Why Go Paperless?
The average office uses 10,000 sheets of paper per employee per year. For a company of 20, that's 200,000 sheets — or about 24 trees. But the problem isn't just environmental.
Paper documents:
- Take up physical space that costs money (rent, shelving, storage)
- Are not searchable — you have to find them manually
- Can be damaged (water, fire, humidity)
- Are hard to share with remote teams
- Slow down processes — print, sign, send, file
Step 1: Audit Your Existing Documents
Before you start digitizing, you need to know what you have. Create an inventory:
- What types of documents exist (contracts, invoices, reports...)?
- How many are there in total?
- What are the legal retention periods?
- Which are active and which are for archive?
This helps you prioritize — start with documents used most frequently.
Step 2: Choose the Right DMS
A Document Management System is the heart of a paperless office. When choosing, pay attention to:
- OCR capabilities — can it recognize text from scanned documents?
- Search — does it support full-text content search?
- Security — encryption, access control, backup?
- Scalability — does it grow with your company?
- Integrations — does it work with your existing tools?
Step 3: Digitize Existing Documentation
Scanning is the most labor-intensive part of the process, but once it's done — it's done forever. Tips:
- Use a scanner with an automatic document feeder (ADF) for bulk scanning
- Scan in PDF/A format — the standard for long-term preservation
- Use OCR to make documents searchable
- Name files consistently (date_type_description)
- Organize into a clear folder structure
For large volumes, consider professional scanning services.
Step 4: Establish Digital Workflows
A paperless office isn't just about scanning old documents — it's about changing how you work:
- Electronic signatures instead of print-sign-scan
- Digital forms instead of paper forms
- Email/DMS for approvals instead of physical signing
- Electronic invoices through e-invoicing systems
- Cloud storage instead of physical archives
Step 5: Train Your Team
Technology is useless if people don't use it. Training should be:
- Short and practical — focus on daily tasks
- Repeated — not just once at the beginning
- Supported by management — if the boss still prints, nobody will change
Savings from Going Paperless
| Category | Annual Savings (20-person company) |
|---|---|
| Paper and toner | ~€2,000 |
| Physical storage space | ~€3,000 |
| Time spent searching for documents | ~500+ hours |
| Shipping/delivery of documents | ~€1,000 |
Conclusion
Going paperless is a process, not a one-time event. But every step brings measurable savings in time, money, and space.
Start with Arhivix — set up a digital document management system in less than a day and start saving from the very first minute.
