The Everlasting Un-Death of the Paperless Office

Paper will never die. The paperless office is a myth.

There is no substitute for holding that piece of tree in your hand. Tactile, satisfying, even beautiful, paper is a part of our world that we like.

Such an admission may seem strange coming from a blog dedicated to document imaging, but truth is truth. Besides, document imaging and paper go together great, once trendy preconceptions are dismissed.

In fact, integrating paper with document imaging systems is a major part of creating a workplace that hums with productivity, at minimal waste and with maximum convenience.

What does that mean, "integrating paper with document imaging systems"?

It means realizing that some documents don't need to be scanned and brought into the digital world. Or, if that does happen, they must be secured like Fort Knox.

It means realizing, by the same token, that some documents don't need to be retained in paper form, and especially don't need to be printed and re-printed and then copied and re-copied. (Tax deduction receipts from five years ago qualify for pure digitization.)

Integrating means, too, going beyond the Paper vs. E-Doc debate to create a true records management system. One with room enough for both paper and scanned documents.