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PDFelement Blog

The More you Know – Equations for Form Calculation

Creating a fillable spreadsheet or invoice? Want to make sure that the person filling in the document doesn’t mess up the calculations? This is a good opportunity to use the calculation tools in PDFelement! You can easily set the text fields to calculate the sum, product, average, maximum, and minimum values.    After months of seeing requests on the forum for the option to subtract and divide on forms, subtraction and division for form calculation has now been added to PDFelement Windows in version 6.8.0!  Hooray!    Understandably, since these are new functions, there has been some confusion surrounding them. So, here is a quick guide on how to utilize the different form calculation tools: 
  The Basics:  Sum, Product, Average, Maximum, Minimum    These calculation functions that have always been part of PDFelement. The process is relatively simple and similar:    Step 1: Create or edit your forms under the “Form” tab. Make sure that the “Form Edit” button has been selected.     Step 2: Once you have laid out your text fields and are ready to set the calculations, double click or right-click on the text field where you would like to display the total amount. This will bring up the “Properties” menu.    Step 3: Select the “Calculate” tab in the properties menu. Select the second option and pick your method of calculation from the drop-down menu.    Step 4: Select all the boxes on the form that contribute to that final text box. Click “OK” and close the Properties menu. Your commands have now been saved.        To test: Select the “Close Form Editing” icon and fill in your form.    Sum sample:      New Form Calculation Operations: Subtraction and Division    The steps for using subtr action and division are like those above. Once you go into the Properties menu, and go into the “Calculate” tab, choose the third option – “simplified field notation” – at the bottom and manually input the calculation formula.        Tips:   Use “-“ for subtraction and “/” for division   When making your own simplified field notation, make sure that the names of the text boxes match completely, including spacing and capitalization. Otherwise, the software won’t register the box.  Some odd symbols may pop up when you use division (such as the example below), but don’t worry about this. Just continue to type in your numbers and the final total will appear once all the text fields have been filled. 
 
  This is how you can set up calculations in PDFelement for Windows. Any questions or tutorial requests? Comment below!    We also have an online forum where you can get your PDFelement questions answered. See you there! 
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PDFelement Blog

The More You Know: Adding Hyperlinks to PDFs

At times it can be useful to add hyperlinks to your PDF document. You might want to direct readers to a specific page in your document, or a separate document altogether. We had a recent request in the forum asking how to use hyperlinks. So we thought we would create a quick tutorial to demonstrate this in today’s blog post. Let’s get started!
First, to access the hyperlink tool, go to the “Edit” tab > “Link.”  Then, to start the process, use your cursor to draw a box over the area you want to add a link to. If people hover their mouse in that area, they will now be able to click it and go to the link location.  There are three different link actions to choose from: go to page view, open file, or open web page.
 
Go to page view 
This option has previously been covered in a past blog post. People tend to use this feature to build a table of contents. But you can also use it for other scenarios, such as building a form or survey. You have the option to skip certain parts as well. Open File 
Once you’ve finished creating your link box using your mouse, make sure you select the correct “Open File” option in the drop-down menu to proceed. Click “Add” when you are done, and a pop-up window will appear where you can browse for the file. Aside from editing the file that you want to link to, you can also edit the appearance of the link box by opting to have the bounding box visible (link type). If you want the box to be visible, you can also adjust the line style, highlight style, line thickness, and color if you’d like. If you decide you’d rather have your users open the link as a web page, you can also edit that as well.
 
Note: if you choose to link to a file, you can only open a file on your own computer. If you send someone a hyperlink to open a file, but the file is not present on their computer, they will not be able to access it. 
 

Open Web Page 
Similar to the “Open File” option, you’ll need to draw a box with your mouse, and then select the “Open Web page” option from theright hand side, and then press “Add”.  To save, make sure that you’re done tweaking all the appearance options and de-select the “Link” button on the top ribbon.  There you have it! This is how you set up hyperlinks in PDFelement. This tutorial was demonstrated on Mac, but the functions are similar – if not identical – on Windows. For example, on Windows, the actions appear on a pop-up window as opposed to a drop-down menu.  Any questions or tutorial requests? Let us know in the comments below!  We also have an online forum where you can get your PDFelement questions answered. See you there! 
 
