# Scanning large documents **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2025, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055 "2025-11-22T21:03:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/21 "2025-11-25T04:37:04Z")
300dpi is usually acceptable resolution for a document - depending on how fine the print is. 200dpi is passable. SO a 31-inch doc should be around 6200 pixels wide. That’s a bit more than a 24Mp camera can produce. Then there’s the issue of focus, etc. That’s why I suggest at minimum stitching two halves with a better (24Mp) camera. The other issue is flattening, based on the picture. At very least, a series of magnets along the edge, best is a sheet of glare-free glass (if glass and a polarized filter don’t work) At a certain point, this gets to be too much work if there’s a scanning service nearby. Depends again what quality and resolution is acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/22 "2025-12-11T21:41:32Z")
Update: I found out a local printing company scans large format documents, so I had them do it at 600 dpi. Did a nice job, and was only $18 for eight scans. Here it is. It is in one, large (88 MB) pdf file. Which is fine, but I would also like to save this as eight separate pdf files (one for each page). Does anyone know how to do this? > **[1974 Pinto - Wiring Diagrams.pdf](https://drive.google.com/file/d/19csibeCUV2kbxmBZs9p1CzzmM_GBwz6I/view?usp=sharing)** > > Google Drive file. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/23 "2025-12-11T21:45:14Z")
I don’t know how to split up PDF files, though I’m sure it’s possible and someone will post a solution, but I just wanted to say that $18 is a fair and reasonable price for that job. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/24 "2025-12-11T21:57:43Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I would also like to save this as eight separate pdf files (one for each page). Does anyone know how to do this? You can use this tool to do it in your browser: [Split PDF files online for free - PDFTool](https://www.pdftool.org/en/split-pdf) (edit: provided better link). It creates a zip file with the pages all split up. It all happens on your computer (nothing gets sent to them), so it might take a while depending on your computer. It took mine about 4 seconds. Adobe also has their own tool, but it doesn’t seem to work on a file this big: [https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/split-pdf.html](https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/online/split-pdf.html) ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2025, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/25 "2025-12-11T23:59:10Z")
Is each page scan one large image? If so, maybe you can copy the images and save them one by one. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/26 "2025-12-12T00:26:12Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > You can use this tool to do it in your browser: [Split PDF files online for free - PDFTool](https://www.pdftool.org/en/split-pdf) (edit: provided better link). It creates a zip file with the pages all split up. Thanks, that worked great! And no ads. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/27 "2025-12-12T00:35:03Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Thanks, that worked great! And no ads. It’s nice when people make tools like that, no? Not everyone’s as greedy as Adobe 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055/28 "2025-12-12T18:29:26Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Which is fine, but I would also like to save this as eight separate pdf files (one for each page). Does anyone know how to do this? I see you found a solution. On my Mac, your file opens in the built-in ‘Preview’ app, and readily allows any individual page or set of pages to be ‘Saved As’ a new file. Took about 15 seconds… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scanning-large-documents/1025055.md?page=1)