Making Scanned Documents Black & White: Readability vs. Size
Key points
- For shadows and creases, use pure black & white
- For documents with photos, use grayscale
- Shoot straight and bright
Scans and phone photos kept in color are large and show uneven background color. Black and white can look cleaner.
Choosing the mode
- Text-only documents (forms, reports, contracts): pure black & white. Uneven background color and faint shadows tend to turn white and vanish.
- Documents with face photos or figures (student ID, license copies): grayscale. Keeps the photo's shades.
Steps
- Turn phone photos into a PDF first with Photos to PDF.
- Convert to black and white with Convert a PDF to Grayscale.
- Check in the preview that the text is readable.
Shooting tips
- Shoot straight from above.
- Use bright light with no shadows.
- Make sure all four corners are in frame.
If pages are sideways
Fix sideways pages with Rotate PDF Pages before converting.
When submitting
Even if "black and white is fine", identity documents may require color. Check the recipient's instructions.
Use "Convert a PDF to Grayscale (Black & White)" (free)Tools that go well with this
- Compress PDF: Shrink a PDF to fit under a size you choose, for upload limits.
- Combine PDF Pages onto One Sheet (2-up, 4-up): Arrange several PDF pages on one A4 sheet (2, 4, 6, 8 or 9 up) to save paper when printing.
- PDF to Images: Save each page of a PDF as a JPEG or PNG image.
More guides for this tool
- How to Convert a PDF to Grayscale for Free (Works on Phones)
- Grayscale or Pure Black & White: Differences and When to Use Each
- Making Color Documents Readable in Black & White Printing
- Making a PDF Black & White Before Fax or Copying
- PDF Got Bigger After Converting to B&W? How to Reduce the Size
- Troubleshooting Monochrome PDFs: Faint, Broken Text, Cannot Select Text