Some documents only exist as a browser tab: a receipt page you saved from Chrome, an invoice that a billing system shows on screen but won't export, a confirmation page that will be gone once you log out. Then someone asks for it as a PDF, often a "scanned" one, and what you have is an .mhtml file nothing opens, or a plain .html file.

Look Scanned can now open both directly. Select the file, and the page is laid out on A4 pages in your browser. Add the scan effect and download a PDF that looks like it came off a scanner.

Which files work?

Type File extensions
Web page .html, .htm, .xhtml
Web archive .mhtml, .mht

An .mhtml (or .mht) file is a whole web page, pictures and stylesheets included, packed into one file. Chrome and Edge make one when you save a page as a single file, and some apps export reports that way. A plain .html file is just the page's text and layout; any pictures live somewhere else.

Saved emails are a different family. If you have an .eml or Outlook .msg file, see EML and MSG to PDF.

Saving the page from your browser

  • Chrome or Edge: press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on a Mac) and pick "Webpage, Single File". That saves an .mhtml file with the pictures inside. "Webpage, HTML Only" gives you a plain .html file without them.
  • Firefox: Ctrl+S saves "Web Page, complete", which is an .html file plus a folder of pictures. Only the .html file is opened, so the pictures from that folder won't show. If the pictures matter, print the page to PDF in Firefox and scan that PDF instead.
  • Safari: the default "Web Archive" format isn't supported. Set Format to "Page Source" to get an HTML file, or print the page to PDF.

A page you got as a file from somewhere else, such as an HTML invoice attached to an email or a report exported from a tool, works the same way.

What ends up on the page

The page is laid out on A4 paper with one-inch margins, and a long page continues onto the next sheet by itself. Headings, tables, images and any styling written into the file come along. A stylesheet the page only links to or imports isn't loaded, so a file saved as "HTML Only" usually comes out plainer than the site looked. Scripts don't run, so anything the page only showed after a click, or loaded later on, won't be there.

An .mhtml archive is shown from what it contains, stylesheets included. If the browser didn't save a picture when you saved the page, there is a gap where it belongs. Look Scanned doesn't go back to the original website to fill it in.

How to turn a web page into a scanned PDF

  1. Open the page for your file: HTML or MHTML. Either page accepts both formats.
  2. Select the file and wait a moment while it's laid out.
  3. Flip through the preview. Check the page breaks and that the pictures you need are there.
  4. Adjust the scan effect. Keep blur and noise low so small print, such as an order number, stays easy to read.
  5. Click "Generate Scanned PDF", then "Download Scanned PDF".

You can also save each page as a JPG or PNG image. Our guide to PDF, JPG and PNG explains when each one makes sense. With Pro, Bulk Scan handles several pages at once.

The page stays on your device

The file is read and laid out inside your browser. It isn't uploaded to a server for conversion.

Scripts inside the file don't run. An .mhtml archive loads nothing from the internet while it's shown. A plain .html file is the one exception: if it links to pictures or fonts on the web, your browser may fetch them so they show up on the page.

A few things to know first

  • The page won't look exactly like the website. A page made for a screen is reflowed for paper, so columns, sidebars and page breaks will differ. The result is closer to printing the page than to a screenshot.
  • Links and forms become ink. Buttons, menus and form fields are drawn as they looked, but they don't do anything in the PDF.
  • The PDF is made of images. Like a real scan, the text can't be selected or searched and the links can't be clicked. Keep the original file if you'll need it later.
  • Long pages take longer. A very long article or a report with many tables can turn into many A4 pages, so give it a moment, especially on a phone.

Have a page you need to hand in as a PDF? Try it now.