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PDFelement Blog

The Top 5 Benefits of OCR

Ditch that paper! With the digitization of paper-based records, not only have we been able to save a ton of trees, but we’ve also been able to increase efficiency in a big way. Digital records are now transferable, sortable, searchable, and more easily archived. However, with a lot of benefits to digitization also come some challenges. Luckily, these challenges can be overcome with a handy tool called OCR.

As you might be aware, OCR refers to Optical Character Recognition. This is a technology used to recognize text within digital or scanned documents and photos. You can use this tool to convert virtually any type of image that includes text into an editable text document, even if the text is in handwriting. PDFelement, among many other programs, supports this tool.

It’s probably obvious that this technology brings many benefits. Read on to discover the top 5 below: 

1. Easy Editing
Ever wanted to make changes to an old document you worked on but only have the hard copy available? Maybe you want to copy the formatting of an old form you filled out or created, but again don’t have a digital copy to work off of.  The OCR tool is a lifesaver because you can use it to scan and digitize old documents so that you can easily edit them in a word processor or other type of suitable program, rather than having to type the all of the content outagain by hand. This saves a ton of time and manuallabor, and is obviously a major benefit. 2.Stress-free searching
After you use OCR to detect the text in your scanned document, you can save your file in a format such as .doc,.txt, .pdf and more. You can view and edit these file types in programs like Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, PDFelement, and more. All of these programs contain an internal searching function that lets you easily search for a certain word or phrase by simply pressing Ctrl+F in Windows or Command+F in Mac. Again, this saves so much time, since you don’t have to manually scroll through the entire document and scan every line to find the section you’re looking for, which can betime consuming if it’s a lengthy document. 3.Convenient Storage Options
Get rid of those filings cabinets! When you digitize documents, you save physical storage space which frees up space in the office for more productive uses, like fitting in more desks and employees, or creating leisure spaces for open seating areas, foosball tables, TVs, you name it!  You also reduce the need forpaper, and paper storage.  4.Accessibility for Everyone
Once you scan and convert your document using OCR, you can make it available to many other users. Essentially, it will be available to anyone who has access to the database you’ve uploaded it to. This can be beneficial since it allows you to give customers access to these digitalfiles, so that they can easily view and review past records such as past payment receipts, purchase history, credit history, etc. and more. Plus, by uploading them to databases like Archive.org you can make these files publicly accessible by anyone around the globe. 5.Top-notch translation tools
These days, OCR supports a huge number of languages. English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Indian, you name it. You scan a document in one language, digitized it, and translate it into almost any other language. This also saves time and resources, since you no longer need human translators to manually go through printed documents. This also helps your office productivity, since the turnaround time for projects is muchquicker when you don’t have to wait on translators to get your translated content back to you. Do you have any other benefits to OCR that you think should be mentioned? Let us know in the comments below!
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The Top 5 Tech Gadgets to Add to your Holiday Wish List in 2018

It’s December and you know what that means – Christmas is just around the corner! It’s about time you start working on a wish list, and we’ve got the perfect suggestions for on-the-go business professionals! 

