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Creating A Paperless Office

Article ID = 66
Article Title = Creating A Paperless Office
Article Author(s) = Graham Needham (BH)
Article Created On = 12th January 2012
Article Last Updated = 27th February 2013
Article URL = https://www.macstrategy.com/article.php?66

Article Brief Description:
A guide to creating a paperless office with your Mac and iOS device

The Paperless Office

In order to reduce incoming paper and reduce outgoing paper you need to get the right software and hardware. The paperless office is likely to require:
  1. Scanning
  2. Digital document organisation
  3. Optical character recognition (OCR)
  4. Scripts / automation
  5. Shredding
  6. Disposal/Recycling

Create A Workflow

Using the process above and with the technology in place you can get ready to start scanning. Don't scan everything at once. Where possible sort the paperwork first and then start scanning the most and least important documents. Always give each digital document a descriptive name immediately after it has been scanned so you don't forget what the scan is amongst everything else being scanned. Either that or scan similar documents together and put them in a well named folder for later sorting/organising. Thus it is ideal to plan your filing system first and maybe even create the folder structure on your computer before starting the scanning. Some digital document organisation software will create the filing structure for you. After scanning decide which documents need to be shredded, which need to be recycled and which need to be kept safe e.g. legal documents such as birth/marriage certificates.

Scanning

Consider getting a proper document scanner rather than using a traditional flatbed scanner.
Document Scanners
iOS Scanning Apps
  • DocScanner (£2.99) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store / for iPad Get it now on the App Store
  • Prizmo (£6.99) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store
  • Turboscan (£1.49) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store
  • Burrotech Scan2PDF Mobile Lite (free) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store
  • Burrotech Scan2PDF Mobile (£4.99) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store
  • O Imaging Corporation ScanToPDF Mobile FREE (free) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store / for iPad Get it now on the App Store
  • O Imaging Corporation ScanToPDF Mobile (£4.99) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store / for iPad Get it now on the App Store
  • FotoNote (£1.49) for iPhone Get it now on the App Store
Scanning Software

Digital Document Organisation

There is a variety of software available that will help you organise your digital documents.
Digital Document Organisation Software

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

In their basic form documents that are scanned in are simply images/pictures. They cannot be searched. Therefore you might want to invest in software that can turn the text in an image into real text - this is called optical character recognition (OCR for short).
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Software

Scripts / Automation

As there may be lots of documents to scan, name, OCR, sort and organise you may want to automate some of these tasks. Check the capabilities of the software you are going to use (before purchasing if necessary).
Script / Automation Software

Shredding

When looking to obtain a shredder you should note the following:
  • Speed - how fast does it shred?
  • Capacity - how many sheets can it shred in one go?
  • Security - what shredding security standard does it adhere to?
  • Options - do you need it to shred credit cards/optical discs too?
We recommend the Rexel Prostyle+ Shredder Confetti Cut Buy it now at Buy it now at Amazon UK Buy it now at Amazon USA
Shredder Manufacturers (in the UK)

Disposal/Recycling

Please dispose of your paper, optical discs and computer equipment appropriately. See our article on recycling.

Article Keywords: paper less paperless office reduce document documents scan scanning scanner scanners digital doc docs organisation organization optical character recognition OCR automate automation shred shredding shredder shredders disposal recyle recycling

This article is © MacStrategy » a trading name of Burning Helix. As an Amazon Associate, employees of MacStrategy's holding company (Burning Helix sro) may earn from qualifying purchases. Apple, the Apple logo, and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

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