Scan any ID card, both sides, into one PDF

Whatever the card — national ID, residence permit, health insurance, student card — the request is always the same: “both sides, one file, readable”. This is the standard method that works for all of them.

Both sides, one file

1. Dark background, card flat, camera parallel above it. Fill most of the frame with the card.
2. Scan the front in ToPDF — auto-crop trims exactly to the card's edges and straightens it.
3. Tap Add page, scan the back.
4. Glance at the two thumbnails (front first — drag to swap if needed), name the file, download.

Keeping small print readable

ID cards cram a lot into 85×54 mm. Three things preserve the small print:

• Get close. The card should take up most of the photo — a card floating small in a big frame wastes resolution ToPDF can't invent back.
• Focus deliberately. Tap the card on your camera screen and let focus settle before shooting.
• Steady light. The enhancement step sharpens and evens lighting, but motion blur and deep shadow can't be fully undone.

Which side first?

Front (portrait side) first is the near-universal expectation. If you scanned in the other order, hold-drag the thumbnails to swap — the number badges show the final order.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put two different cards in one PDF?

Yes — each scan is just a page. For example, ID front, ID back, insurance card: three pages, one file. Whether that is desirable depends on what the requester asked for.

The card’s photo got cropped as if it were the document. Why?

Detectors are drawn to strong inner rectangles. ToPDF guards against sub-region crops, but if it happens, open Adjust crop and drag the corners to the card’s actual edges — ten seconds.

Colour or black and white?

Colour, always, unless the requester says otherwise. ToPDF keeps colour and simply cleans lighting; identity documents in particular should not be converted to harsh black-and-white.