How to Scan an ID Into One PDF on Android | Front and Back

When Do You Need to Submit ID as a PDF?

Opening an online bank or brokerage account, signing up for a phone plan or other service, applying for a part-time or freelance job, applying for a rental — identity documents are asked for in a wide range of situations. Many procedures now finish entirely online, and it is not unusual to be told, “send the front and back of your driver's license as a PDF” or “combine them into one file.”

How Do I Put the Front and Back Into One PDF?

1. Open PDF Toolkit and tap “Scan” at the bottom right of the Library screen
2. Lay the document on a table and photograph the front first
3. Photograph the back next. Each shot adds another page the same way
4. Check the document frame that was detected automatically, and drag the corners if it is off
5. When you save, a PDF with the front on page 1 and the back on page 2 is added to your library

The camera screen is Google's document scanner, which straightens and crops the page automatically. One PDF can hold up to 30 pages, so you can also add supporting documents after the front and back of the license.

What If I Already Have the Photos?

If the front and back are already in your camera roll, you can also use “Create PDF from images” under Tools. Choose the front first and the back second. In this method, though, each photo becomes a page as it is, with no straightening or cropping, so pick photos in which the document is clearly visible. If the order turns out wrong, you can reorder the pages afterward.

How Do I Shoot It So It Reads Clearly?

• Use a plain, darker table: the edges of the document stand out, so the frame is detected more easily
• Keep the whole document and all four corners in view: cut-off edges can be treated as a defect by the recipient
• Avoid glare: if light reflects off the glossy card or its hologram, the text can become unreadable. Change the angle slightly and try again
• Shoot in a bright place: dark shots lose the text. Just make sure your hand or phone does not cast a shadow on the document

How Do I Fix the Page Order or Orientation?

If you shot the back first, or one page ended up upside down, open the document in the Library and fix it there.

• Reorder pages: move a page with the left and right arrows under its thumbnail, then save with the “Save page order” button that appears
• Fix the orientation: open the ︙ menu on the page and choose “Rotate.” Each tap turns it 90 degrees clockwise and saves immediately
• Remove an extra page: choose “Delete” from the ︙ menu, then save with “Save page order”

The full steps are in How to Reorder and Delete PDF Pages on Your Phone.

What If the File Is Too Big?

If the recipient sets a file size limit, “Compress PDF” under Tools can make it smaller. Compression, however, rebuilds each page as an image about 60% of its original size, so image quality drops. Always check that the text is still readable after compressing. The file does not always get as small as you might expect, so check the size shown on the document screen. Compressing only adds a copy as a new document; your original PDF stays as it is. See PDF Too Big to Send? Compress, Split or Extract Pages for more.

What Should I Check When I Submit?

• Follow the recipient's instructions first: match the conditions in their notice, such as file format, size limit, submission method and the validity period of the document
• The free version adds a watermark when you share: PDFs you share or send carry a small “Created with PDF Toolkit” at the bottom of each page. If that could be a problem, use “Export without watermark” (watching one video ad covers that PDF once) or the PRO version (one-time purchase)
• Send only the sides you need: for documents that carry a number, such as a My Number card, send only the side the recipient specifies. Check their instructions for which side is required
• Tidy up afterward: you can delete a document you no longer need with the trash icon at the top right of the document screen (deleting cannot be undone)

Shooting and PDF conversion happen on your device, and the app never sends your documents to an external server.

Summary

The front and back of an ID go into a single PDF just by shooting them one after the other with “Scan.” Watch for glare and shadows while shooting, and check that the text is readable after saving before you submit. It also pays to go over the points that depend on the recipient's conditions, such as file size and the watermark, before you send.