January 20, 2025 Tutorial 7 min read

How to Combine Scanned PDFs into One Document

Combine multiple scanned PDFs into a single, optimized document. Learn best practices for image cleanup, OCR, and file size control.

Combine Scanned PDFs

Preparation

  • Ensure scans are clear (300 DPI recommended)
  • Use grayscale for text-heavy pages to reduce size
  • Straighten and crop pages to remove margins

Steps to Combine

  1. Open our Merge PDF tool and upload all scanned PDFs
  2. Reorder pages as needed with drag-and-drop
  3. Enable OCR if you want searchable text (optional)
  4. Click Merge and download the combined file

Optimize File Size

  • Run the result through the PDF Compressor
  • Use medium compression for balance between size and quality
  • Avoid over-compressing to prevent artifacts

Pro Tips

  • Batch scan with consistent settings for uniform results
  • Use OCR for searchability and copying text
  • Split very large scans into smaller chunks before merging

Conclusion

Combining scanned PDFs is easy when prepared correctly. Merge, then compress for best results. Try our free PDF merger to get started.