Turn Your Smartphone Into a Document Scanner

I love a good DIY project, and here's a killer one for thrifty business users: a cardboard stand that turns your phone into a document scanner.

Actually, the stand was built with the iPhone in mind, but I see no reason it wouldn't work with any camera-equipped phone (or, for that matter, camera-equipped camera). Take a look:

As you can see from the photo, the stand's elevation and design are intended for letter-size pages (one at a time, obviously).

So, what good is a document photo that's trapped inside your phone? Well, that's where Web services come in. You can save and organize your documents in Evernote, turn pages into text with Free OCR, or fax/e-mail them with Qipit or ScanR (see Turn Your Cameraphone Into a Productivity Tool for more info on those two).

The stand itself can be made from cardboard, MDF, or something fancier if you're into woodworking. Creator Kyle A Koch offers a free EPS file with all the instructions you'll need to build one. Or you can order a pre-cut stand for as little as $19.

Neat stuff, huh? Think this is something you'd build? Anyway, while we're on the subject of scanners:

• Receipt Reader Turns Your Smartphone Camera Into a Receipt Scanner
• Gadget Lust: NeatDesk Desktop Scanner