Back when I purchased my first ScanSnap, the precursor to the ScanSnap S1300, I came across this Macworld article by author Joe Kissell in which he outlined his paperless office. That article, and others like it, were a big inspiration when I started DocumentSnap. In fact, I used (many would say ripped off) the Applescript in that article for the Acrobat Applescript droplet that I posted back in 2008.
Since that article I have been following Joe’s stuff, including his recent excellent comparison of the aforementioned S1300 and the Doxie.
I mention all this to set up the fact that Joe Kissell knows his stuff when it comes to going paperless, and I was thrilled to learn that he was writing a new ebook: Take Control Of Your Paperless Office.
If you don’t want to read the rest of this review, here is my conclusion: If you are a Mac user wanting to go paperless, go buy it. It is a complete no-brainer at only $10. If you’re a Windows user, you may want to read the rest of the review to see if it is right for you.
The ebook is 118 pages and, like the rest of the Take Control series from TidBITS, it is written from a Mac users’ perspective. When I downloaded my copy I printed it (just kidding) and went through it right away.
You can read it from start to finish or jump to the section where your biggest pain-point is. At the start there is a handy “Quick Start” pages that tells you where to go for what.
The way I see it, Take Control Of Your Paperless Office is divided into a number of themes that are grouped together (note these are not the actual chapters, but just how I see the content):
Setting The Foundation
- The benefits of going paperless
- Why you might want things to be searchable and what that entails
- Why choosing storage is important
- How to stop paper in the first place
Choosing Scanner & Software
- What to look for in a scanner
- Describes different scanner models. All the models he lists are Mac compatible, but they mostly work with Windows too or have a Windows cousin
- Give his scanner recommendation
- Describes different Mac OCR and Document Management software
- Gives his software recommendation
Setting Things Up Right
- Setting your scanner and OCR software settings
- Choosing a naming and filing strategy
- Choosing how to get at your documents once they are filed
Physical Paper Workflow
- Pay attention to where your paper is
- Come up with a workflow
- What you should keep
Working Through A Backlog
- Prioritizing what is there
- Get outside help when needed
Avoiding Printing
- Do you really need to print?
- Signing documents without paper
- Faxing without paper
As you can see, it’s very comprehensive. It doesn’t just focus on a scanner or piece of software but the whole workflow from end to end, and each section is very well thought out.
I found myself nodding to myself throughout the whole thing, and I especially liked his approach to naming and filing documents. You can tell that this ebook comes from his personal experience. Since Joe is an American living in Paris, I have a mental image of him sitting there eating a baguette and drinking a cafe creme while he does his scanning.
As I mentioned, Take Control Of Your Paperless Office is written from a Mac users’ perspective. However, since the majority of the content is workflow based, I would think that Windows users would benefit from it as well. If that is you, you’ll just have to ignore the software sections.
Is the ebook worth it? If you are a Mac user and don’t want to spend hours web surfing and trying to figure out the best way to go paperless, I strongly recommend Take Control Of Your Paperless Office. It’s a steal at $10. If you are a Windows user, I personally think it is still worth it, as long as you don’t need specific software recommendations.
