Eliminate the need to crop the image by selecting a page size or with automatic cropping

[kupasashuna]

When I scan an A4 size page, I get a page that is larger than A4. (in the lower part)

A4.pdf

SCN_20250514_143823.pdf

[lutzbuerkle]

I encountered a similar problem. When I scan an A4 document on my HP MFP M281 at 300 dpi, I get a PNG with a resolution of 2550 × 3507. So, in my case, the height is correct, but the width is too large.

[bvlahopulos]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the discussion — I just wanted to add that I’ve run into the same issue. When scanning an A4 page using the flatbed, the resulting PDF dimensions are 215.9 x 300.5 mm, instead of the expected 210 x 297 mm for true A4.

It’s not a big problem since you can crop the PDF afterwards, but I thought I’d mention it here in case it helps.
Having an option to select the target page format (e.g. A4, A5, etc.) would be a great addition for future updates — especially when scanning smaller formats like A4.

Thanks again for your work on the app!

[simon-knuth]

Hi there, thanks for the feedback!
Without auto-crop, it's currently expected that scans need to be cropped manually unless the scanned document is exactly as big as the scanner's capture area.

Is this what's going on or is there another reason why you would expect the result to be exactly A4? Are you getting a different result when using other apps, especially the Windows Scan app?

[bvlahopulos]

Yes, that’s exactly the reason — my scanner’s flatbed area is slightly larger than A4, and the app seems to use the full scan area rather than applying a specific page size.

In the previous app I used — the original HP Scan App — it worked a bit differently. That app allowed you to select the page size before scanning, such as A4, A5, Letter, or simply the full scan area.

That option was really helpful, especially when consistently scanning standard formats like A4, and I think it would be a great addition here as well.

Just to be clear — your app is still 10 times better than the HP Scan App. 😉

[kupasashuna]

​First of all, I must say that this software is the best I have found!
A huge thank you to the programmer!!
I did check the Windows Scan application and it is indeed the same problem
I will point out that the problem only occurs when I scan through the document feeder from above (and not through the horizontal surface, where the correct size is obtained)

[simon-knuth]

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I understand that cropping a scan can be one of the most tedious and repetitive parts of scanning with the app.

While this is not a planned feature for the next release, I will look into some ways to prevent constant cropping, such as selecting a page size up-front or automatic cropping. In the current version, cropping multiple documents at once is the only way to save some time, at least if all scans are in a single project.

[scottfyr-source]

yea auto crop would be amazing

[simon-knuth]

I've spent some time working on this and moved it to the v4 milestone.

The update will add a new scan option called "Scan area", which can be set to:

1. Everything
2. ✨NEW✨ Predetermined paper size (e.g. DIN A4)
3. Auto crop (still hardware-based, so it has to be supported by the scanner)
4. Preview selection

If a paper size is selected, the scanner only scans the relevant area, which speeds up the scan itself and results in a file that's already "cropped". Since the app doesn't know how pages are aligned (basically in which corner pages are placed), using this option for the first time will require scanning a single page and selecting the relevant corner. The calibration is remembered for each scanner.