- Paperless Office Concept: A paperless office is one that eliminates paper products entirely, and thereby eliminates the cost of buying, copying, printing, and storing paper. It performs most tasks using electronic communications including Emails and online document services.
- Visual Acuity values are represented in decimal, fraction (in feet or meters) and log MAR. Use the table below for conversion between them.
A paperless office (or paper-free office) is a work environment in which the use of paper is eliminated or greatly reduced. This is done by converting documents and other papers into digital form, a process known as digitization. Proponents claim that 'going paperless' can save money, boost productivity, save space, make documentation and information sharing easier, keep personal information more secure, and help the environment. The concept can be extended to communications outside the office as well.
Definition[edit]
8 AWG is 0.0004' thicker than 10 SWG, 9 W&M is 0.0003' thicker than 9 BWG, 11 W&M is 0.0005' thicker than 11 BWG, 12 AWG is 0.0008' thicker than 14 SWG, 18 AWG is 0.0003' thicker than 19 SWG, 19 AWG is 0.0002' thinner than 20 SWG, Differences of 0.0001' have generally been ignored as the discrepancy is likely to fall within normal manufacturing. 15,679,516 Downloads Last Updated: Jan 19, 2020 Game Version: 8.3.0. Download Install. The YF-12 program was a limited production variant of the A-12 OXCART spy plane designed for the CIA and first flown in 1962. Lockheed was able to convince the U.S. Air Force that an aircraft based on the A-12 would provide a less costly alternative to the recently cancelled North American Aviation XF-108, since much of the design.
The paperless world was a publicist's slogan, intended to describe the office of the future. It was facilitated by the popularization of video display computer terminals like the 1964 IBM 2260. An early prediction of the paperless office was made in a 1975 Business Week article.[1] The idea was that office automation would make paper redundant for routine tasks such as record-keeping and bookkeeping, and it came to prominence with the introduction of the personal computer. While the prediction of a PC on every desk was remarkably prophetic, the 'paperless office' was not. Improvements in printers and photocopiers made it much easier to reproduce documents in bulk, causing the worldwide use of office paper to more than double from 1980 to 2000.[2] This was attributed to the increased ease of document production[2] and widespread use of electronic communication, which resulted in users receiving large numbers of documents that were often printed out. However, since about 2000, at least in the US, the use of office paper has leveled off and is now decreasing, which has been attributed to a generation shift;[2] younger people are believed to be less inclined to print out documents, and more inclined to read them on a full-color interactive display screen. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the average office worker generates approximately two pounds of paper and paperboard products each day.[3]
The term 'The Paperless Office' was first used in commerce by Micronet, Inc., an automated office equipment company, in 1978.[4]
History[edit]
Traditional offices have paper-based filing systems, which may include filing cabinets, folders, shelves, microfiche systems, and drawing cabinets, all of which require maintenance, equipment, considerable space, and are resource-intensive. In contrast, a paperless office could simply have a desk, chair, and computer (with a modest amount of local or network storage), and all of the information would be stored in digital form. Speech recognition and speech synthesis could also be used to facilitate the storage of information digitally.
Once computer data is printed on paper, it becomes out-of-sync with computer database updates. Paper is difficult to search and arrange in multiple sort arrangements, and similar paper data stored in multiple locations is often difficult and costly to track and update. A paperless office would have a single-source collection point for distributed database updates, and a publish-subscribe system. Modern computer screens make reading less exhausting for the eyes; a laptop computer can be used on a couch or in bed. With tablet computers and smartphones, with many other low-cost value-added features like video animation, video clips, and full-length movies, many argue that paper is now obsolete to all but those who are resistant to technological change. eBooks are often free or low cost compared to hard-copy books.
Others argue that paper will always have a place because it affords different uses than screens.[5]
Environmental impact of paper[edit]
Some believe that paper product manufacturing contributes significantly to deforestation and man-made climate change, and produces greenhouse gases. Others argue that paper product manufacturing, especially in North America, supports the ecological and economic balance of sustainable forestry. According to the 2018 American Forest & Paper Association Sustainability Report, paper manufacturing decreased greenhouse gas emission by 20% in an eleven-year period[6].[7] Measures such as recycling can help reduce the environmental impact of paper. Some paper production outside of North America may lead to air pollution with the release of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2),[8] and carbon dioxide (CO2). Waste water discharged from pulp and paper mills outside of North America may contain solids, nutrients, and dissolved organic matter that are classified as pollutants. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can cause or exacerbate eutrophication of fresh water bodies.
