Perfect Scan - Review

Choices are limited with regards to document scanners for your Windows Phones. You've got HandyScan/Handyscan Lite and DocMe was around for some time but has apparently been pulled. To help fill the void, we can add Perfect Scan to the mix. Developed by Katana Labs, Perfect Scan offers multi-page document scans that can be edited, emailed, and searched.

There's really not much to Perfect Scan but what's there works nicely. To read more on Perfect Scan, slide on past the break.

App Layout

Perfect Scan's layout is simple. The main page displays your document library and a search field up top. You can search your library by document title. At the bottom of the main page is the camera button that initiates the scan.

From the three-dot menu on the main page you can delete documents (just check the box of the docs you want gone), rename documents, access the help section and learn more about the app/send feedback to the Marketplace.

Tapping an individual document will pull it up in a viewer. From here you can add a new page to the document, edit the page, email the document, delete the page, save the document as a .jpeg to your photo hub and access the help section.

Speaking of the help section, it is a thoroughly documented guide that covers the basics of scanning a document to enhancing the appearance to adding a signature to documents.

Scanning Images

When your ready to scan a document, just press the camera button on the main page or individual doc page. This will turn on your Windows Phone camera. Snap a picture of your document, accept it and you're sent back to the app where you can edit, enhance, or email the document.  Note: scanned image samples have been converted to .jpeg for publication.  They have been re-sized but not sharpened.

After you've edited, enhanced, and adjusted your image (or before you email it) you will be prompted to save the document to your Windows Phone. Just enter the file name and tap save.

In emailing documents, you have a few choices. You can email the document as a .pdf file or image (.jpeg) file and you can set the quality and size of the file (high, medium, low).

Overall Performance and Impressions

Perfect Scan is a simple, yet effective documented scanner for your Windows Phone. Naturally, lighting and a steady hand goes a long way towards scanning quality but I was pleased with the results Perfect Scan produced. Documents scanned under your typical office lighting conditions came out really good with small print lines easily readable.

I keep describing Perfect Scan as a simple app and it really is. Simple and effective. Better than Handyscan? Perfect Scan seemed to run a little smoother than Handyscan but the two apps are really close in overall performance.

There is a trial version available for Perfect Scan to allow you to try before you buy. The full version runs $2.99 and you can find both here (opens in new tab) (opens Zune) at the Marketplace.

George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.

10 Comments
  • Do these apps do OCR and put the resultant scan into an editable text format?, or are they just pictures?If its the latter, I fail to see the point......
  • Why do developers give you a partially functioning app and then expect you to pay for it. I want to scan a document, convert it to a PDF which is how I keep scans like this and email it to myself to store on my PC. Can I do that with the trial? NO, I have to buy it before I can convert to a PDF and email it. Sorry Mr. Developer I won't pay for a half working app, I already deleted it from my phone.
  • That doesn't really make sense. Then how does the dev make money if you can just fully use the trial?
  • Easy: time/use-count limitation.
  • Is it possible to save scans directly to skydrive?
  • Not sure you want to pay for this as the feature to scan, OCR and I believe convert to PDF is built into the update in MANGO!
  • This feature is built into the Mango update as a system feature.
  • This app is no longer avaliable...I purchased the full version, then I did a hard reset a few weeks back and couldn't find this app on the marketplace.  No way to get it back, is there?  I have a feeling I'm S.O.L.
  • @viper_crazy  I had the same issue and just contacted Microsoft's support and they gave me a credit for the application.
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