Updated on by Rita Moreira
You have finished a drawing on paper, and now you want it on your computer: to tidy it up, add colour, share it or sell prints. Learning how to scan drawings well is what turns a good sketch into a clean digital file you can actually work with.
Below I walk through the full process, from a flatbed scanner to the phone method for when you have no scanner to hand, plus the settings that quietly decide how good the final file looks.
What does scanning a drawing actually do?
Scanning a drawing converts your work on paper into a digital file by capturing it as a grid of pixels, tiny dots of tone the screen reads as an image. A flatbed scanner records far more fidelity than a camera, and the file you get can be adjusted for contrast, coloured, shared online or printed.
Once your drawing is digital, the possibilities open up. You can keep the hand-drawn sketch and add a digital finish on top, correct a wonky value, or drop in a background. The scan is the bridge between the analogue paper in front of you and everything you can do on screen.
It matters most for detailed work. A scan of a realistic graphite drawing holds the fine transitions a phone photo tends to flatten, which is exactly why anyone selling or printing their art scans rather than snaps.
How do you scan drawings step by step?
To scan a drawing, clean the paper, place it face down on a flatbed scanner, choose the right settings and save it as a high-quality file. A flatbed scanner (the kind with a lid and a glass bed) gives you the most faithful result. Here is the routine I use.
- Clean the paper first. Lift any stray marks with an eraser (rubber) and flick off dust with a soft brush. The scanner records every speck, so anything you leave on the page ends up in the file.
- Install the maker’s software. Before your first scan, install the driver from the manufacturer so the scanner and computer talk properly. The on-screen prompts guide you; check the manual if a step stalls.
- Position the drawing. Lay it face down on the glass and close the lid firmly to keep the paper flat. Most home scanners take A4, so trim or plan larger work in sections.
- Start the scan. Press the scan button or find that function in the software.
- Pick the photo mode. If your scanner offers separate document and photo settings, choose photo. It reads a wider tonal range, which a pencil drawing needs.
- Set brightness and contrast. Nudge these only if the preview looks off, so you keep the original values. You can always refine later in an editor.
- Save it properly. Check the preview, confirm, and save as JPEG (or TIFF if you want maximum quality for printing).
The single mistake I see most often is rushing the flatten step. If the lid does not press the paper evenly, the corners lift, go soft and pick up a grey cast. Ten seconds of pressing the lid down saves ten minutes of editing.
Which scanner settings matter most?
Two settings decide the quality of your scan: resolution (dpi) and colour mode. Get these right and the file needs barely any rescue work; get them wrong and no amount of editing brings the detail back. The table below is what I reach for.
| Setting | Choose | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 300 dpi | Sharp enough to print A4 at full size; 150 dpi is the floor for screen only |
| Colour mode | Match the original | Grayscale for graphite, RGB colour for coloured pencil, keeps true tones |
| File format | JPEG or TIFF | JPEG for sharing, TIFF when you plan to print or edit heavily |
| Bit depth | Keep it high | More tonal steps means smoother shading and cleaner edits |
dpi stands for dots per inch, the number of points making up the image surface. For a crisp result I scan between 150 and 300 dpi; below that the picture starts to break down and the loss is permanent. Institutions that digitise artwork, such as The National Archives, work to comparable resolution standards for the same reason: it is always better to start with complete data than to try to claw detail back later.
On colour mode, follow the drawing. A black-and-white sketch on white paper scans smaller and cleaner in grayscale, while anything with subtle shading keeps its nuance in a full grey scale. If you later want to push your darks further, high-quality data gives you room to do it without banding.
Should you use fixative spray before scanning?
For graphite drawings, a light coat of matt fixative before scanning is well worth it. Graphite, which British makers like Derwent have produced in the Lake District since 1832, has a slight sheen, and the scanner catches that reflection as an artificial shine that was never in the original. A matt (not gloss) fixative kills the sheen and gives you a truer, flatter scan.
In my own work this is the difference between a clean file and one full of silvery hotspots across the darkest areas, where 6B and 8B graphite build up thickest. A single can lasts many drawings, so the cost per piece is tiny against the editing time it saves. If you want the technique in detail, see my guide on how to use fixative spray.
Use your judgement: for a one-off or an important piece it is worth the extra step, while for a quick practice scan you can skip it. For charcoal or ink the reflection is less of an issue, so fixative there is more about protecting the surface than fixing the scan. This care pays off most on a hyperrealistic pencil drawing, where every value has to read true.
How do you scan drawings without a scanner?
Without a scanner, you can digitise a drawing with a free scanning app on your phone, though it is best treated as an emergency option. These apps use the camera rather than optical scanning, so you cannot guarantee the fidelity a flatbed gives you. For professional work, an actual scan captures a sharpness that even good cameras miss.
If the phone is all you have, help it along. Lay the drawing flat, light it evenly with soft daylight (no harsh lamp casting a glare), shoot straight down, and let the app flatten and crop the page. Apps like Adobe Scan or your phone’s built-in Notes scanner do a decent job of squaring up the edges. It will never match a 300 dpi flatbed scan, but it is enough to log progress or post a quick update online.
Where can you buy a scanner and fixative in the UK?
A basic A4 flatbed scanner is inexpensive and widely available, so there is no need to overspend for hobby use. For the art side of the kit, UK artists tend to go to Jackson’s Art and Cass Art for a proper range of fixatives, or Hobbycraft on the high street for a quick pickup. Amazon.co.uk carries both scanners and matt fixative sprays if you would rather order everything in one go.
British makers do the fixative well: Winsor & Newton and Daler-Rowney both sell reliable matt fixatives that art shops stock as standard. A single tin covers dozens of drawings, so it is a small, long-lasting bit of the setup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you scan drawings without a scanner?
Use a free scanning app on your phone. Lay the drawing flat, light it with soft, even daylight, and shoot straight down so the page is not skewed. Apps such as Adobe Scan flatten and crop the page automatically.
Treat this as an emergency option rather than the standard. The camera cannot match the sharpness of a flatbed scanner, so for anything you plan to print or sell, a proper scan is worth the trip. For a quick online post or a progress log, the phone is perfectly fine.
How do you scan drawings on an iPhone?
Open the Notes app, tap the camera icon and choose Scan Documents, then hold the phone above your drawing. The iPhone detects the edges and captures the page automatically, or you can trigger it by hand.
Once captured, drag the corner handles to crop tightly to the paper and save it to your files or photos. Good, flat lighting makes the biggest difference here: a window on an overcast day beats a bright lamp, which throws glare across graphite. It is quick, but it stays a stand-in for a real scan.
How do you scan drawings into a computer?
Connect a flatbed scanner by USB or Wi-Fi, install the manufacturer’s software, and place your drawing face down on the glass. Open the scan program, choose photo mode, set 300 dpi, and press scan.
The file lands on your computer ready to save as JPEG or TIFF. From there you can adjust brightness and contrast, add colour or drop in a background in any image editor. Scanning straight into the computer keeps every bit of tonal detail, which is why it beats photographing the work whenever you have the option.
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