Many times in the past I have thrown away a note or letter only to realise months down the line that I need to refer to it.Īt a very basic level you can simply store your scanned PDFs in folders on your Mac but, if you are going to commit wholeheardedly to a paperless lifestyle, it is wiser to buy the right tools for the job. ![]() This is important: Once you commit to scanning instead of physical filing it is wise to scan everything, every bit of paper, even stuff that you realise has a finite life. My DEVONthink database is cluttered with stuff I probably will not neeed but it is there if I do need to dig deep in the future. Evernote is fantastic place to dump information but I prefer to keep it for filing of reference material that I know I will need regularly. While DEVONthink Pro is designed for this sort of archival work, there are several other options, including the use of systems such as Evernote. I can argue that digital filing is actually much safer. Yet even paper files are vulnerable to loss or destruction and, often, that vital piece of paper is elusive. Of course, the big caveat is the need to maintain a fool-proof backup and archival system. My database contains all the PDFs and other documents accumulated over the last six years it has have saved my bacon on innumerable occasions. Throughout the long life of my Fujitsu I have been scanning directly into one application, DEVONthink Pro Office. Even tax returns are now submitted online and supporting documentation can be scanned and filed electronically. In 2014, as just one small example, the iconic British road-tax disk will disappear from car windscreens as the authorities come to rely entirely on central database records. And even these shrink year by year as more and more companies and Government departments move over to digital records. I can honestly say that the only papers now in my filing cabinet are those few legal documents which must still be kept in original. For a sheed-feed paper-handling device, this is praise indeed. Every day for six years it has done its job faithfully, efficiently and without the slightest problem. The Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner is now the oldest piece of technology I own. It is perhaps the best gadget I have ever bought. I went digital overnight but I could never have done this without one gadget. I would henceforth strive to achieve a paperless life.
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