Scan a document and keep it findable

A good scan preserves the page and gives you enough context to find it later. A meaningful title and a short description are as useful as text recognition.

Capture a clear page

Place the page on a flat surface with even light. Keep the whole page in view and avoid a shadow from the phone. In Memobound, choose Scan in the note, then review the crop and rotation before adding the next page.

Check every page before saving a multipage document. Include the reverse side when it contains information you need. Save the scan as a PDF attached to the note.

Add context now

Name the note after the thing you will remember, such as the appliance model or project. Type a reference number that must be correct. Add a date and a tag if they will help you find it.

You can use Apple's own scanner too. Apple explains scanning documents on iPhone and iPad. Save the resulting file and attach it to a notebook when that workflow is more convenient.

Treat recognition as a search aid

On-device OCR can make supported text searchable. It can also misread faint print, handwriting, tables, and unusual layouts. Keep the scan as the reference and verify names and amounts against it.

A downloaded PDF with a text layer can be searched without OCR. An image-only PDF needs recognition before its words can appear in the text index.

Export and check a copy

Open the PDF outside the app to confirm that pages are legible and in order. Store a separate backup if the document matters. A scan is not automatically a substitute for an original document in every situation.

See scanning and OCR, organize home records, and back up notes.