How to scan and fax from an iPhone

What you will need

• The Cheapfax app, free on the App Store. You can sign in with email, Apple, or Google.
• The document, in page order. Signatures and dates should already be filled in.
• A flat, dark surface. Good light.
• The recipient's fax number. Cheapfax sends only to numbers in the United States and Canada.

On the first scan, iOS asks for camera permission. Tap Allow. Cheapfax uses the camera only while the scanner is open.

Step 1. Open the scanner

1. Open Cheapfax. Tap New fax.
2. Tap Scan with camera.

1 2 3

1. 1
   Scan with camera

   Opens the document scanner.
2. 2
   Choose from Files

   For a PDF scanned earlier in Notes or another app. See how to fax a file.
3. 3
   Choose from Photos

   For pictures taken earlier. See how to fax a photo.

Step 2. Scan each page

This is the same scanner the Notes app uses.

1. Lay the first page flat. Hold the iPhone directly above it. A shaded outline snaps to the edges of the paper.
2. Hold still. The scanner captures the page when the image is steady. To capture by hand, tap the shutter button.
3. If a corner is off, drag it to the edge of the paper. Tap Keep Scan.
4. Lay down the next page. Repeat. Each scanned page appears as a thumbnail in the corner. Tap a thumbnail to retake that page.
5. After the last page, tap Save. The pages open in Compose as one document.

How to get a clean scan

The scanner finds a page by its contrast with the surface below. White paper on a dark table works best. Light the page from above. Keep the phone's shadow off the page. Flatten any folds first. A crease prints as a gray line. Scan the pages in order. The fax keeps the scanning order.

Step 3. Review the pages

Compose shows the scanned document and its page count. Check that the count matches the original. Then tap Preview fax. Each page appears as it will print, scaled to fit US Letter. A page that looks blurry on the phone will look worse on paper. To rescan, tap the trash icon in Compose. Then start again.

1 2 3

1. 1
   Page count

   Confirms that every page is included.
2. 2
   The page

   Shown as it will print. Scroll down for the next page.
3. 3
   Done

   Returns to Compose.

A cover sheet is optional. To add one, turn on Add cover sheet in Compose. The cover sheet holds a subject and a short message.

Step 4. Send the fax

Tap the Fax number field. Enter the recipient's number, or tap Choose from address book. A green check mark appears when the number is valid. Tap Send. If credits cover the pages, the fax goes out at once. If not, the App Store asks you to confirm the purchase. The price on the button is the price charged.

The status screen tracks the fax while it dials and transmits. After delivery, it shows the receipt. If the fax fails, the pages return to the account as credits automatically.

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