Printing inks and toners are very expensive and use environment-damaging volatile organic compounds, heavy metals and non-renewable oils, although standards for the amount of heavy metals in ink have been set by some regulatory bodies.[9][which?]Deinking recycled paper pulp results in a waste slurry, sometimes weighing 22% of the weight of the recycled wastepaper, which may go to landfills.[10]
Eliminating paper via automation and electronic forms automation[edit]
The need for paper is eliminated by using online systems, such as replacing index cards and rolodexes with databases, typed letters and faxes with email, and reference books with the internet.[11] Another way to eliminate paper is to automate paper-based processes that rely on forms, applications and surveys to capture and share data. This method is referred to as 'electronic forms' or e-forms and is typically accomplished by using existing print-perfect documents in electronic format to allow for prefilling of existing data, capturing data manually entered online by end-users, providing secure methods to submit form data to processing systems, and digitally signing the electronic documents without printing.
The technologies that may be used with electronic forms automation include –
- Portable Document Format (PDF) – to create, display and interact with electronic documents and forms
- E-form (electronic form) management software – to create, integrate and route forms and form data with processing systems
- Databases – to capture data for prefilling and processing documents
- Workflow platforms – to route information, documents and direct process flow
- E-mail (electronics email) communication which allows sending and receiving information of all kinds and enable attachments
- Digital signature solutions – to digitally sign documents (used by end-users)
- Web servers – to host the process, receive submitted data, store documents and manage document rights
One of the main issues that has kept companies from adopting paperwork automation is difficulty capturing digital signatures in a cost-effective and compliant manner. The E-Sign Act of 2000 in the United States provided that a document cannot be rejected on the basis of an electronic signature and required all companies to accept digital signatures on documents. Today there are sufficient cost-effective options available, including solutions that do not require end-users to purchase hardware or software.
One of the great benefits of this type of software is that OCR (Optical character recognition) can be used, which enables the user to search the full text of any file. Additionally, user-defined tags can be added to each file to make it easier to locate certain files throughout the entire system.
Some paperless software offers a scanner, hardware and software and works seamlessly in separating and organizing important documents. Paperless software might also allow people to enable online signatures for important documents that can be used in any small business or office. Document management and archiving systems do offer some methods of automating forms. Typically, the point in which document management systems start working with a document is when the document is scanned and/or sent into the system. Many document management systems include the ability to read documents via optical character recognition and use that data within the document management system's framework. While this technology is essential to achieving a paperless office[11] it does not address the processes that generate paper in the first place.
Digitizing paper-based documents[edit]
Another key aspect of the paperless office philosophy is the conversion of paper documents, photos, engineering plans, microfiche and all the other paper based systems to digital documents. Technologies that may be used for this include scanners, digital mail solutions, book copiers, wide format scanners (for engineering drawings), microfiche scanners, fax to PDF conversion, online post offices, multifunction printers and document management systems. Each of these technologies uses software that converts the raster formats (bitmaps) into other forms depending on need. Generally, they involve some form of image compression technology that produces smaller raster images or use optical character recognition (OCR) to convert a document into text. A combination of OCR and raster is used to enable search ability while maintaining the original form of the document. An important step is the labeling related to paper-to-digital conversion and the cataloging of scanned documents. Some technologies have been developed to do this, but they generally involve either human cataloging or automated indexing on the OCR document. However, scanners and software continue to improve with the development of small, portable scanners that are able to scan doubled-sided A4 documents at around 30-35ppm to a raster format (typically TIFF fax 4 or PDF).
An issue faced by those wishing to take the paperless philosophy to the limit has been copyright laws. These laws may restrict the transfer of documents protected by copyright from one medium to another, such as converting books to electronic format.
Securing and tracing documents[edit]
As awareness of identity theft and data breaches became more widespread, new laws and regulations were enacted, requiring companies that manage or store personally identifiable information to take proper care of those documents. Paperless office systems are easier to secure than traditional filing cabinets,[12][citation needed] and can track individual accesses to each document.
Difficulties in adopting the paperless office[edit]
Western digital hard drive macbook. A major difficulty in 'going paperless' is that much of a business's communication is with other businesses and individuals, as opposed to just being internal. Electronic communication requires both the sender and the recipient to have easy access to appropriate software and hardware. Costs and temporary productivity losses when converting to a paperless office are also a factor, as are government regulations, industry standards, legal requirements, and business policies which may also slow down the change. Businesses may encounter technological difficulties such as file format compatibility, longevity of digital documents, system stability, and employees and clients not having appropriate technological skills.
For these reasons, while there may be a reduction of paper, some uses of paper will likely remain indefinitely.[13] However, a 2015 questionnaire[14] suggested that nearly half of small/medium-sized businesses believed they were or could go paperless by the end of that year.
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^'The Office of the Future', Business Week (2387): 48–70, 30 June 1975
- ^ abc'Technological comebacks: Not dead, just resting', The Economist, 9 October 2008
- ^'Wastes – Resource Conservation – Common Wastes & Materials – Paper Recycling'. US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ^The Paperless Office Trademark Registration, United States Patent and Trademark Office, retrieved 13 December 2015
- ^Sellen, A. J., & Harper, R. H. R. (2003). The myth of the paperless office. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press
- ^'American Forest & Paper Association 2018 Sustainability Report'(PDF). American Forest & Paper Association.
