lets get started.
How To Scan A Document To Email Using Ios
Here are the steps for scanning a document to email on your iOS device:
Open the email application on your device and create an email draft for your scanned document.
Tap the text box where you want to insert the scan to open your device keyboard.
Touch the square document icon above your keyboard that indicates a file scanner.
Position your device camera to fit the entire document on the screen and capture an image of your document.
Scan all the pages that you want to insert into the email and press “Save” to add the document as an attachment to your email draft.
Related:
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From The Same Computer Scan And Email
Scan/email From The Same Machine
Place the document that you wish to scan on the machine’s glass surface face down. Make sure the surface is clean from any particles or debris.
Select your scanning format. In this case, select “PDF.”
Name your file before scanning if you are given this option.
Enter the email address you want to send the scanned PDF file to.
Press the “Start” button to scan and email your PDF file directly from the copy machine, scanner or printer.
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Remove Any Binding Materials
To make sure that your scan results in a digital document that’s easy to read, remove any items that may obstruct the view of the document’s content. These items may include paperclips, staples and other binding materials that keep multi-page files together. When scanning books or book segments, book glue and binding can make it difficult to get a flat page scan, so consider removing the pages from their book spines entirely.
Scan And Email Documents On Mobile Devices
Mobile phones come in handy when you dont have a scanner nearby or need to scan a document without a computer. So, heres how you can scan documents using mobile phones on both Android and iPhone.
On Android
Since every Android phone comes pre-installed with a Google Drive app, you can use it to scan and email your documents. Heres how you can do it.
Note:
On iPhone
The iPhone already contains a scan feature for documents. You can access it in the Notes app. Heres how you can use it.
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Can I Scan Documents At Walgreens
The USPS offers scanning services and you can track your mail up until delivery. Accurate scanning is vital for real-time visibility. If you need a copy of a document, you can find a copy machine at Walgreens or use a third-party copying service. Both will cost you $0.10 per page for black-and-white copies and $0.30 per page for color copies.
You can also scan documents with your smartphone at Walgreens, and use the app to order prints or refill prescriptions. The app is free and new for Android users. Features include Express Refills by Scan, Weekly Ad, and ordering prints. To use the service, first install the 1 Hour Photo app and sign in with your Walgreens account. Then, select the photo you want and tap Checkout.
The store has multiple printing options available to their customers, but you need to present your Walgreens ID card to use the document scanning services. You may need to print a document at Walgreens for various reasons, but this option is convenient if you need a copy of a photo or document. You can even store your documents in the cloud, making them easy to find later. Once youve made multiple copies, you can send them to friends and family via email.
How To Scan A Document To Your Email On Various Operating Systems

Document scans are a useful way of keeping digital copies of your physical files. Some scanners and scanning programs allow you to scan documents to an email. Understanding how to scan a document to email using different operating systems can help you prepare to use the devices you have at work effectively. In this article, we provide some tips for scanning documents to attach to emails and explain how to do it on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
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How To Scan A Document On A Printer
On Windows
1.Place a document face-down in your scanner. Youll also want to make sure that your scanner is on and connected to your computer before proceeding.
2.Open Start. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
3.Type fax and scan into Start. Doing so will search for the Windows Fax and Scan app.
- When scanning anything other than a photo, its best to select PDF.
- Open Start
Starting With A Scanner And Ending With A Computer
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How Do I Write An Email With An Attachment
Two: Configure The Scan To Email Feature
Follow these steps to configure the Scan to Email feature in the Embedded Web Server .
On the EWS Home page, click the System tab.
In the left navigation pane, click Administration.
In the Enabled Features area, set the Scan to Email option to On.
465,” and the SSL should be enabled.
Please refer to online sources to confirm that these server settings are current and valid at the time of configuration.
If you are using Gmail for email service, select the Always use secure connection check box.
If the SMTP server requires authentication to send an email, complete the following steps to populate the fields in the SMTP Authentication area:
Select the SMTP server requires authentication for outgoing Email messages check box.
In the SMTP User ID field, enter the user ID for the SMTP server.
In the SMTP Password field, enter the password for the SMTP server.
To require a PIN to be entered on the printer control panel before an email is sent using the email address, complete the following steps to populate the fields in the Optional PIN area:
Note:
HP recommends creating a PIN to secure the email profile.
When a PIN is created, it must be entered on the printer control panel each time the profile is used to send a Scan to Email.
In the PIN field, enter a 4-digit PIN.
In the Confirm PIN field, re-enter the 4-digit PIN.
To configure optional email preferences, complete the following fields in the Email Message Preferences area with the desired settings:
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How To Scan A Document From An Iphone Or Ipad
From Scanner To Computer
Place your document face down on your scanner’s glass, again, ensuring the glass is clean.
Open the scanning software on your computer and select the scan to be saved in a “PDF” format.
Name your file, specify the directory you want the PDF file saved in and hit “Preview.”
Preview your scan and hit “Scan” if you’re satisfied with how our document looks.
Open your email program and address your email. Type in your subject, message and attach your scanned PDF file from the folder it was saved in. Send your email.
Tips
Machines differ, and the process to achieve the desired actions and buttons you push will vary. Consult your machine’s specific manual for instructions directly related to your machine’s make and model.
References
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