Are you a gadget-lover? Looking for the latest in tech items to bring more life into the office? Why not check out some of the hottest new tech gadgets from 2018. Let’s get started!  1. Mr. Coffee Smart Optimal Brew
If you are a coffee addict like I am, you will fully appreciate the convenience of this WiFi coffee machine! Even before you step foot in the office, you can start the brewing process by using the WeMo App through your phone or mobile device. This means there will be a fresh pot of coffee ready and waiting for you as soon as you arrive. Is there anything better than that? You can also remotely adjust the timer or set up reminders, and the brewing process is faster due to Optimal Brew Technology. Plus, there is a specific setting for grabbing a quick cup while the pot is still brewing – Grab-A-Cup Auto Pause, making for the ultimateconvenience. Be sure to put this on your list if coffee is what gets you through the work day! 2. TrekDesk Walking & Standing Desk for Treadmill 
Finding it hard to fit an exercise routine into your busy work schedule? This standing deskwork station attaches to a treadmill, letting you take care of getting your muscles moving WHILE working. After all, the American Heart Association has recently suggested that sitting all day at your desk puts you at much higher risk of suffering from heart disease or stroke. Yikes! Luckily, this device attaches to almost any type of treadmill, and includes a manuscript holder, three-level file folder, and a telephone/headset stand. It also includes cup holders and can adjust to a variety of heights and weights. Get healthy in 2019 and add this item to your list! 3. Ipevo IW2 Wireless Interactive Whiteboard System
Do you work remotely, or with coworkers from other offices across the globe? Sometimes, technology can get in the way, with meetings being held up due to technical issues or glitches. However, this cloud-based technology makes it much easier. The Ipevo Wireless Whiteboard lets you turn an existing whiteboard into a massive interactive whiteboard screen that lets you collaborate easily with others during brainstorming meetings or training sessions.This is a must-have item if collaboration is a big part of your job, so add it to the list!  4. WiFi Scanner Wand: Portable Document and Photo Scanner
As we at PDFelement know, working with scanned PDF files has become increasingly common for many in the business world. So, why not invest in an item that will make scanning a file even more effortless? That’s where the WiFi Scanner Wand comes in. It automatically scans a file to JPEG or PDF format, and can connect to any WiFi enabled device to download the file wirelessly. It also enables you to store your image files on a MicroSD card if you’d like. Add this to the list for the ultimate scanning convenience. While you’re at it, throw PDFelement on the list as well! 5. PNY 512GB Elite MicroSD card
Speaking of storing files on a MicroSD card, why not check out the PNY 512GB Elite MicroSD card. This card has a rated reading speed of up to 90MBps and can store over 80 hours of full HD video content and up to 100,000 pictures. It is compatible with smartphones, tablets, cameras, drones, and more. It comes with a lifetime warranty and an adapter so that it can be used
 on DSLR and MIL cameras. If you want to dramatically increase storage space on your smartphone, this is the right gadget for you. And there you have our top 5 picks for must-have tech gadgets in 2018! We’d love to know your top picks as well! Let us know in the comments below.
 
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The More You Know: Redaction

There have been many exciting changes to our PDFelement Community, and I’d like to take this moment to point you in the direction of our monthly Tutorial Request Thread! There’s been a lot of feedback regarding the need for additional tutorials and explanations for PDFelement features, so I thought I’d give you a chance to tell me what tutorials you want to see in the future!    This week’s tutorial will be on the topic of redaction. I’ve received a few different questions about the redaction tool in the forum over the past few weeks.    For those of you who’ve never used this feature before, the redaction tool removes or hides information in a document, usually in the form of blacking sections out; the black bars notify the reader that the text or image contains sensitive information. This way, information can be selectively disclosed, and sensitive parts of the file remain secret. For example, in the United States, court records are made public, so lawyers often go over the transcripts after the trial to redact personal information.    Of course, this feature isn’t limited to corporate use, and personal users can utilize redaction to protect their own sensitive information as well!    Mac:    Step 1: Locate the redaction tool under “Protect” -> “Redact”. You can change the color of redaction on the righthand side. While selecting colors, you’ll be able to see a sample of what the results will look like.         Step 2: Highlight the sections that you would like to redact. If you are performing redaction on a document with words, the program will likely detect it and highlight the words (refer to the image below). Otherwise, you can use the pointer to select the area that you would like to black out.        Step 3: You can mark all the sections you would like to redact in the document before pressing “Apply Redactions”. It’s important to note that this is a non-reversible procedure.        Step 4: Ta-da! You will end up with a blacked out (or other colored out) redaction on all the information that you would like hidden.      Switching colors    Many people have been asking for a specific whiteout tool, but little do they know, this is it! You can switch the color of your redaction to suit your needs, including making it white.    Step 1: Click on the eye dropper  Step 2: A “+” sign will appear on the colored circle closest to the right. Click on this for the palette to appear.      Step 3: Once you select the color you would like to switch to, the last circle will become that color, appear under “fill color”, and it will show up on the sample section.      Windows:    On Windows, the procedure is roughly the same: you mark the areas that you would like to redact, then you apply your redaction permanently by selecting “Apply”, which is a separate button.        On both versions, you can utilize the sticky note feature to make a note regarding the reason for redaction. You can access this through the menu that pops up when you right-click.            To change the color of the redaction on Windows, bring up the “Properties” menu via right-click.        A bonus feature for redaction on the Windows software is the ability to search for certain words and redact them all at once. This can be handy when you have a large document and you’re trying to cover all instances of a specific name or phone number. To access this, select the “Search & Redact” function on the ribbon under “Protect”.      Type in the word that you would like to redact throughout the document, and all instances of it will be highlighted.           And there you have it. That’s my quick and easy guide on how to use the PDFelement redaction tool to secure your information and files.    Is there another feature that you would like to see a tutorial on? Feel free to request it in our forum, or in the comments below! Plus, if you have any questions, feel free to comment below as well.    By Rebecca Chen, Community Manager at PDFelement  
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The More You Know: Setting Tab Order

