« back to list of articles
Last Reviewed:  April 13, 2023

Heavy Black Borders around Small Scans

Problem

When you scanning something small like a receipt, all of the empty area around the receipt comes in black.

Cause

Unfortunately, we don't have any control over this. It's the scanner that decides what to do with empty area. The vast majority of them default to white, but yours defaults to black.

Suggestions

Here are a few suggestions:

First, see if your scanner has a setting that will fix this:

  1. Click "Scan" in FileCenter
  2. Select the option that says "Show Scanner Dialog"
  3. Click "Start Scan"

Now your scanner's own interface is going to pop up. Look for a setting like "Crop to Original" or "Automatic Paper Size". You might also look for a setting to choose the background color and set it to white.

Next suggestion: try FileCenter's automatic cropping:

  1. Click "Scan" in FileCenter
  2. Select the option that says "Auto Crop Pages"
  3. Proceed with the scan

Other suggestions:

  • If you're using a flat-bed scanner, make sure you close the lid
  • Tape the receipt to a piece of blank paper before you scan
  • Scan from FileCenter's "Edit" tab; when the scan's done, click the "Edit PDF Image" button on the main toolbar and crop the image there.

A better solution starts right here.

Download your free trial and get on the path to better file organization in 2 minutes.

  • Fully-operational, 15-day trial
  • Windows desktop software
  • No credit card required, no strings attached.