In a previous article on Paperless Living, I made mention of the ability to archive and store your own documents in order to cut down on printing.  The use of the PDF format is a very popular solution and step towards paperless living.

What is .PDF?

PDF stands for – Portable Document Format.

As the name suggests, it makes the document portable and it does it in this sense.  It optimizes and compresses the document for use for fast internet transfer and accessibility.

Document Security

Most documents such as .DOCX have no reading, editing, or printing security built-in.  This basically means that anyone can change your document and print it.  This is not so with PDF files, if you make use of Adobe Professional.  In Professional, you can set security limits on document editing, printing, and so forth.  So for you business environments out there – stop sending DOC files to clients!  They are unsecure and in the case of say, a contract, they can be easily changed.  A PDF file is not easily changed.

Compression and Conversion: How to convert .doc / .DOCX Word Files to PDF

It is known that you can convert your doc, rtf, and .DOCX files to PDF format easily within Word by installing this Add-on.

1. DOWNLOAD and Install PDF Add-on for Microsoft Word

2. Open Microsoft Word

3. Type out your Document or open an existing one

4. Click top-left Office symbol, Scroll down to Save-as

5. Choose Save-As PDF/XPS

6. Name your file and then click Publish.

7. You’re done! It’s that simple.

However you can also convert JPG files and scanned images to PDF as well and it will compress the file while it converts to PDF.  Secondly, depending on how advanced the setup or the software you use, you can even scan directly to PDF and make the document searchable (More on this below).

How I’ve used it in business environments: Archiving and OCR (Character Recognition)

With the use of a scanner, you can scan in documents to be converted to a searchable PDF.  This means the software decodes the wording on the page and recognizes common characters on it (aka Character Recognition).  Most scanners do include software to bundle, and offer basic scanning and conversion.

Commonly, I’m handed some ancient document (that was typed on a typewriter in some cases) and asked to re-type if possible.  Although I am superfast at typing, this idea does not appeal to me.  What I do however, is use a good scanner and do a direct scan-to-PDF with the OCR function enabled (making it searchable or copiable).

The difference between a regular scan and OCR scan is large.  OCR scan detects all the characters and enables you to Highlight, Select, Copy, and Paste the characters just as in Word.  In a Regular Scan, it basically treats any document as a photo and scans it as such – which is un-editable.

Many organizations have been or are starting similar batch jobs of document conversion for archiving.  They are removing all those paper files from the cabinets, throwing them into a commercial scanner (40 pages per minute scans!) and “tagging” the documents by subject, year, etc into a Document Management System.  Where do the papers go?  Well anything usually older then 3-5 years is thrown out.

Guess what – from that point on you can pretty much make a pact not to print anything and go completely digital – then transfer documents to archive via PDF on a server.  Ok I am getting ahead of myself – but you see the possibilities don’t you?  Yes!

Best Software for PDF Creation and Conversions

It goes without a doubt that Adobe Professional is best suited to creating original .PDF files.  You can download Adobe Reader for free, but it is highly limited it functionality such as editing, scanning to PDF, converting, or managing a PDF document.  You can only really read PDF files with it and not scan, edit, or add security features.

Hand-down, as many may guess, Adobe Acrobat Professional 9 is the best PDF creation and conversion software.  A few great features are such as these:

Easily create Adobe PDF documents
Create Adobe® PDF documents with one-button ease from Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Windows® users can also create PDF documents with one-button ease from Outlook, Internet Explorer, Project, Visio, Access, Publisher, AutoCAD®, and Lotus Notes files.

Scan to PDF with OCR
Scan paper documents with OCR technology to create compact, searchable Adobe PDF documents.

Convert e-mail to Adobe PDF files
Convert e-mail in Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes to Adobe PDF documents to facilitate searching, archiving, and retrieval. (Windows only)

Capture web pages as Adobe PDF files
Convert web pages to Adobe PDF documents to easily print, archive, mark up, or share. (Windows only)

Create in PDF/A or PDF/X
Create documents in PDF/A, the ISO standard for long-term archiving of electronic documents, or PDF/X, the ideal format for high-quality, professional printing

Combine and optimize documents
Combine documents, drawings, and rich media content into a single, polished Adobe PDF document. Optimize file size, and arrange files in any order regardless of file type, dimensions, or orientation.

Maintain individual file security settings
Maintain individual digital signatures and security settings in PDF files and forms when combining them into a single PDF package.

Include only the pages you need
Specify which pages, layouts, or sheets should be included from source files in your final, combined Adobe PDF document.

Optimize Adobe PDF output
Select from multiple file size and quality settings to optimize PDF output for your intended purpose.

Combine and optimize documents
Combine documents, drawings, and rich media content into a single, polished Adobe PDF document. Optimize file size, and arrange files in any order regardless of file type, dimensions, or orientation.

Maintain individual file security settings
Maintain individual digital signatures and security settings in PDF files and forms when combining them into a single PDF package.

Include only the pages you need
Specify which pages, layouts, or sheets should be included from source files in your final, combined Adobe PDF document.

Optimize Adobe PDF output
Select from multiple file size and quality settings to optimize PDF output for your intended purpose.

Apply passwords and assign permissions
Restrict access to Adobe PDF documents using 128-bit encryption. Set document permissions to help restrict who can print, save, copy, or modify a document.

Sign documents digitally
Apply digital signatures to authenticate documents, manage their status, and help protect against unauthorized modification.

