As great as it would be to live in a paper-free world, we probably won't get there for some time. Because of this, most people need printing and scanning capabilities handy every once in a while, but who wants to keep a clunky device around for that?

We have the answer. MakeUseOf's newest app, ZipScan, makes it simple to scan documents with your iPhone or Android phone. Here's how it works.

Download: ZipScan for Android | iOS (Free)

Scanning With ZipScan

After you've installed ZipScan, you'll see an intro screen. You'll then need to grant the app access to use your camera, of course.

Once you've done that, you'll meet with an interface just like your phone's camera app. Put whatever document you want to scan on a flat surface, and line it up in the camera's viewfinder. Use the icon in the top-right to toggle the flash between on, off, and auto. Then tap the blue circle to capture an image.

You can repeat this for every scan you want to take. A preview of the latest image appears in the bottom-right corner with the number of scans you've taken. Tap this to review them.

Edit Your Scans

Next, you have the opportunity to edit your scan. Along the bottom, you'll see some options:

  • Gallery: Open your phone's image gallery and select an image to edit and add to the document.
  • Crop: Cut off any unneeded bits of the image.
  • Rotate: Allows to you correct the orientation if you didn't take the picture properly.
  • Filters: Set an auto-filter or turn the scan grayscale.
  • Delete: Trash the scan and start over.

In addition to these, you can tap the timestamped name below the image to rename it. When you're satisfied, tap Save. This will keep the scan so you can recall it later.

Saved Scans and Settings

Open the left menu to access the Docs portion of the app. This lets you review past scans---just tap one to open it. Here you can view your image or edit it using the tools described above.

The Share button lets you send the scan using any app on your phone. You might save it to Dropbox for easy access on your PC, for instance. If you don't need a scan anymore, tap Delete to scrap it.

Meanwhile, in the Settings menu, you can easily delete all of your scans. You can also contact the app developers, rate or share the app, and check out some of MakeUseOf's other apps.

Get Scanning With ZipScan

ZipScan really is that easy to use. Just snap your documents, edit them to your satisfaction, and save them for future use. You don't have to set up any bulky hardware, and everything stays safe on your phone.

Try it today and don't let scanning frustrate you anymore.

Download: ZipScan for Android | iOS (Free)