Today, we will be walking you through the steps for setting the tab order on your forms on PDFelement! I find that I’m filling out more forms digitally than I used to, and some of them get quite lengthy. While my Mac’s track pad is quite easy to use and more sensitive than the one my other laptop had, it’s still nice to restrict all my movement to keyboard shortcuts and prompts when I’m filling in these forms. I really appreciate a form with a tab order that makes sense and takes me through the fields chronologically and naturally. I want to feel that the tab order is taking me through the form in the way that I would go about it if I were filling in the form manually.    Mac After you’ve completely put in all your form fields, and placed them where you want them to appear, you can select “Show Tab Numbers” on the right-hand side. Or, right click to select the option from a drop down menu.  You should see purple boxes with numbers in them appear in the top left corner of each form field. This indicates the current order that the user will be tabbing in. The numbers are assigned in the order that you created the fields in.  To change this order, simply begin clicking on the boxes in the order that you would like them to be tabbed in. You will find that the boxes will change into their new order numbers as you are click the next box in the sequence, so don’t panic if they aren’t changing right when you click! Once you reach the last box on the page, there will be a pop-up asking whether you’ve completed the action of setting the tab order. Click “Yes” to confirm and “No” to continue editing.    Windows  The process of setting up the tab order is similar in the Windows version of PDFelement. I will briefly summarize the steps and bring up the points where it differs:  1) To bring up the menu to set tab order, you must right click on any form field to select “Set Tab Order”. The purple boxes will appear in the same place. The sequence will be set by the order in which the fields were created in.  2) Once you have clicked on all the boxes to assign the order that you want and are satisfied, click “Yes” to confirm and the purple boxes will disappear.    Tips:  Tab orders are set by page. This means that the first field of each page will begin at 1. However, this will not affect the user’s workflow, as the last box on page one will tab into the first box on page 2 and so on.  Although you are setting the tab order by page instead of by document, save this task for the very end when you have input all the necessary fields, as you need to start at “1” to set the order on each page.  The confirmation pop-up will appear after you click the last unclicked box each time you complete a page. Make sure to click the last box, even though at this point, the number will be what you want. Otherwise, you won’t be able to save your work. If you are done editing the tabbing sequence for the time being and would like to hide the purple numbers, simply: a. Mac: Click on another field editing option (such as form field recognition) to let the program know that you would like to exit “Show Tab Numbers”.  b. Windows: Right click again and de-select the option to “Set Tab Order”.  There you have it. This is how you set up tab order in PDFelement. Any questions or tutorial requests? Comment below! We also have an online forum where you can get your PDFelement questions answered. Check it out! 
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The More you Know: Setting up Form Responses for your users

The ability to build forms that are interactive and intuitive is highly beneficial for the end users. Have you ever built a form and wanted to tweak the way the answers will show up? For instance, you might want to set the font size, font color, and more. In today’s post, we’ll talk about how to set up your form so that the responses look nice and organized.    To access the properties and edit them, either double click on the form field box while in editing mode, or simply right click. Below is a list of the properties that you are able to change.    Appearance:    Borders and colors  The box surrounding the text can be colored if you’d like; this is completely up to you. If you decide to go with a border, you can select the thickness of the line and its style as well.    Text:  You can change the default size, color, and font of the responses.      Options:    Alignment: Left, Right, Centre    Assign a default value  This is useful if there is an answer that you think is common or a prompt that you want to give users.    How the response displays in the text boxes:  -Scroll long text: The text you input will continue on one line    Multi-line: If you enter a long answer (eg. Paragraph), the text will break into multiple lines and fill the length of the box. However, you will not be able to scroll through the answer.    If you have a lot of text, you can select both “Scroll long text” and “multi-line” so that you can scroll through the multiple lines that are hidden from view.      Limit of x amount of characters  Choose this option if you don’t want the answers to be too long; however, it will not be specified on the form.    Actions  You can refer back to an old blog post we wrote on the topic of mouse triggers to learn more.    Format      If applicable, you can set it so that the values that the user enters are numbers, percentages, dates, or times. There is also an option to select special formats: Zip Code, Phone Number, Social Security Number, and Arbitrary Mask. It’s important to note that you can’t select “Special” if you have “Multi-line” checked.    Calculations  You can also learn more about this topic in a previous post.    Pro-tip: Always remember to press “Close” to save!      There you have it! This is how you set up form responses in PDFelement for Mac. The functions in the Windows version of the software are similar, so if you have any questions or tutorial requests, let us know in the comments below!    We also have an online forum where you can get your PDFelement questions answered. Hope to see you there!   
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The Benefit of Small Work Teams

