How to Scan a Contract with Your iPhone
Remove the staple, capture every page in order in Document mode, and export the whole set as a single PDF. The two things that ruin a scanned contract are a missing page and a margin initial cropped off the edge, so frame wide and check the thumbnails before exporting. Everything runs on your iPhone and export is free with no watermark.
Tools used: Crop & perspective fixRotateSignaturePDF conversion
Step by step
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Unstaple and count the pages
Contracts are usually stapled and often paginated as "page 4 of 12" in the footer, which gives you a built-in checklist. Remove the staple, fan the stack, and confirm the count before you start capturing. A contract missing page 7 is worth less than no scan at all.
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Frame wider than the paper
Initials in the bottom margin, handwritten changes in the side margin, and footer page numbers all live within a centimetre of the paper edge. Leave visible background around all four sides in the capture so none of it is clipped. You can always crop tighter afterwards, but you cannot recover what was outside the frame.
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Capture front and back, page by page
Work through the stack one sheet at a time, capturing the front then immediately flipping to check the back. Double-sided printing is common in contracts, and terms continued on a reverse side are the easiest pages to skip. Keep the capture order identical to the paper order so the PDF reads naturally.
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Straighten and reorder before exporting
Use Crop & perspective fix on any page shot at an angle and Rotate on landscape exhibits, schedules, or floor plans bound into the same document. Then scroll the page thumbnails and confirm the sequence matches the printed page numbers. This review pass catches duplicates and skipped sheets in about a minute.
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Sign in the app if a signature is still needed
If the contract came to you unsigned, use the Signature tool to draw your signature and place it on the signature page, and Text insert to fill a printed date or name field. Then export the completed document as one PDF. Whether a drawn-on-screen signature is acceptable depends entirely on the other party and the jurisdiction — confirm with them before relying on it.
Frequently asked
- How do I keep a 30-page contract as one file?
- Capture all the pages in one scanning session and export once — multi-page documents export as a single PDF. Exporting in chunks creates loose files that get separated in email. Check the thumbnail strip against the printed page numbers before you export.
- What if I cannot remove the staple?
- Scan it bound, but hold each page as flat as you can and shoot straight down rather than at an angle, then use Crop & perspective fix to square the result. The inner margin near the staple will curve and shadow, so light the page from the side opposite the staple. Text right against a stapled spine is the hardest part to keep readable.
- Is a scanned contract as good as the original?
- That depends on the parties, the type of agreement, and local law, and it is not something a scanning app can answer for you. Keep the paper original after scanning, and ask the other party whether they accept a scanned PDF. Treat the scan as a copy unless you have been told otherwise.
- Can I add a signature to a contract I scanned?
- Yes — the Signature tool lets you draw a signature and place and resize it on any page, and Text insert adds typed dates or names into printed fields. Markup is available for initialing or striking a clause. The finished document exports as a normal PDF.
- Are the contract pages uploaded anywhere?
- No. Capture, edge detection, and text recognition run on the device using Apple's built-in frameworks, and document images are not sent to a server. There is no account requirement and no cloud copy. Files leave your phone only when you deliberately share or print them.
Last updated 2026-07-28