- ^'American Forest & Paper Association Sustainability Report'. American Forest & Paper Association. 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^'Air Pollutants of Concern'. New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ^'Archived copy'(PDF). Archived from the original(PDF) on 8 May 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)[full citation needed]
- ^'Recycling Paper and Glass'. US Department of Energy. September 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2007.
- ^ abWalker, Richard (7 August 2009), 'Achieving The Paperless Office'(PDF), Efficient Technology Inc, archived from the original(PDF) on 23 December 2018, retrieved 4 September 2009
- ^'E-Office: An Eco-friendly Advent of Cloud Computing Technology'. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ^Sellen, A. J., & Harper, R. H. R. (2003). The myth of the paperless office. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
- ^'Nearly Half of Businesses are or could go Paperless in 2015'. margolis.co.uk. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
Further reading[edit]
- Sellen, Abigail J.; Harper, Richard H. R. (2001), The Myth of the Paperless Office, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States: The MIT Press, ISBN0-262-19464-3 - discusses limitations of the paperless office, and the valuable role paper can play for knowledge workers.
- Gladwell, Malcolm (25 March 2002), 'The Social Life of Paper', The New Yorker
External links[edit]
- The Paper Free Office – dream or reality?AIIM Market Intelligence
The term ‘paperless office' was originally coined back in the 1970's and has become an increasingly popular buzzword as technology has advanced to make the ‘paperless office' an increasing reality for many law firms.
https://downnup601.weebly.com/money-blast-slot-machine.html. With a new year just beginning, Peter Baverstock, CEO of LEAP UK, gives 10 reasons why 2018 should be the year to become paperless, and reap the benefits of becoming a more productive and prosperous law firm for the future.
1. Remove the need for physical storage space
To access a physical filing cabinet, you need to actually be standing in front of it. However, when using cloud-based systems, you can get to your files, data and information from anywhere as long as you have a compatible device and password. Cloud technology is one of the biggest steps towards a paperless office. As legal professionals become more familiar with accessing their documents in this way, the benefits for law firms really start to show.
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2. Secure your data against loss or theft, within a backed-up, accessible environment
Storing your business and client data in the most secure way possible is absolutely vital. For complete peace of mind, storing documents and other data within a cloud-based environment is much more secure than in a filing cabinet that people could have access to with no real safeguards in place.
3. Safeguard files against environmental disasters, such as fire and flood
Water damage is much more common than you may think. Storing your files in a basement or a storage unit can leave your confidential paper liable to flooding and water damage. It doesn't take a lot of water to damage files. In fact, even just damp or condensation can damage files in a serious way.
Fire is another very real threat and something that should be considered when deciding where to store your files. Using a warehouse, shed or similar storage option simply does not provide the adequate level of protection that you need. Instead, by choosing a cloud-based practice management system, you will be better suited to protect your files from fire, flood and other potential disasters and also have the peace of mind that you can maintain business continuity.
4. Work accurately and reduce any unnecessary duplication of work
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By implementing a good cloud-based practice management solution, you can store all your client and matter information in the one place, so the latest matter information is accessible to the practice and not missed, including case documents, time records, billing and legal and client accounting, helping to make a more efficient and productive office.
5. Save stationery and postage costs
It's easy to forget the costs associate with using paper in an office. There are costs associated with printers, toners and ink, servicing, maintenance, connectivity, cabling, user support and document storage. There's also all the postage costs that simply don't apply to a ‘paperless office'.
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6. Save time & increase efficiency
Your digital documents can be stored, retrieved, indexed and searched much faster than paper ones. There is simply no comparison between a paper archive and a cloud-based system.
7. Collaborate online
You can collaborate online without the need to keep printing paper copies of everything. This means that you don't have the messy and confusing piles of paper cluttering up the office. Working within an online environment with colleagues and clients on documents that are continuously saved speeds up the process of finalising a document, ensuring parties are working off the same version and never lose the latest version that they are collaborating on.
8. Unlimited storage & scalability
This ‘paperless office' can be as small or large as you want. Storage space is no longer an issue as storage becomes unlimited with a cloud-based system. Also, it's flexible enough to scale up or down according to your business needs.
Calca 1 3 1. 9. Paperless meetings
The ability to access all your documents from one single device means that there is no need to get weighed down by documents and files or worry about leaving them behind in the office. Real easy book bass clef pdf.
10. Save paper, trees and be environmentally friendly
One of the most obvious and important benefits of a paperless office is the reduction of paper consumption. This means each time you send a document electronically, instead of using paper, you and your business are doing your bit to be more environmentally sustainable.