Have you ever been part of a meeting with a large group of people? Then it’s likely you’re familiar with wasting a lot of time discussing irrelevant issues when you could have been talking about more important matters. Often these meetings are not the most productive. 

This is a prime example of how working in smaller groups can be more productive. When trying to brainstorm or perform a task as part of a large group, there are so many distractions or conflicting viewpoints that you just get stuck in one place and it’s hard to move forward. 

Here are just a few of the reasons why working in a smaller team can be beneficial for productivity. 

The Ringelmann Effect
According to the Ringelmann Effect, as the group’s size increases, the individual members of the team start to become less and less productive. This makes sense because as the number of members increases, the “bikeshedding” effect, which is wasting time on trivial details and ignoring important matters, increases as well. This leads to more irrelevant discussions, more chaos, more distractions, and more corporate politics. Obviously, this has a negative effect on productivity. 

Lack of Contribution and Recognition
As the size of the group increases, it becomes difficult to identify the progress and contributions of each member of the team. The team members might not work as hard when they don’t feel like they’re being recognized.  They may start to feel complacent and tell themselves “other people are contributing to this work, so I don’t need to do as much.” 
This results in lower quality work since members don’t feel like they need to put as much effort in.

Less Social Distraction
We are all aware of the gossip and conversations that go on in an office environment with many coworkers. And don’t get me wrong – this can actually be great for morale since it establishes a friendly and collaborative work culture. But sometimes it can be a bit too distracting. That’s why branching off into a smaller team with fewer distractions socially can be beneficial when it comes to brainstorming new ideas or focusing on the task at hand. 

This lets you step away from the conversation when you need to, only communicating with the small number of coworkers you need to. 

Clarity
A small team will have more clarity when it comes to long-term vision and goals than a large team. In a smaller group, it's easier for everyone to be on the same page. They will be aware of the circumstances, the successes, the failures, and the expectations. However, this may not be the case with a larger team.

Less Administration and Micro-management 
Since you need to recruit, hire, and train fewer people in a small group, you can spend more time on critical work and less time on administrating the group. This will not only help you achieve your goals faster but will also save you time and give employees more autonomy. 

Those are just a few of the benefits of small work teams. Have anything to add? Let us know in the comments!       
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The More You Know: Creating a Table of Contents

Imagine this: You have a long report. We’re talking hundreds of pages long. Do you want to have to scroll all the way down to chapter 30 manually? Or would you prefer an interactive table of contents that links you directly to different sections of the document in just one click? In this week’s PDFelement tutorial, we’ll go over how to create a table of contents for your PDF files, whether it be a portfolio or e-book!  
  First, you’ll need a table of contents page. If you don’t already have one, you can create one in PDFelement under File -> New -> Blank. You can type up your content and adjust the formatting. Make sure to include page numbers that correspond to the pages in your document. 
  Personally, I find it easier and quicker to create my table of contents in Microsoft Word and then export the file as a PDF. I find that Word has a wide variety of formatting tools more suited to creating a nicely aligned table of contents. There are also templates available to make the whole process go by even more quickly! 
  Once you are finished with your table of contents, open the PDF file in which you would like to include your table of contents. 
  Head over to the “page” menu. Add the table of contents page that you just created by selecting “Insert."
 
