Key takeaways
- Thermal receipts fade within months — scan them as soon as you get them.
- Use the Light text filter to make faint receipt print dark and readable.
- Long receipts scan best in one photo with the phone held higher; split very long ones into two.
- Combine a month's receipts into one PDF and name it by date for easy expense reports.
Receipts are small, curly and printed in fading ink — the hardest documents to keep. Yet you need them for expense reports, warranty claims, returns and taxes. Scanning them right away is the only reliable way to keep them readable.
Why scan receipts immediately
Most shop receipts are printed on thermal paper. There's no ink: heat darkens a special coating. That coating fades with sunlight, warmth and time, and some receipts are blank within a year. A scan made on day one stays readable forever.
How to scan a receipt step by step
- Open Scan to PDF and choose Document mode.
- Flatten the receipt on a dark surface. Curled ends? Hold them with two coins outside the printed area.
- Hold the phone so the whole receipt fits, with a little margin around it.
- Wait for the blue outline to lock — the photo is taken automatically.
- Open the page and choose the Light text filter if the print is faint.
- Scan the next receipts; each becomes a new page.
- Save as one PDF, e.g.
Receipts 2026-10.pdf.
Long receipts
Supermarket receipts can be longer than the camera's view. Two options:
- Hold the phone higher. Modern cameras have enough resolution to keep small print readable.
- Scan it in parts. Photograph the top half and the bottom half as two pages of the same PDF.
Crumpled or curled receipts
Smooth the receipt with your hand, or put it under a clear plastic sleeve. Curved-page flattening in Osd-Scan straightens moderate curls automatically. Avoid glossy sleeves under direct light — they reflect.
Organize receipts so you can find them
- One PDF per month or per trip keeps expense reports simple.
- Name files by date and purpose:
2026-10 Berlin trip receipts.pdf. - Turn on OCR when saving, so you can later search for a store or an amount.
- Back up the folder to your cloud or computer.
Read our full guide to organizing receipts for taxes.
Sending receipts for reimbursement
Expense systems often limit file size. If your PDF is too big, use Compress PDF with the Recommended level — text stays sharp while the file shrinks. Need just one page from a bigger file? Extract pages.
Privacy
Receipts can show card digits, addresses and what you bought. Osd-Scan never uploads your scans; everything stays on your phone until you decide to share it.
Make it a habit: scan the receipt before you leave the shop or as soon as you get home. It takes ten seconds and saves you from faded paper later.
Frequently asked questions
Why do receipts fade?
Most receipts are printed on thermal paper, which darkens with heat and fades with light, time and contact with plastic. Scanning preserves them before the text disappears.
Is a scanned receipt valid for taxes?
In many countries a clear digital copy is accepted, but rules differ. Check with your tax authority or accountant and keep originals when required.
How do I scan a very long receipt?
Hold the phone higher so the whole receipt fits, or scan it in two parts and keep both pages in the same PDF.
Can I search my receipts later?
Yes. Turn on OCR when saving and you can search the PDF for a store name or amount.