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Besides the obvious benefit to the environment, a paperless office offers many advantages to a small business. A well managed paperless office is convenient, efficient and is also extremely cost effective, as businesses can save on costs by reducing their use of paper, ink cartridges, printers and postage. If a correct data system is put in place, retrieving a document can be as simple as conducting a simple search. However, converting to a paperless office system can be costly if large network infrastructure needs to be changed, which is often the case for large corporations. For small businesses, there are many tools and software solutions that can be used to implement a paperless office that can help save time and money in the long-term. Here are three essential paperless office tips for small businesses.

PDF Editor

Most people consider PDF documents to be printer friendly documents that cannot easily be edited, unlike other documents format such as MS Word. However, PDF documents are actually extremely versatile and can be useful in implementing a paperless office system. Using the correct programmes PDF documents can be edited, have graphics manipulated and used as an easily stored file document. Some popular PDF editors for your paperless office include Wondershare PDF Converter PRO, which can recognise text in scanned paper documents and convert to an MS Word, TEXT or HTML document. NitroPDF is another useful paperless office tool, offering similar features.

Send Fax to Email

Fax machines are fast becoming an outdated piece of office machinery and in general, the only reason why businesses still use this technology is to correspond with businesses that are not looking to update their telecommunications technology. However, paperless office solutions give fax-using business no excuse to use old technologies as sending a fax can be as simple as sending an email. Fax to email conversion services are simple to use and are an essential paperless office solution. A business with a fax account will still have a regular fax number but it makes use of a web or email interface when sending and receiving faxes as PDF files, thus eliminating the need for paper.

Online Contracts

One of the primary reasons why businesses still print, scan and email documents- an unnecessary and time wasting procedure- is to put ink signatures on documents and contracts. Because more and more documents are migrating to paperless office systems, the law is increasingly recognising electronic signatures. EchoSign is one software solution that is making the electronic signing of documents both safe and easy. The recipient of the document must enter their valid email address, where they will receive a copy of the contract or document to sign electronically. All documents can be stored online for future reference, making ink signatures unnecessary in a paperless office system.

Penny Munroe is an avid writer in business related news and tips. Articles include conducting the ideal office search for your business requirements to using social media tools in online marketing strategies.