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Paper Document Management without Rubber Stamps

By: Michael Ross


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When documents are printed they are often done so without any branding or layer of protection. In a shared-printer environment, this is even more of a regular occurrence where they are left in printer trays for others to see, mistakenly take or read what they shouldn't be reading. Information workers, temporary employees, guests and others may be passing by the printer where the document(s) are easily seen.

The absence of a simple and straightforward method of document identification results in insecure and vulnerable information. In the event a document is misappropriated or misused, the consequences can be minor or catastrophic. Rubber stamps cannot fill this requirement and, because of their awkwardness, frequently inhibit use.

When documents are printed for any number of reasons, it is often without any form of label or identification to prevent misinterpretation or misunderstanding. This happens daily in thousands of companies on an all-to-frequent basis. Unfortunately, rubber stamps are the most common form of paper document management and compounding the problem is their use in the margins.

The most efficient method of dealing with paper and PDF document management is to identify and label the document at the time it is printed. In the case of a PDF, the document marking should be done at the time it is created from Word. This requires both a method that is easily implemented and a policy requiring the action. If the PDF is not labeled or identified when it is created from Word, it requires a manual use manipulation and a PDF editing program to mark or stamp the document. Moreover, if the user wants to mark only selected pages of the PDF, each must be done individually which can be a tedious and inefficient process.

If a paper document management program is to be successful, it must be able to mark a document in a manner that makes the document incapable of alteration. If The program should, likewise, be flexible to accommodate the marking of any combination of pages based on simple user input. Finally, it must be able to create most any type of marking the worker requires.

Preventing the misuse or misunderstanding of a document requires marking that cannot be removed. Marginal stamping of documents is ineffective for complete protection. This is the primary shortcoming of the rubber stamp which is too outdated for explanation. A good paper document marking program further requires a user-friendly interface that facilitates and promotes use.

Half-tone gray images (watermarks) are useful in small settings and where mishandling or misappropriation are low-risk. However, the security provided by this marking minimal given today's copier technology. Using shaded color offer additional protection but still doesn't prevent alteration or duplication and deletion of the marking.

Marking that cannot be removed from a printed document is the most secure form of protection. This is accomplished by embedding a outline of the stamps in such a manner as to not interfere with reading of the document. There is no way to cover or easily remove this type of indicia from a document.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

StampIt for Word is the method for automated document marking and is the answer for eliminating the use of rubber stamps for paper document management. StampIt combines the power of a word-processor with the clout of your printer. It's like having immediate, complete access to custom rubbe

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