The problem with many PDFs on a phone is not the document. It is the fixed page: wide columns, tiny type, and a reader built around moving the frame.
Let the words use the screen
Paper extracts the selectable text from a public PDF and presents it as a responsive reading column. You scroll down through paragraphs rather than dragging sideways across a miniature page. A quick handout and a full book can use the same surface.
Readable type
Choose a text size that works at the distance you hold your phone. The reader does not force the source page's tiny print on you.
Steady line length
Margins and width controls keep lines from becoming either a cramped strip or an exhausting edge-to-edge paragraph.
Less interface
The page gives most of its space to the document. Reading settings stay available without turning the experience into a toolbar.
Local progress
Your position is saved in the browser so you can come back to the same document without an account or a server-side library.
What works best on mobile?
Paper is a good fit for selectable-text essays, course readings, reports, public-domain books, and research papers. Keep the original PDF open when the exact page, chart, form, equation, or visual arrangement is what you need to inspect.
Currently supported formats
Paper currently reads public HTTP(S) links to selectable-text PDFs up to 30 MB. Scanned PDFs and other formats are not supported yet.
See current support and future directions
Have a public PDF link? Open it on your phone and give the words room.
Read on your phoneQuestions
Does Paper need an app download?
No. The reader opens in your browser. Paste a public PDF link to start.
Can Paper OCR a scanned PDF?
Not yet. The current reader needs selectable text in the PDF.