How to photograph a paper bill

If your bill arrives in the mail, a photo works perfectly well. Here is how to get a clear one on the first try.

The one trick that matters

Do not lay the bill flat on a table under a light. Your phone will cast a shadow across the page, and the photo comes out dark in the middle.

Instead, stand the bill up. Lean it against something. A standing book works. So does a clipboard leaning against the wall, or a clipboard with a vase behind it. Anything that holds the page upright.

Step by step

1. Find somewhere with good light. Near a window in the daytime is ideal.
2. Stand the bill upright, leaning against a book or clipboard.
3. Hold your phone straight in front of the page, not above it.
4. Fit the whole page in the picture, corners and all.
5. Hold still and tap the round button.
6. Look at the photo. Can you read the small numbers? If yes, you are done.
7. Do the same for every page of the bill.

Things that cause trouble

• Blurry photos. Hold the phone with both hands and pause before tapping.
• Cut off corners. The page edges must all be in the shot.
• Shadows. If you can see a dark stripe, move near a window or prop the bill higher.
• Glare. If the page shines, tilt the bill slightly or turn off the light overhead.

If a photo is not perfect

That is fine. We will read everything we can, and if one or two numbers are unclear we will simply ask you to check them. You will see exactly what we read before anything else happens.