How to Scan Multiple Pages into One PDF

PDFs are a trusted format for exporting documents that you want to share with others or release publicly. Of course, PDF, which stands for "portable document format," are also infamous for being temperamental and difficult to manage if you don’t have the right tools.

This is especially true if you need to scan and merge multiple pages of a PDF into a single document. Here are the steps you need to make sure you can accurately save multiple scanned pages into a single PDF document.

FOR WINDOWS PC USERS

Windows PCs come preloaded with a utility called Windows Fax and Scan to help users scan documents. This utility, however, can’t make a single PDF from multiple scans.

Usually (but not always) the software that comes with a scanner allows you to create images. It's possible that some scanner software will permit you to create PDF files but that is usually reserved for higher-end units, not the kind of scanner that typically comes with low-cost, multi-function printers.

If you cannot access such a tool, you can create a PDF document from multiple pages in Windows using Kofax Power PDF to scan your documents. If your scanner will allow you to insert more than one page at a time using a sheet feeder, simply put the multiple sheets in the tray and execute a scan and Kofax will automatically combine each page into a single PDF file.

FOR CANON MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTERS

1. Place documents. Press (COPY/SCAN) to switch to the Scan mode screen.

2. Highlight <Remote Scanner>, and then press [OK].

3. Select [PDF (Multiple Pages)] in [Save as Type]. Specify the required settings as needed and click [PDF Settings].

4. Specify the required settings as needed and click [OK].

Click [Start]

FOR APPLE COMPUTER USERS

On Apple computers, the built-in Preview app can be used to make one PDF out of multiple scans.

Steps to use Preview to scan multiple pages into a single PDF:

1. Make sure the scanner is connected to the Mac with a cable.
2. Select the Launchpad in the Dock on your Mac, search for Preview, and open the app.
3. When Preview opens, select the File menu and select Import from.
4. If you don’t see any options on your screen, select Show Details at the bottom.
5. Select PDF from the Format dropdown on the right.
6. Check the Combine into single document option.
7. Adjust other options as needed.
8. Select the scan preview on the left and press Command + A on your keyboard. This selects your entire scan.
9. Select Scan at the bottom.
10. Put the next page into the scanner, and select Scan in Preview.
11. Select the Preview window in the background to view the PDF file.
12. Select the File menu and select Save to save the file.
13. Point the camera towards the document, and press the shutter button to take a photo of the document.
14. Adjust the scanned photo using the handlers on the screen. Tap Keep Scan at the bottom if the scan looks good. Otherwise, tap Retake to take a new photo of the page.
15. Repeat steps for all the pages.
16. When all the pages are scanned, tap Save at the bottom-right corner.
17. Tap the newly scanned document in Notes.
18. Tap the share icon at the top-right to share the multiple scanned pages as a single PDF file.

I hope these guides have been useful. If you need the power of a multi-function device for your office to help manage PDFs and other complicated document needs, talk to the business process experts at the Gordon Flesch Company.