Fill in scanned PDF

[M915 Driver]

I need to fill out a multi page form for a doctor's appointment. I will be using my iPhone 14 to scan the document, then export the scanned document to my MacBook to fill out.

I would like to know the best software to scan the document and fill in the blanks. A free software would be great, but a less expensive option might be doable.

My iPhone is running iOS 17 with all the latest updates, and my MacBook is running MacOS 14.1.1.

Thank you for any recommendations!!!!!

Ken

 

[MacInWin]

Can your doctor not email the form to you in an electronic format? I don't have a software recommendation, but iOS 17 can transform text in a photograph to words to be pasted into a document, say Pages, or Word, that you can then print, fill in on paper, and then transfer back by printing it to a PDF or taking a picture of it.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

If you're taking pictures, then you'll have to convert them to a PDF. Once that happens, Preview is actually very good at entering text into a PDF whether it allows data to be entered or not.

Preview can convert images to PDFs and then you'll have to stitch them together into a single PDF (which Preview can also do).

 

[M915 Driver]

If you're taking pictures, then you'll have to convert them to a PDF. Once that happens, Preview is actually very good at entering text into a PDF whether it allows data to be entered or not.

Preview can convert images to PDFs and then you'll have to stitch them together into a single PDF (which Preview can also do).

My plan is to use the Genius Scan app from the iOS App Store to do the scanning.

Thank you for the response and have a happy day!

Ken

 

[Raz0rEdge]

My plan is to use the Genius Scan app from the iOS App Store to do the scanning.

Thank you for the response and have a happy day!

Ken

Gotcha, in that case, once you have the PDF, just use Preview and the Text annotation to enter your text where appropriate.

 

[M915 Driver]

Gotcha, in that case, once you have the PDF, just use Preview and the Text annotation to enter your text where appropriate.

Thank you very much!!

Ken

 

[Randy B. Singer]

I would like to know the best software to scan the document and fill in the blanks.

Preview is an app that comes with your Macintosh; you can find it in your Applications folder. You can't use it to erase existing text and replace that text, but you can use it to insert new text anywhere on the page. Here's how:

- Open your new PDF in Preview
-Click on the Markup button in Preview's toolbar
- Click on the Text button in the Markup toolbar.

 

[Rod]

I get this a lot between my wife and myself, I agree with Jake, ask them to send you an electronic version by email, much easier.

 

[M915 Driver]

Preview is an app that comes with your Macintosh; you can find it in your Applications folder. You can't use it to erase existing text and replace that text, but you can use it to insert new text anywhere on the page. Here's how:

- Open your new PDF in Preview
-Click on the Markup button in Preview's toolbar
- Click on the Text button in the Markup toolbar.

Thank you for your help Randy!!!!!!!!
ken

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Thank you for your help Randy!!!!!!!!
ken

My pleasure, Ken!

People don't often realize how powerful Preview is. Apple hides a lot of its functionality, I suspect so that the app doesn't seem too intimidating.

Preview allows you to:

a) highlight (in any color), strike through or underline text
b) encircle anything on the page with a lasso of any shape, size or color
c) add marginal notes (in a side column) of any length, anywhere in the document
d) add new text in any font, any color, any size, anywhere in the document where there is space
e) individual pages can be dragged out of or into the document or deleted from the document
f) convert to a PostScript file which can be edited and re-converted to PDF
g) add and edit hyperlinks in a PDF file
h) combine multiple PDF's

The only things that you cannot do to a PDF in Preview is move, alter or delete any existing marks on the page whatsoever. It's possible to [partially] get around that by putting a white box over anything you want to erase, saving and closing the PDF, and then re-opening it. But that is a pain. If you want to edit a PDF, you really need a true PDF editor, not Preview.

Preview User Guide (free)
https://support.apple.com/guide/preview/welcome/mac

 

[IWT]

I totally agree Randy; I think Preview is underrated and/or misunderstood.

To some extent this may be because Apple is, in my view, not pushing the benefits of Preview or providing an easy-to-use video or similar guide to help folks grasp the nettle and go for it.

Ian

 

[Randy B. Singer]

...Apple is, in my view, not pushing the benefits of Preview or providing an easy-to-use video or similar guide to help folks grasp the nettle and go for it.

Check out the Preview User Guide from Apple that I linked to in my post above. It really is quite nice and very helpful.

MacMost has some very nice FREE tutorials that cover Preview:

The Mac Preview PDF Markup Tools
https://macmost.com/the-mac-preview-pdf-markup-tools.html

How To Sign PDF Documents In Preview On Your Mac
https://macmost.com/how-to-sign-pdf-documents-in-preview-on-your-mac.html

How To Apply a Stamp To a PDF On Your Mac
https://macmost.com/how-to-apply-a-stamp-to-a-pdf-on-your-mac.html

 

[IWT]

Thanks, Randy.

Ian