Paper in. Clean, signable PDF out.
Somebody always hands you paper: a contract signed in ink, an insurance letter, a driver's license. SignMaster turns it into a flat, readable PDF you can sign, send or file, without a flatbed scanner or a trip back to the office.
Updated October 13, 2026 · 3 min read
On this page
Two ways to scan
Scan from a computer with your phone as the camera, or scan in the iPhone and iPad app. Here's how they differ.
| From a computer | iPhone and iPad app | |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | Your phone's browser, opened from a QR code | Apple's document camera |
| Finding the page | You drag the four corners | Edges found automatically |
| Searchable text | No | Yes, read on the phone |
| Scan modes | Documents | Documents, ID cards, passports, book pages, receipts, business cards and QR codes |
| Where it lands | In the envelope or template you're drafting | Your Documents library, ready to sign or send |
Scan from a computer with your phone
- 1
Start a draft
Open a new envelope or template on your computer and click Scan with your phone. A QR code appears.
- 2
Open it on your phone
Point your phone's camera at the code. The scanner opens in the phone's browser, with no app and no sign-in on the phone.
- 3
Shoot and tidy the pages
Photograph each page or pick several from Photos. Drag the corners to straighten a page, rotate or reorder pages, and pick a look: auto, color, black and white or gray.
- 4
Pick it up on your computer
Send the pages and they arrive as one PDF in your draft, ready for fields and signers. The link works for a short time and on one phone only.
Scan in the iPhone and iPad app
The app uses Apple's document camera. Hold the phone over the page and it finds the edges and captures on its own, page after page. The text is read on the phone and tucked invisibly into the PDF, so you can select it, copy it, and find the scan later by a name or street inside it.
- ID card: front, then back, both on one page at real size.
- Receipt: long receipts keep their shape, in crisp grayscale.
- Book: one shot of an open book becomes two pages.
- Business card: adds the person to your SignMaster contacts.
- Passport and QR code modes cover the rest.
When the scan is saved, choose what's next: sign it yourself, send it for signature, save it to Files, copy the text or share it.
From scan to signature
A scan goes out like any other PDF. Add signers, place fields or let Alana place them, and send. Each send is an envelope: SignMaster's word for one or more documents going to one or more signers. Signers open a link on any phone or computer, or sign in person on your device.
Need to hide an account number first? Draw redaction boxes in the editor. The covered areas are burned into the page, not just hidden behind a box.
Plans and limits
Scanning is on every plan, including Free, and SignMaster doesn't count scans. Sending a scan for signature uses an envelope: 3 a month on Free, unlimited on every paid plan. Compare plans.
Good to know
- Scans made from a computer aren't text-searchable. Text recognition happens in the app.
- The web scanner doesn't find edges for you. You set the corners.
- There's no Android app. Android phones scan through the browser, from the QR code on your computer.
Questions? Answers.
Do I need the app to scan documents?
No. On a computer, click Scan with your phone and use your phone's camera through its browser. The iPhone and iPad app adds automatic edge finding, scan modes and searchable text.
Are scanned PDFs searchable?
Scans made in the app are: the text is read on the phone and stored invisibly in the PDF. Scans made from a computer are page images in a PDF, without searchable text.
Can I scan a document and send it for signature?
Yes. In the app, choose Send for signature after you save the scan. On the web, the scan lands straight in the envelope you're drafting.
Is scanning free?
Yes, on every plan, with no scan limit. Plan limits apply when you send for signature: 3 envelopes a month on Free.