How to Fill Out a Scanned PDF Form
A scanned form is just a picture of a page — here's how to still fill it out properly, without printing it and scanning it back in.
Open Fill a Non-Fillable PDFA scanned PDF is an image, not a live document — there's no form field to click into, because there isn't one. The usual workaround is printing it, filling it in by hand, and scanning it back in. You can skip all of that and type directly onto the image instead.
- 1
Upload the scanned PDF
The tool will detect that there are no fillable fields and switch straight into manual placement mode.
- 2
Zoom in to see the lines clearly
Use the zoom controls to get a clear view of exactly where each blank line, box or signature area sits on the scanned page.
- 3
Click on each blank line and type
Select the Text tool, click directly on the line, and type. Drag the text box afterward to line it up precisely if it's slightly off.
- 4
Mark checkboxes with the Checkmark or Cross tool
For any checkbox printed on the scan, place a checkmark or cross directly on top of it at the right size.
- 5
Sign and download
Add your signature the same way, then download — your additions are drawn permanently into the file, at the exact position you placed them.
Small text, low-quality scan?
Zoom in before placing text so you can align it precisely — you can always zoom back out afterward to check the whole page looks right.