Apr 27 2007
Do you like to see print or feel print?
Why do we struggle with the idea of a paperless office?
I am not sure that I really know the answer to this.
In 1999 Watchtower had an interesting artcicle titled The Elusive Paperless Office. In it, they assert that “People don’t just want information at their fingertips. They want it on their fingertips. They want to be able to touch, fold and dog-ear; to fax, copy and refer to; scribble in the margins or post proudly on the refrigerator door. And, above all, they want to print outquickly, flawlessly and in vibrant color.”
Moreover, they say, “People are in love with paper. They want to feel it in their hands. we have seen people try to achieve the paperless office, but all the thousands of computers we see all have one thing in common: They’re all hooked up to at least one printer.”
Are they all really hooked up to at least one printer? Well, I am hooked up to a printer, but for all the documents I create and read (as much as 1,500 pages per month between the two) I only print about 15 pages a month. With the exeption of the books I read before I go to bed, the majority of my information is conveyed paperlessly (is that a word?).
Tell me your thoughts… why is the paperless office so elusive?
Corey Smith is the Vice President of Innovation at Fisher’s Document Systems where he maintains a blog on business and technology.