How to Scan Documents and Create PDFs in Acrobat DC on Mac
Question details
The user wants to scan physical documents to create a PDF on a Mac, but Adobe Acrobat DC launches Apple Image Capture instead of the traditional scanner interface.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat DC
- Device & OS
- Mac
- Scenario
- Scanning multiple physical pages to create a single, multipage PDF document.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat DC opens Apple Image Capture instead of the native scanner window because recent versions of macOS no longer support the TWAIN scanner plug-in.
Ensure your scanner is properly connected to your Mac and turned on. Verify that your scanner is recognized by macOS natively via System Settings > Printers & Scanners.
Use Image Capture to Scan and Combine in Acrobat
Bypass the missing TWAIN plug-in by scanning documents directly to your Mac as TIFF images, then combining them into a PDF using Acrobat.
Because Apple stopped supporting the TWAIN plug-in for security reasons, Acrobat DC can no longer directly interface with your scanner's native software window. Instead, it relies on Apple's Image Capture framework.
To get the highest quality scan, it is best to use your scanner's standalone software or Image Capture manually, save the files, and let Acrobat handle the PDF conversion afterward.
Right-click on your Mac desktop and select 'New Folder'. Name it 'Scanned Documents' to keep your image files organized.
Launch Apple Image Capture (or the software provided by your scanner manufacturer) from the Applications folder.
Select your scanner in the sidebar. Choose 'Professional Mode' or detailed settings. Set the resolution to at least 300 PPI at 100% scale. Select Color for color documents or Black & White for monochrome text.
Set the output format to TIFF (which preserves quality better than JPEG) and set the output destination to the folder you created on your desktop. Click 'Scan'.
Open the desktop folder and verify the page order. Select all the TIFF images, then drag and drop them directly onto the Acrobat DC icon in your Dock.
When Acrobat prompts you with import options, choose to combine the selected images into a single multipage PDF document.
Easily Convert Scanned Images to PDFs with WPS Office
If you are looking for a streamlined way to combine scanned images into professional PDF files, WPS Office provides an intuitive 'Picture to PDF' tool that works seamlessly across Mac and Windows platforms.
- 1. Open WPS Office: Launch WPS Office on your Mac and click on the 'PDF' tab from the main workspace.
- 2. Access Picture to PDF: Click on the 'Picture to PDF' icon located in the top navigation ribbon.
- 3. Import Scanned Images: Click 'Add Pictures' and select the scanned TIFF or JPG files from your local folder.
- 4. Convert to PDF: Drag the thumbnails to rearrange the page order if necessary, then click 'Convert' to instantly generate and save your multipage PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat DC use Apple Image Capture instead of my scanner's software?
Apple discontinued support for the TWAIN scanner plug-in in macOS due to security enhancements. As a result, older direct connections between Acrobat and your scanner are unavailable, prompting Acrobat to default to the native Apple Image Capture framework.
What is the best resolution to scan documents for PDF conversion?
It is highly recommended to scan your documents at 300 PPI (pixels per inch) at 100% scale. This resolution ensures that the text remains sharp and legible for OCR (Optical Character Recognition) without creating an unnecessarily large file size.
Can I save my scans as JPEGs instead of TIFFs?
While you can save scans as JPEGs, TIFF is heavily preferred for documents. JPEG applies lossy compression that can make text look fuzzy or introduce graphical artifacts, whereas TIFF maintains crisp lines and full document quality for the final PDF.