  Choose the option “From PDF” from the drop-down menu. 
    Next, you’ll need to link the page numbers to their target pages. Under the “edit” menu, select the “link” tool. Draw a box around the page number. A pop-up should appear once you finish your box. Make sure to choose “go to a page view.” 
      Hit “set link”. Then, scroll to the page that the link should lead to and click “confirm”. Use the same method to link the rest of the page numbers. 
      And that’s it. This is how you set up your interactive table of contents in PDFelement! Note that this tutorial was shown through the Mac version of the software, but the Windows version has the same steps for creating a table of contents. 
  Any questions or tutorial requests? Comment below! We also have an online forum where you can get your PDFelement questions answered. See you there! 
   
 
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A Look Back at SpiceWorld 2018

Last week, the PDFelement team exhibited at SpiceWorld 2018 in Austin, Texas. The event may be over, but we’ve still got some great highlights for you in case you couldn’t make it! If you consider yourself a techie, it’s likely you’ll know about SpiceWorld. The annual conference, put on by Spiceworks, is aimed towards IT pros and tech vendors. Attendees can access everything from hands-on sessions and tutorials to networking opportunities, contests, games, and more. Most IT Pros consider it a “must” to attend.  All of us at PDFelement certainly had a blast! But if you weren’t able to attend this year, it doesn’t mean you missed out on all the fun! We’ve compiled some of the best highlights from our time at SpiceWorld 2018 so readers can get the full experience of our 3 jam-packed days in Austin. Without further ado, here are some of our top highlights: Unveiling IT Robin Hood
We went all out this year with our booth theme! PDFelement’s mission is to come to the rescue by cutting costs and empowering our users with the most affordable PDF editing tool on both Windows and Mac, so it only makes sense that we would get decked out in our finest Robin Hood costumes to get our message across and save the day as IT Robin Hood! We had a great time exhibiting at the event and showing off all the ways PDFelement can help you become the IT hero of your organization.  Catching Up with Clients
One of the most exciting aspects of the event for us was meeting so many of our clients face to face! It couldn't be more rewarding to discover that our product is making people happy. We loved the chance to meet so many of you and find out how PDFelement has helped make your life a little easier. Our LEGO Technic Bugatti Chiron Giveaway
Our giveaway this year was a LEGO® Technic Bugatti Chiron. This exclusive model was developed in partnership with Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. It’s aerodynamic body, spoked rims, moveable gearshift and logoed steering wheel make it the epitome of the ideal sports car model. Plus, the classic Bugatti blue color scheme matches PDFelement perfectly! Congratulations to Sarah, who was the lucky winner!  Hearing Frank Abagnale Speak
Of course there were many fantastic exhibits, sessions, and speakers at SpiceWorld this year, but our top pick had to be seeing Frank Abagnale speak. For those who don’t know, Frank Abagnale was the inspiration for the popular film Catch Me if You Can. There were many things to learn from Abagnale as he regaled us with tales of his brief criminal career as a former con artist, and his thoughts on the future of cybersecurity. It was truly fascinating to listen to.
Scoring big at the Galaga Arcade Machine 
PDFelement was proud to achieve the high score on the vintage Galaga Arcade Machine! Seeing our name at the top of that list really put the cherry on top of a great few days at SpiceWorld! 
Austin’s Notorious Food Scene 
Of course, we couldn’t go to Austin without sampling the food. It’s impossible to be situated in Texas and not eat barbecue, so that's exactly what we did. We braved the line at Franklin Barbecue, which was a true meat lover’s delight, as you can probably tell from the pictures.  
We also wanted to add some Mexican cuisine into the mix! We tried out Polvo’s Mexican Restaurant, famous for their salsa bar, drinks, and authentic Mexican cuisine, and Torchy’s Tacos, where we spiced things up with delicious and unique tacos that truly had our mouths watering. These dining experiences certainly made our trip all the more memorable! As you can see, we had a truly fantastic and memorable experience at SpiceWorld 2018! Did you attend? Let us know your favourite moments in the comments below! 
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The Best Tools to Kick-Start Your Business in 2019

With a new year comes a new start, and with 2019 fast approaching, many of you entrepreneurs out there might be thinking that it’s the perfect time to kick-start your own business. Well, you aren’t wrong. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the 25 best tech tools to get you started!

One of the most significant challenges you face as an entrepreneur is staying on top of the many tasks and priorities it takes to run a business. Whether it’s responding to emails, organizing projects, or networking to get your name out there, there are so many things that can distract you and make you less productive.

