Make a PDF look scanned
Give a digital PDF the look of a real scan — slight tilt, paper grain, warm paper tone, scanner shadow — with a live preview. Everything runs on your device.
- 🔒 No upload
- ∞ No limits
- 👁 Live preview
- ✓ No sign-up
Drop a PDF or images here or choose filesTap to choose a PDF or images
🔒 Processed on your device — never uploaded · Free · No sign-up
Advanced: fine-tune the look
Key facts
- Presets: Natural scan, Office copier (black & white), Old fax, Phone scan and Clean colour.
- Fine-tune tilt, grain, blur, brightness, contrast, paper tone and texture, with a live preview that matches the download exactly.
- Each page gets its own slightly different tilt and grain, like a real scanner; 🎲 re-rolls the randomness.
- Works with PDFs and with photos (JPG, PNG); output is a PDF at 110–300 DPI.
- Processed in your browser — your document is never uploaded.
How to make a PDF look scanned
- Drop your PDF (or photos of pages).
- Pick a style and adjust the sliders while watching the preview.
- Click “Make it look scanned” and download the PDF.
Why make a PDF look scanned?
Some offices and portals still expect documents that were printed, signed and scanned. If you signed a document digitally, or only have the digital original, this gives it the familiar look of a scan in seconds — without a printer or scanner.
Which style should I use?
| Style | Looks like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Natural scan | Grayscale flatbed scan, light paper tone | Most documents |
| Office copier | High-contrast black & white photocopy | Forms and text-only pages |
| Old fax | Grainy, yellowed, a little blurry | A deliberately aged look |
| Phone scan | Colour, slightly tilted, phone-app style | Receipts, IDs, mobile-scanned look |
| Clean colour | Crisp colour scan with minimal effects | Certificates and documents with colour stamps |
Use it responsibly
This tool changes how a document looks, not what it is. Don't use it to misrepresent a document's origin where that matters, and follow the rules of whoever you're submitting to. The text in the output is an image, so it is no longer selectable — keep your original file.
Frequently asked questions
Is the text still selectable after scanning?
No — just like a real scan, each page becomes an image. Use PDF to text (OCR) if you need the text later.
Will the file be large?
A scanned-style page is roughly 100–300 KB at 150 DPI. Use “Small” file size or 110 DPI for less, or run the result through Compress PDF.
Is my document uploaded?
No. The pages are rendered and processed in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
Does it work on phones?
Yes, in any modern mobile browser. Large documents at 300 DPI may take a little longer on older phones.
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