Scan2PDF for Android OS Review

While we are firmly in a digital age, there are still many types of documents which have to be archived or dealt with in a more print-centric manner. Scan2PDF is an application for Android devices which captures images of nearly anything, turns it into a compressed PDF, and then gives options to save it on the device or email it to a contact.

FEATURES AND CONTROLS

Functionally speaking, Scan2PDF (and its free counterpart Scan2PDF Lite) simply require the user to open the application and then take a photo of the document or object. There are no complicated instructions; all of the options are presented as soon as you open the app or snap an image.

When I went looking for a reason to try out this app, I soon had one in my inbox -- sending signed contracts without using a fax machine. While it is true that simply snapping an image of the contract and sending that as an attachment can work, these normally get printed and filed on the other end, and PDF is an excellent document format for this.

PERFORMANCE

Quality speaking, Scan2PDF is going to be as good as the mobile you are using. In trying this application on both the Samsung Captivate and Intercept, documents looked much better if I used loads of natural light and had nearly white paper. Handwriting, darker rooms, and even colored documents didn't offer a consistently solid experience otherwise.

One note: if using the free version (Scan2PDF Lite), there will be a watermark placed on the PDF. It is not overly gaudy, but it might invalidate any legal documents. In this case, springing for the paid version would be a good idea.

In terms of cost, Scan2PDF is fairly inexpensive (4 Euros is how it was listed on my devices), but you'd want to have a compelling reason to purchase it. I could definitely recommend it to roving consultants, sales people, or even those in financial/health/government/educational fields who need a fax alternative, and are encouraged to minimize the passing of paper.

CONCLUSION

Scan2PDF is just one of those apps which will get spot duty. It is a shame that it's not more integrated into the camera app (would make sense as an additional setting there) so that it's not easily forgettable.

Nevertheless, I can recommend Scan2PDF because it stays simple for what it does.

Note: There are 4 versions of the application; however, the 2.0 versions of the Lite and Full versions seem to get the most attention from the developer.