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PDF Scanner Effect

Make a clean PDF look like a photocopy. Free, and runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded, stored or sent to a server.

About Scanner Effect

Makes a clean digital PDF look like it was printed and scanned: contrast pushed towards black and white, a paper tint, and a little sensor grain.

The grain is seeded rather than random, which is the detail that makes this usable rather than a novelty. Running the same document twice with the same seed produces the same file, byte for byte — so the result can be checked, cached, or reproduced later. A tool that re-randomises on every run gives a different checksum each time, which is quietly maddening.

The obvious use is making a document look less obviously computer-generated. It is worth saying plainly that this is cosmetic: the metadata, the fonts, the page geometry and the file's own structure all still say it was generated, and anyone looking properly will see that immediately.

Where it helps

  • Deterministic grain, so the same settings always produce the same file.
  • A paper tint, contrast and grain are separate controls rather than one "scan" button.
  • Works on the pages you name, at the resolution you choose.
  • The document never leaves your browser.

Limits

  • Cosmetic only: the file's metadata, fonts and structure still show it was generated rather than scanned.
  • The text becomes an image, which is unavoidable and is also part of the effect.
  • No skew, no page-edge shadow and no dust — a real scan has all three.
  • Pushed contrast can lose the thinnest strokes in a light typeface.
  • The file is usually several times larger than the original.

Frequently asked questions

Will this pass as a real scan?

Visually, at a glance, often. Under any actual scrutiny, no: the PDF's metadata, its embedded fonts, its perfectly straight page geometry and its internal structure all say it was generated. Treat it as an aesthetic, not as a disguise.

What is the seed for?

Reproducibility. The grain is generated from it deterministically, so the same document with the same seed gives the same output every time — which matters if the file has to be regenerated or its checksum compared. Change the seed for a different grain pattern.

Why is the paper not white?

Because scanned paper is not white — it is faintly cream or grey, and the tint is most of what makes the effect convincing. Set it to pure white if you want the contrast without the ageing.

Can it add skew, like a page fed in crooked?

Not here, but Rotate by Any Angle will turn the pages a degree or two afterwards, which is the other half of the look.

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