Here’s a list of tools and resources that are relied on by many entrepreneurs in today’s market. Plus, many of these tools are free! Take a read through our list and find the perfect tool for you!

1. Trello
Trello is a tool that will help you organize projects. It’s a free management tool that gives you a board on which you can create a list with cards. 

2. Google Docs
Google Docs is a vital tool if you are working on a document with multiple different contributors. With this tool, everyone on your team can add or remove text, add comments for others to see, proofread content, and more.

3. Dropbox
This tool is amazing for storage and backups. It is also accessible on almost every device; letting you access your files from anywhere you want.

4. Asana
This tool helps with project management and is a popular group collaboration tool. You can easily make changes and get notified on task updates, which is especially helpful if you are working as a team. It is very easy to use, and quite visually appealing as well. 

5. Slack
This instant messaging app is used by businesses as a communication tool for teams and entrepreneurs. You can start a new project, initiate the hiring process, review a sale contract and even finalize your budget for next year using this tool. 

6. Boomerang
Boomerang helps you archive your emails and get them back in your inbox whenever you want. It also allows you to save a draft for later use and lets you set email reminders as well.

7. Voila Norbert
This tool helps you find an email address even when it is not mentioned on a website or document. This app even allows you to search in bulk using your CSV file.

8. Sidekick
Sidekick is another brilliant tool that is crucial for your business. It helps in letting you know whether the email you’ve sent has been opened or not. 

9. 99 designs
This tool is perfect for starting your business as it helps you to find the perfect logo or landing page for your company. Since design is the secret to great business, 99 designs is a very worthwhile resource. 

10. Canva
This is an online graphic design platform that helps you create anything from book covers to infographics. 

11. Fiverr
Fiverr is an effective marketplace where you can access anything you need for your business at a cheap rate starting from content writers, translators, graphic designers, business cards and anything else that you may need for business. 

12. Clarity.FM
This tool helps you seek advice from experts. You can choose by name or by expertise, depending on what type of advice you need.

13. Typeform
This service helps you to create awesome surveys. You can even use online forms to get feedback from listeners, customers and readers. 

14. Due.com
Due.com helps in providing seamless payment solutions for your business. With this website you can keep track of all your payments in one place. 

15. Evernote
Evernote is the easy way to help keep your business ideas and notes together. This app is designed for taking notes, creating lists, and organizing or archiving your ideas.

16. Pic Monkey
Pic Monkey is an ideal photo editing and graphic designing tool through which you can edit your pictures and design your own templates as well.

17. LastPass
This is a password managing app. It helps you store passwords for easy access and share your passwords with team members conveniently as well.

18. MailChimp
MailChimp is a marketing platform for small businesses and also serves as an email marketing service. It helps you create and send out free corporate newsletters to up to 2000 subscribers.

19. Teachable
This tool is the perfect platform to host your webinars and digital training seminars. It helps in creating and selling your online courses to over 4 million students all over the world.

20. Screencast O-Matic
This is a free software that helps to capture screens for online courses. It also records videos. You can use this software to record on-screen activities for short tutorials, presentations, and more.

21. Zapier
This tool lets you manage all your apps in one single integrated space. 

22. Stripe
This is an online payment processing tool for online businesses. It provides easy automation for web pages so you can focus on the work that’s most important.
23. PayPal for Business
If you are looking for a complete payment solution for your business, PayPal for business is a great solution. It allows you to accept payments through your website, in person and also with online invoicing. 

24. Confluence
This is another very popular project management tool that helps you combine all your resources and work in one convenient location. It acts as aone stop shop for team brainstorming and collaboration.

25. Wave Accounting
Wave Accounting is a cloud-based accounting, invoicing, and payment system for freelancers and people running their own businesses. It is a great resource for managing your accounting needs. 

And there you have it – our top 25! Of course, it goes without saying that PDFelement is also a great tool for entrepreneurs. The all-in-one PDF solution allows you to create, edit, and secure PDF’s quickly and easily, as well as convert them into other formats, or vice versa, making dealing with your documents a breeze.

