Scan Documents

Overview

The 415 Unsupported File Type error occurs when you attempt to perform an operation on a file that doesn't support the requested file format.

HTTP Status Code

415

Error Response

{
  "type": "https://scan-documents.com/docs/errors/unsupported-file-type",
  "title": "Unsupported File Type",
  "status": 415,
  "message": "The file type is not supported."
}

Common Causes

Uploading a file with an unsupported file extension
Attempting to perform an operation that doesn't support the file's format
File MIME type doesn't match the actual file content
Corrupted file that can't be properly identified
Using the wrong endpoint for a specific file type

Supported File Types

Image Files

Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, JPG, WebP, TIFF
Max file size: 10MB per image
Use cases: Scanning, OCR, conversion, warping, effect application

PDF Files

Supported formats: PDF
Max file size: 50MB per PDF
Use cases: Splitting, merging, extracting pages, rendering

Document Files

For document processing operations:

Images: PNG, JPEG, JPG, WebP
PDFs: PDF

How to Fix

Verify File Type: Check that your file is in a supported format:

# On Linux/Mac, check file type
file document.pdf

# Expected output for PDF
# document.pdf: PDF document, version 1.4

Convert Unsupported Files: If your file is in an unsupported format, convert it first:

// Example: Convert HEIC to JPEG before uploading
const convertedImage = await convertHEICtoJPEG(originalFile);

// Then upload the converted file
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append('file', convertedImage);

const response = await fetch('https://api.scan-documents.com/v1/files', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
  },
  body: formData
});

Check Operation Compatibility: Ensure you're using the correct endpoint for your file type:

// PDF operations - only for PDF files
POST /v1/pdf-operations/split
POST /v1/pdf-operations/merge

// Image operations - for image files
POST /v1/image-operations/scan-image
POST /v1/image-operations/convert

Validate MIME Type: Ensure the file's MIME type matches its actual format:

const formData = new FormData();
const file = new File([blob], 'document.pdf', {
  type: 'application/pdf' // Correct MIME type for PDF
});
formData.append('file', file);

Examples

Attempting PDF Operation on Image

Request:

# Trying to split an image file (not supported)
curl -X POST https://api.scan-documents.com/v1/pdf-operations/split \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "input=file_image123"

Response:

{
  "type": "https://scan-documents.com/docs/errors/unsupported-file-type",
  "title": "Unsupported File Type",
  "status": 415,
  "message": "PDF operations require a PDF file. The provided file is an image."
}

Uploading Unsupported Format