Ever since I first discovered Evernote I knew that it was an amazing tool. I previously talked about trying to use Evernote to go paperless but was concerned about security. There was also an issue of trying to upload images of documents to Evernote without having to turn on my computer each time.  I was able to get around this by using an HP All-in-one and an Eye-fi card. The only problem with this is that all my digital documents had to be jpegs. I would prefer they be saved as PDFs.

It appears that Lexmark has developed a solution to my problem.

I see a new Lexmark All-in-one in my future.

For the past few months I have exploring the best way to go paperless. Currently, the biggest source of paper that is not recycled within a short period of time after receiving it is bills. I have always paid my bills and them file them away. Rarely, do I go back and reference these pieces of paper but I always like to have that option available. That is why I can not justify investing any significant amount of money in a paperless system. I already own a scanner and storage devices so I would like to use what I have.

The other obstacle I have come up against is the need to share information with my wife. She is competent on her computer skills but does not care to experiment with technology like I do. As most married men would say, my goal is to keep her happy without spending a lot of money. A task few men will probably ever master.

After reading a number of blog entries the Fujitsu ScanSnap is very well received by those that have ventured into the paperless world. It looks like a great product but I see no reason to purchase an additional scanner to fulfill my paperless desires.

I also came across software called 42 tags that seeks to assist those seeking a paperless world. One of the great features I like about this software is that the files are stored in a non-propriety format. I have seen many organizations reluctant to try new software due to legacy data issues. Therefore, I knew this was a must have feature in my paperless system. After trying this software I found that without an Optical Character Reader (OCR) and the inability to view pdfs within the software 42 tags just would not work for me.

I had seen Evernote mentioned on Lifehacker as a note-taking tool but not as a paperless solution. After viewing the Evernote informational video I knew this was something I need to try. The OCR feature is what first sold me. The ability to input and retrieve data via various devices are also great features. I also like the ability 'clip' information from web pages. In fact I have quit bookmarking pages and instead clip them to Evernote. I have found it much easier to find a page that I was looking for.

At this time, I have not taken the leap to move all my paper into Evernote. Security is my greatest concern. The premium version of Evernote provides security via SSL so I will have to give that a try. As I stated earlier, my journey into the paperless world is one that I am not taking alone. Therefore, the ability to easily share secure data will also be a concern.

I will post more as my travels into a paperless world continues.