# Recommended Settings for Your Scanner

Source: PaperSurvey.io Help Center
URL: https://www.papersurvey.io/help/scanning/article/recommended-settings-for-scanner

---

Using the right scanner settings helps PaperSurvey read your surveys accurately and quickly. Here are the recommended settings for the best results.

## Recommended settings

| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Resolution (DPI) | 300 DPI |
| Color mode | Grayscale or black and white |
| File format | PDF (multi-page) or JPEG/PNG (single page) |
| Paper size | Match your survey size (A4 or Letter) |

## Resolution (DPI)

**300 DPI** is the recommended resolution. This provides a good balance between image quality and file size.

- Scanning below 200 DPI may result in more fields flagged for manual review
- Scanning above 300 DPI (e.g., 600 DPI) does not improve recognition accuracy and produces larger files that take longer to upload

## Color mode

**Grayscale** is the best option for most surveys. It preserves enough detail for accurate recognition while keeping file sizes manageable.

**Black and white** (1-bit) works well for surveys with only checkmarks and printed text, but may lose detail on handwritten text.

**Color** scanning works fine but produces larger files without improving recognition accuracy.

## File format

**PDF** is ideal when scanning multiple pages, as you can combine all pages into a single file. Most document scanners support multi-page PDF output.

**JPEG** and **PNG** work well for single-page scans. JPEG files are smaller, while PNG preserves exact detail.

For a full list of accepted formats, see [Supported Scanning Formats](/help/recognition/article/supported-scanning-formats.md).

---

Need more? The complete PaperSurvey.io help center and blog is available as a single document at https://www.papersurvey.io/llms-full.txt.