Don't Go Paperless
If you have been thinking about going paperless, don’t bother. Unlike what scientists have been telling us for 30 years, it’s not the wave of the future. In fact, paper use has been rising with technology's improvements. Since email’s advent, paper consumption has increased by up to 40 percent and that's not including paper used to print information from the Internet.
There are certainly advantages to going paperless. Finding files on your computer is easier than from a file cabinet, and electronic files or more secure. You also save money on furniture, paper, ink cartridges, and time, not to mention the obvious environmental benefits.
However, going completely digital isn’t practical. According to Richard Harper, of Surrey University, and Abigail Sellen of Hewlett-Packard, paper still has advantages over computers.
Viewing multiple pages at once on a computer monitor is difficult unless you purchase multiple monitors (in which case you won’t be saving money on the switch to paperless), and even so, multiple monitors won’t allow you to peruse books and take notes in the same way a print copy would.
Clients and vendors also prefer to use hard copies, which require extra time to scan into your computer, thus wasting the time and money you are saving by having more accessible files.
Paper is also portable. It’s lightweight and foldable and doesn’t require a power source.
If you’re considering making the switch to digital, make sure it’s practical for you and your office, and not just an attempt to be more tech-savvy.
Comments
Do you have data to support the increase of paper for the past 30 years? I know for sure that Canadian paper producers definitely experience growth difficulties in paper demand.
we'll always have books for leasure reading, but for the purpose of business and non-sentimental stuff, electronic is the way to go.
I am actually attempting to go paperless, and scanned my 3,000th page today. I have them organized in PDF by folders. Might tag and organize them later with something like Devon Think or Yepp. The fast search is great, and I literally have a file cabinet inside my laptop. electronic is the logical solution when the amount of documents is overwhelmingly massive. the original article states that paper use is rising, so it's going to reach critical mass eventually. Hard drives run out a lot slower than file cabinets.
Paper is portable only when you have a few sheets to bring. But even then, you're pulling out a folded piece of paper from your pocket. How professional is that? The readers of blogs like this are professional types with at least a blackberry and laptop. Where isn't there a power source? Portables have batteries, and interchangable ones at that. Even your car has a power source.
Electronic documents are also easy to duplicate. Can you make backup copies of your entire catalogue / library with the click of a button? You can't if it's paper. And paper can't travel through the wires at the speed of broadband. This means another click of a button can send the entire archive to another remote location for security/backup purposes.
seems like win/win to me.
Don't forget the IRS and other legal entities, brokers-etc, who often require hard copies (including front and back of checks). Banks and other on-line businesses often don't maintain records for extended time periods. Be selective about going paperless.
Exactly one year ago I was packing up 46 boxes of files to take to a trial. Even with an index it was difficult to find the documents. Since then, I've gone paper-less and scan everything. Clients get the copies that were sent to us and a pdf document by email. I went from 3 5 drawer lateral file cabinets to one 2 drawer. For court, I can take my laptop and print out what I need as I need it. And since I can access all the office files, if I need something from a different file I don't have to call and ask the secretary to run it over. And nobody has to go to the dreaded storage unit to find something from an old file.
For the 7 years' worth of records I'm required to keep from my paper days, I'm paying over $100/month. I plan to send it out for scanning and reduce it to about 25 CDs that easily fit in a 3 ring binder on my shelf. While I have to keep some some original documents (required by professional rules), paper-less wins hands-down in my world.
When you go paperless, you will probably spend more time in front of the computer. This means less walking and less exercise. Bad for health.
Interesting topic. If paper consumtion is truly going up (which I have my doubts), then it is because people aren't truly going "digital". For starters, a lot of us print emails and web page information when it isn't necessary. Perhaps they are more comfortable with paper copies, don't know how to search a file folder, don't have/want or know how to use a PDA/Blackberry. Whatever the case, file printing happens - a lot.
I am a big proponent of the digital age, but even I have to admit there are tradeoffs. Yes I can carry the equivalent of 100 encyclopedias in the palm of my hand, but it requires power, something that we take for granted in the Western world. And the battery will die eventually which means it must be properly disposed of - a waste hazard. At least paper is biodegradable. Paper is also easier to read in bright sunlight and while eating - unlike most PDAs/Blackberries. And paper doesn't require a 25-minute Microsoft boot-up procedure.
Digital is theoretically more secure (when it is breached, it can be catastrophic in many cases). You can't put a password onto paper to keep unauthorized people from reading it. Proper use of file-search can greatly alleviate a lot of time wasted searching for a "lost" document. For business use and for most personal uses - electronic filing is the way to go.
PS. Banks now use virtual checks - where your paper check is scanned into an image file and processed. It cuts 2-3 days of processing compared to the old method. The IRS isn't far behind and have been using and accepting certain electonic receipts as proof of payment.
I like the idea of "selective" digital use.
As a writer/editor, sometimes I need a hard copy for edits. Words just look different on paper.
And I admit to using a plain paper notebook planner instead of a PDA for my schedule. I like to see a week-at-a-glance and a month-at-a-glance, and I can't see that on a little PDA screen.
I do prefer digital faxes, however, so I only have to print what I need.