Hungry for more?  Download the – Printable feature overview (PDF, 234K)

Conclusion

Obviously, using PDF technology and Adobe software is quite diverse, and I’ve only scratched the surface.  But that is the whole point on this blog – to scratch the surface of your creativity and lend some insight.  I’d be happy to hear from other users of the PDF format, Adobe, etc and know how they are doing business or working in paperless environments, archiving, and collaborating.

Related Blog’s on the Topic: 5 Benefits of PDF – 10 PDF Tricks – Convert anything to PDF online

In Honor of Earth Day this also leads me into this article on: Paperless Living.  As a society, we pretty much hit the print button immediately for just about anything.   I’ll be honest, and say I’ve been guilty of it.  However, I’ve found most of the time I never look for the paper again (or can even find it).  Over time and with some advances in computing, there are some ways that you can cut down on wasting paper.

Printing and the Conservation of Trees

The benefits of cutting down on printing and paper:

• Lower cost of ink replacement
• Lower cost of paper replacement
• Less wear and tear on hardware
• Low Environmental impact

Paper Conservation Tips

• Emails: I use Gmail and rarely print out attachments and emails.  Just archive them in there.  Then search for them in the search box later on.  You wont be needing most email printed out, like you may think.
• Print-to-File: There are some programs that you can download and install, that will add a virtual “printer” to your computer.  The most popular one is using Adobe Acrobat Standard 9 , and selecting Adobe PDF as your printer.  It will ask you where to save the file, then you choose where you want it saved.  It will save it in a PDF format to reference later in the same look and feel as the original.  Then of course you can backup any of these files.  Another option is Microsoft Office Professional 2007 .mdi or .doc format that saves it in black & white.   I cover this in more depth in my article: Benefits of Using PDF
• Cheap Ink Printer: Kodak has been touting some low-cost ownership printers meaning low cost of ink.  Did you know printer ink is the most expensive liquid on the planet, beating out even Oil?  Kodak has it’s new line of EasyShare Printers that feature ink cartridges at approximately 9 dollars.  If you’re going to print something you may as well save some cash in the meantime and also print your photos at home for cheap.  Better then the major photo printeries disposing of the developing liquids.
• Digital Subscription Services: See below, where I outline some digital based newspaper and magazine options.
• Paperless Statements: All your bank accounts and credit cards can probably be accessed online.  Furthermore, you should sign-up for Paperless Statements off all your accounts.  Imagine all the tree’s we can save if everyone signed up for paperless statements!
• Schools and Companies: I found this article on ZDnet that explained how paperless computing in a school environment is a cost-effective solution.  You should check it out!

Shift in Thinking

Basically, a few of you knew these options existed but never thought to use them.  They are simple, but the hard part is shifting your thinking and perception of the importance of printing.  Really sit down and think about how often you refer back or search for printed documents. Thought about it?  Well, I’ll bet – Not very often.

Besides instead of wasting time searching for paper documents, you could be just searching for it on your computer.  Guess which one will go faster?  You betcha – the computer.

Document Management Software

In a few months I’ll probably get to try out some Business end solutions such as DocuShare from Xerox.  Their particular software allows you to manage documents from the PC as well as from any printer, and send documents in a “work flow” to other printers/PC’s for processing.  I’ll probably report on that when the time comes. 

One piece of software I found online for small business or individuals that should work is File Professional Document Management Software

Saving New Documents and Scanning Old Documents

Basically, if you start your paperless life today all you’ll have to do is save all incoming content and new content you generated right on your computer.  What about old documents, files, photos, etc?  Well, all that can be logged in and indexed with the use of a commercial scanner.

Backup your Document Library!

Of course more important is to backup all your files, otherwise, what is the sense in saving them?  If we’re going to stop cluttering everything with paper – we need a reliable retrieval and backup method.  I’ll be outlining in a future article on how general backups can be performed.

Digital Subscriptions & Devices

Lately, I’ve strayed from reading my typical slick magazines and opted for Digital Magazines.  It’s just as informative and eye-candyish as the real deal – plus, you get the interactive elements such as hyperlinks.  If you read magazines or newspapers, you should try to convert over to digital subscription services.

Here is some starter ideas for reading digitally!

Magazines:  You can get magazines delivered digitally – Personally, I use Zinio subscription services and like it.

Newspapers: You can get most any newspaper you want digitally now by email or by device.

Books: You can purchase books online digital or have them automatically downloaded to a device.  If I could afford one, I’d be touting a Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation) .  This has received RAVE reviews for their digital ink technology and ease of downloading full books and newspapers.

The Challenge

I challenge each and every one of my readers to try and follow the below steps and carry it out for at least a couple weeks to reduce your environmental impact (or develop your own and report back)!  Let me know how you do!

Step 1 – Acquire the software or devices as mentioned above

Step 2 – At minimum Create a directory in your My Documents for “Paper Archives”, by the month/year.  Save all PDF/MDI/Documents in these directories.

Step 3 – Save/archive all emails in Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.  Search them if you need a file or email reference.

Step 4 – Do these things for at least two weeks.

Step 5 – Report your Results here and Ask yourself:  Was that hard? and Can I compute like this for a long term?  If so, great!  Please continue and let us know here at TftM of your results and further suggestions!

Useful Items Cited in this Article:

Related Blog’s on the Topic: Living the Frugal Life – Paperless – 5 Green-Tech Ways to use less paper – Earthly Ideas