How to scan from a printer to an iPhone
Can’t figure out how to scan from a printer to an iPhone?
Getting a scan from a printer on an iPhone is actually a lot easier than it sounds.
All you need is:
- the right print and scan app, and
- a working connection between your machine and your iPhone.
Depending on what brand of printer/scanner you’re using, the app you need differs accordingly.
Not sure how to scan from a printer to an iPhone? Read on to find out.
How to scan from a printer to an iPhone: Canon printers
If you’re using a Canon printer, you’ll need their PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app to scan from the printer to your iPhone.
The PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app is used by Canon’s PIXMA, MAXIFY and SELPHY printers.
To get started, simply:
- Download the Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY app on your iPhone
- Connect your iPhone to your printer. Refer to instructions here.
- Place your document in your Canon scanner.
- On your iPhone, launch the app.
- Tap Scan.
- Tap Exit to view your scan.
- To scan another document or page, tap scan again.
Take note: it might take a while before your Canon printer successfully connects with your iPhone.
Users have also reported that the app suddenly stops working with their printers after a while. If that happens, you might have to uninstall the app and try re-connecting again.
How to scan from a printer to an iPhone: Brother printers
On a Brother printer instead? You’ll have to get their iPrint&Scan app in order to scan from your Brother printer to your iPhone.
To get started, simply:
- Download the Brother iPrint&Scan app from the Apple Store
- Connect your iPhone to your Brother printer
- Tap Scan
- Tap the crop icon to select the scan area
- When done, tap the bottom-left icon.
- Save your scan to your photo album, or email as JPEG or PDF.
The app isn’t without issues though. User complaints include:
- Multiple bugs and issues
- Long connection time
- App no longer working after printer updates
How to scan from a printer to an iPhone: Epson printers
If you’re on an Epson printer, you’ll need Epson’s DocumentScan app to scan documents to your iPhone.
Start scanning from your Epson printer to your iPhone with these steps:
- Download the Epson DocumentScan app from the Apple Store
- Connect your iPhone to your Epson machine
- Launch the app on your iPhone
- Tap Scan. Change scan settings if needed.
- Tap Scan again, and then Done
- Select Save, and then OK.
Among the 4 apps in the list, Epson’s DocumentScan appears to fare the worst.
With an average user rating of just 2 out of 5 on the Apple Store, the app is particularly frustrating for its inability to:
- scan multiple documents in one go
- move scans in bulk
- easily capture or organise documents in general
How to scan from a printer to an iPhone: HP printers
Last but not least, if you’re using a HP printer, you’ll need to download and install their HP Smart app.
To scan from your HP printer to your iPhone, follow these steps:
- Download the HP Smart App from the Apple Store
- Place the document you want to scan on the scanner
- Tap Printer Scan. Change scan settings if needed.
- Tap Scan
HP users rejoice – HP Smart ranks the highest amongst the 4 here, and the app does deliver on its promise of hassle-free setup and usage.
But this is how to scan from a printer to an iPhone the easiest way
But the truth is, you don’t actually need an app to connect your iPhone to a printer at all.
If you want to scan documents onto your iPhone, why not just do so directly on your iPhone instead?
In fact, All you actually need is PDF Scanner.
With PDF Scanner, your iPhone becomes a portable scanner.
PDF Scanner’s unique image recognition techniques promise only high-quality scans regardless of document.
With Batch Mode, you can also scan multiple documents or pages quickly. Forget scanner load times – how fast you scan depends on how fast you flip the pages.
And that’’s how to scan from a printer to an iPhone. Forget printers and printer apps – all you need to scan to your iPhone is PDF Scanner.