The basic steps to scan from your printer

Most modern printers have a built-in scanner. To scan a document, place it face-down on the glass surface (called the platen) or face-up in the automatic document feeder (ADF) if your printer has one. Close the lid or cover, then press the Scan button on the printer's control panel. The printer will ask where to send the file — usually to your computer, email, or a USB drive plugged into the printer itself.

The scanned file appears on your computer as a PDF or image file, depending on what you selected. Where it lands depends on your setup: it might go to a folder on your desktop, to your Documents folder, or to an email inbox if you chose email delivery. Check your printer's manual or the screen prompts to see which option is available on your model.

If your printer does not have a physical Scan button, you can scan from your computer instead using the printer's software or Windows/Mac built-in scanning tools. This gives you more control over file type, resolution, and where the file saves.

Key Takeaways

  • Place your document face-down on the glass or face-up in the automatic feeder, then press Scan on the printer's control panel.
  • The printer will ask you to choose a destination — your computer, email, or USB drive — before it scans.
  • Scanned files usually land in your Documents folder or a dedicated Scans folder, though you can change this in the printer settings.
  • If your printer has no Scan button, use the printer's software on your computer or Windows/Mac's built-in scanner tool instead.
  • Automatic document feeders are faster for multiple pages, but the glass platen works for single pages, photos, and fragile originals.

Using the automatic document feeder versus the glass platen

The automatic document feeder (ADF) is the slot at the top of many printers where you stack multiple pages. Load them face-up, and the printer pulls them through one at a time. This is much faster if you have 5 or more pages to scan — it takes seconds per page. The ADF works best for standard letter-size paper that is not bent, stapled, or fragile.

The glass platen is the flat glass surface under the lid. You place one page face-down on it, close the lid, and scan. This method is slower for large batches, but it works for anything the ADF cannot handle: photos, small items, pages from a book, thin or delicate paper, or pages that are already folded or creased. If you scan from the glass, the printer creates one file per page, so you will need to combine them later if you want a single document.

If your printer has both, check the control panel or the printer's software to choose which one you want to use before you press Scan. Some printers default to the ADF if paper is loaded there, even if you meant to use the glass.

Setting the file type and resolution before scanning

When you press Scan, the printer's screen usually shows options for file type and resolution. File type means the format the file will be saved in — PDF is the most common and works on any computer, while JPEG or PNG are image formats. PDF is usually the right choice for documents because it preserves the layout and is smaller in file size.

Resolution is measured in dots per inch (DPI). Higher DPI means a sharper, larger file. For text documents you plan to read on screen or print again, 200 to 300 DPI is enough. For documents you might need to enlarge or read closely, or for photos, use 300 to 600 DPI. Going above 600 DPI makes the file much larger without much visible improvement for most uses. Check what your printer offers — many have preset buttons like "Text," "Photo," or "Best Quality" that set these automatically.

If you do not see these options on the printer's screen, you may need to adjust them in the printer's software on your computer instead. Open the software, look for a Scan or Acquire section, and choose your settings there before you start the scan.

Choosing where the scanned file goes

When you scan from the printer, you need to tell it where to send the file. Most printers offer three main routes: to a folder on your computer, to an email address, or to a USB drive plugged into the printer. The printer's screen will show which options are available on your model.

If you choose your computer, the file usually lands in a default folder — often called "Scans" or "Documents" — but you can often change this in the printer's settings. To find where it went, open your file manager (File Explorer on Windows, Finder on Mac) and search for the file name or look in your Documents folder. If you chose email, the file arrives as an attachment in your inbox within a few minutes.

USB delivery is useful if you want to move the file to another computer right away or if you do not want the file on your main computer's hard drive. Plug a USB drive into the printer's USB port (usually on the front or side), then select USB as the destination when you scan. The file will be saved directly to the drive.

Scanning from your computer using printer software

If your printer does not have a Scan button, or if you want more control over the scan settings, you can scan from your computer instead. Most printers come with software that you install on your computer — look for a program called "Canon IJ Scan," "Epson Scan," "HP Scan," or something similar, depending on your printer brand.

Open the software, place your document on the glass or in the feeder, and click the Scan button in the program. You will see options for file type, resolution, brightness, and where to save the file. These options are usually more detailed than what appears on the printer's screen. After you choose your settings, click Scan and the software will handle the rest. The file saves to the location you selected.

If you did not install the printer software, you can also use Windows Scan (on Windows 10 and later) or the built-in scanner in Mac's Image Capture app. These work with most printers and give you basic scanning controls without needing manufacturer software.

Troubleshooting common scanning problems

If the scan button does not work, check that the printer is turned on and connected to power. If it is, restart the printer by turning it off, waiting 30 seconds, and turning it back on. If the Scan button still does not respond, the printer may not have scanning capability — some very basic or older models print only and cannot scan.

If the scanned file is very dark, very light, or blurry, the problem is usually the resolution or the document placement. Make sure the document is lying flat on the glass with no wrinkles or shadows, and close the lid firmly. Then try scanning again with a higher resolution (300 or 400 DPI instead of 200). If the image is still poor, check the brightness or contrast settings in the printer software and adjust them before rescanning.

If you cannot find where the scanned file went, check the printer's settings to see which folder is set as the default destination. On Windows, open File Explorer and search for the file by name or by the date it was scanned. On Mac, open Finder and use the search box in the top right. If the file was sent to email, check your spam or junk folder in case it was filtered there by mistake.

Combining multiple scanned pages into one file

If you scanned multiple pages using the glass platen, you will have separate files for each page. To combine them into a single PDF, you can use free software like PDFtk or online tools like Smallpdf or ILovePDF. read or open the tool, select "Merge" or "Combine," then upload your scanned files in the order you want them. The tool will create one PDF with all pages in sequence.

On Windows, you can also use Microsoft Word: open Word, go to Insert, then choose "Object" and "Text from File." Select your scanned images in order, and Word will place them all in one document. You can then save it as a PDF. On Mac, Preview can combine images — open all your scanned files in Preview, then drag them into the sidebar in the order you want, and save as a single PDF.

If your printer has an automatic document feeder and you use it correctly, it will usually create one PDF file with all pages already combined, so you will not need to do this extra step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I scan directly to my email from the printer?

Yes, most modern printers have an email option on the Scan menu. You will need to set up the printer's email settings first, usually through the control panel or the printer's software on your computer. Once set up, you can choose email as the destination when you scan, and the file will be sent to the address you configured.

What is the best DPI setting for scanning old documents?

For old documents you want to preserve or read closely, use 300 to 400 DPI. This captures enough detail to see faded text or handwriting clearly without making the file too large. If the document is very faded or has small print, try 600 DPI, but check the file size first — it will be much larger.

Why is my scanned document coming out sideways or upside down?

You likely placed the document face-up instead of face-down on the glass, or rotated it the wrong way in the automatic feeder. Check your printer's manual for the correct orientation. Most printers want documents face-down on the glass. If the file is already scanned and sideways, you can rotate it in any image viewer or PDF reader before saving it again.

Can I scan to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox?

Some newer printers support this, but most do not scan directly to cloud services. Instead, scan to your computer or USB drive, then upload the file to Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive manually. Alternatively, if your printer can email files, you can set up email forwarding to send scanned files to a cloud service automatically, though this is less common.

How do I scan a two-sided document?

Scan the first side, then flip the document over and scan the second side. If your printer has an automatic document feeder with a two-sided scanning feature, it will do this automatically — check your printer's manual to see if this is available. Otherwise, you will have two separate files that you can combine into one PDF using the methods described above.