Edit text and extract images from scanned documents
What you need: Scanner or all-in-one printer Time required: One hour
There’s a wide range of apps for scanning documents with your phone, many of which detect the edges of documents you point them at, then extract the text. If you need to capture text for research purposes in the library, they’re a cheaper alternative than paying for photocopies. They’re not for everyone, though, and if you have a scanner, or all-in-one printer with a built-in scanner on top, using that may be a better option.
A lidded scanner can more effectively control the light reaching the sensor, which has the potential to deliver a better result – and, because the scanning head is wider than the sensor in your phone, you can usually capture higher-resolution images, too. Moreover, many of the most useful features of some text-extracting apps are available only through an in-app purchase. Here, we’ll show you how you can use a scanner to perform a lot of the functions that apps claim to offer for free.
