Guide
How to photograph a paper form so the data comes out right
Five habits that make handwriting, checkboxes and tables read correctly the first time.
Fill the frame with the page
Hold the phone above the paper and let the page fill most of the picture. Extra desk, hands or shadows give the reader less detail to work with.
Use even light
Daylight or a ceiling light behind you works best. Avoid a single lamp at an angle, which leaves half the page dark and the other half glaring.
Keep the page flat
Smooth out folds and hold curled paper down at the corners. A curved page bends handwriting and makes table lines wander.
Photograph one page at a time
For a multi-page document, use a PDF or take one clear picture per page. Formalini reads each page separately and keeps the page number with every value.
Check the low-confidence values
Anything the reader is unsure about is marked for review with the exact spot on the paper highlighted, so a quick look confirms or corrects it.