Automatic edge detection
Finds the four corners and crops away the desk. If it misses, drag the corners to fix it.
Online document scanner · Photo to PDF
Snap a photo.
Get a clean scanned PDF.
Paperly finds the paper's corners, straightens skewed pages, removes shadows and whitens the background, while red stamps and signatures stay exactly as they are. Merge many photos into one PDF for printing, expense claims or applications.
- 3 free exports a day
- Photos never uploaded
- No app to install
Features
From a quick phone photo to a scan you can hand in
Perspective correction
Shot at an angle? The page is flattened back to a straight-on view with level lines of text.
Shadow removal & whiter pages
Evens out lighting to fade phone and hand shadows and whiten yellowed paper. Contrast and sharpness are adjustable.
Stamps and signatures kept
Document mode keeps colored stamps. No AI redrawing: the output is a corrected version of your own photo.
Many photos, one PDF
Add up to 30 photos, drag to reorder, export A4 with automatic orientation and an optional 0 / 5 / 10 mm margin.
Processed on your device
The image engine runs in your browser. No AI models, no uploads, so contracts and IDs stay private.
How it works
Three steps from photos to a PDF
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01
Snap or upload
Take photos on your phone, or pick several JPG, PNG or WebP files. A darker surface with all four edges visible works best.
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02
Check the crop and style
Paperly detects edges and renders the scan. Adjust corners, rotate, switch between Document, True color and Black & white, and compare with the original.
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03
Reorder and export
Drag pages into order, choose A4 and a print margin, then export. Re-exporting the same document within 24 hours is free.
Use cases
Whenever you need a "scanned copy" and there is no scanner
- Contracts & agreementsPhotograph the signed pages and send a PDF with the stamp intact
- Receipts & invoicesCombine a stack of receipts into one file for expenses and records
- IDs & certificatesPaperwork for jobs, visas and applications, ready to submit
- Homework & testsWhitened worksheets that print cleanly
- Notes & handoutsTurn handwritten notes and printouts into a shareable PDF
- Forms & slipsKeep a clear digital copy of delivery slips and medical forms
Pricing
3 free exports a day. 1 credit for longer documents.
Free exports are up to 3 pages. 1 credit = 1 PDF of up to 30 pages, whatever the page count. Credits never expire. No subscription, no auto-renewal. Payments are made with WeChat Pay in CNY.
Free
¥0
3 exports a day · up to 3 pages each
- Every scanning feature
- Up to 3 pages per PDF
- Resets daily at 00:00 Beijing time (UTC+8)
Starter pack
¥6
50 exports · about ¥0.12 each
- 1 credit per PDF, up to 30 pages
- Credits never expire
- WeChat Pay
Regular pack
¥15
150 exports · about ¥0.10 each
- For contracts, expenses and other long documents
- Credits never expire
- WeChat Pay
Invite friends, both of you earn credits
Friends who sign up with your link get 5 credits; you get 10 credits after their first export, bonus credits at 3 and 10 invites, and 20% of a friend's first purchase. Find your link, invite message and poster under Invite & earn in the workspace.
Privacy
Your files stay on your device
Paperly's image engine (OpenCV) is loaded into your browser and runs there. Photos, previews and exported PDFs are never sent to our servers, and drafts live only in your current browser, where you can clear them any time.
- No uploadsProcessing and export happen locally
- No AI modelsText and stamps are never redrawn
- Accounts count exportsWe store only your account, export count and credits
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Paperly free?
Signed-in users get 3 free exports every day of up to 3 pages each, with every scanning feature included. Longer documents use 1 credit for the whole PDF (up to 30 pages). Credit packs cost ¥6 for 50 exports or ¥15 for 150. Credits never expire and there is no subscription. You can also earn credits by inviting friends.
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. Edge detection, perspective correction, whitening and PDF creation all happen in your browser. Your photos and PDFs never pass through our servers. The server only keeps your account, export count and credits.
Which image formats work? Can I use it on my phone?
JPG, PNG and WebP are supported, several at a time, up to 30 MB each. On a phone, open the site in your browser and take photos directly. If an iPhone HEIC photo will not open, convert it to JPG first (or set the camera format to Most Compatible).
Does it keep red stamps and handwritten signatures?
Yes. The default Document mode softens shadows and whitens the paper while keeping the color of red stamps and your signature strokes. Paperly never redraws text or stamps with AI; the PDF is a corrected version of your own photo.
What counts as one export? Are re-exports charged?
Each PDF you export counts as one. Free exports are up to 3 pages; with credits, 1 credit exports one PDF of up to 30 pages, whatever the page count. If a document is longer and you have no credits, you can still export its first 3 pages for free. Exporting the same set of pages again within 24 hours, for example with a new file name or margin, is free.
What if auto-crop gets the edges wrong?
Use Crop to drag the four corners, nudge them with the arrow keys, or keep the whole photo. Shooting the paper on a darker surface makes detection more accurate.
Is the PDF text searchable?
Not yet. Paperly exports image-based scanned PDFs, which are great for printing, archiving and submitting documents, but they do not include an OCR text layer.
How do invite rewards work?
After signing in, open Invite & earn to get your personal link or QR code. Friends who sign up with it get 5 credits right away, and you get 10 credits after their first export. Reaching 3 and 10 rewarded invites adds 10 and 30 bonus credits, and when a friend first buys credits you get 20% of their pack. Repeat sign-ups from the same device or network do not count.