Have any other useful tools that you think should be added to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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The Top 5 Uses of PDF Tools for Students

As part of our Back to School promotion running until September 14th, we are highlighting the ways that PDF software can be useful when it comes to your education. This week, we outline the top 5 uses of PDF editors for students! 
  It's that time of year again - time to get ready to head back into the classroom and start another semester of assignments. Ever tried completing an assignment in PDF format or signing a PDF application form electronically? If so, you’re likely aware that editing a pdf can be difficult without the right software.    We all know that students barely have enough time as it is, and the little time they do have should not be wasted trying to figure out how to edit a PDF.  With a decent pdf editing tool, you don’t have to go through the hassle of having to print a form, complete it by hand and scan it back onto your device before sending it back.  Here are the top five ways pdf editing tools can make your life easier as a student: 
  1. For collaborating on group projects 
  Pdf editors allow you to create pdfs from scratch, scanned hard copies, or convert digital documents. Top pdf editors also include OCR technology that allows you to edit scanned text, and they let you easily transfer PDFs from your device to other devices and vice versa. This means you can fill out your assignment in pdf on your desktop at home, et view it just as easily on your smartphone. Plus, you can easily collaborate with your classmates as well, by using annotation markup tools such as highlighting, commenting, and more. This way each member can participate in the review process for a group project.   
  2. For converting files to different formats
  A good pdf editing tool allows you to export pdfs into other editable formats like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, HTML, or plain text, maintaining the original files hyperlinks, images, and other elements, while preserving the original formatting. You can also convert other file formats to PDF effortlessly, still retaining the same formatting and look as the original. Perhaps you did a class presentation in PowerPoint, but want to preserve the slides later in PDF format. This is easy to do with tools like PDFelement. 
3. For the ability to compress assignments and share them easily    Most pdf editors allow you to compress and reduce large pdf files to optimum sizes so that they can be easily stored and shared in smaller capacity without compromising their quality. This can come handy when you want to send assignments to professors via emails or when you need to upload a large Dropbox file for your group project.      4. For reading e-books and online content 
  Most pdf editing tools come with relevant layouts and settings that offer you advanced reading experience with smooth scrolling and fast search. If any of your textbooks are online, or if you need to view online PDF content, you can do so easily with tools like PDFelement. 
  5. For form filling  With PDFelement, you can create or edit PDF forms easily, either from scratch, from a template, or by converting a Word doc to a PDF form using automatic form field recognition. This is really helpful if you need to complete an application form such as a student loan request, request to get entry into a campus club, or request to get entry into a program. Plus, with digital signatures, you can electronically sign the form and it will be legally binding. 
   
We hope PDFelement will help make your school year a little easier! If you have any other tips for students, let us know in the comments below! And remember to check out our Back to School promotion and discover how you can save big!
   
 
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The More You Know: Adding Stamps to PDFs

In this week’s tutorial post, we’ll discuss how to add stamps to PDFs using PDFelement for easier reviewing, collaboration, and teamwork.    Stamps are a great collaboration tool, no matter how you use them. Whether you want to let your team know when their drafts have been approved, or show them where to sign on a document, you can clear up a lot of miscommunication through the use of stamps as an annotation tool.    PDFelement offers a wide range of default stamps for users. You can access these by navigating to the “Comment” tab and selecting “Stamps.” This will display a drop-down menu of different stamp options.        Once you click on the stamp you would like to use, you will be able to place  it anywhere on your document.  You will also be able to change the sizing to suit your needs. However, it’s important to note that there are some properties you can can’t change, such as color.       But what about custom stamps?    In some circumstances, you might want to create your own stamp, whether it’s a fancy seal of approval or just a stamp that doesn’t come with default settings.    To do this, head over to the “Comment” tab and click on “Create Stamp > Create Custom Stamp.”        Your custom stamp will need to be an image file. You can’t directly type text to create a stamp.        Once you create your stamp, it will show up under “custom” for easy access in the future.        You can also later manage your stamps to edit or delete previous custom stamps you created.         Here is an example of a custom stamp I created, which I named “Approved.” Here, I’m able to Create a new stamp, edit the current one, or delete it. In this scenario, “Edit” just means swapping out the photo. The name remains the same.      There you have it! This is how you work with stamps in PDFelement for Windows. Any questions or tutorial requests? Let me know in the comments below!    We also have an online forum where you can get your PDFelement questions answered. Hope to see you there! 
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Top 5 Mobile PDF Scanning Solutions

Sometimes, keeping track of receipts, bank checks, forms, bills, and other documents can be a hassle. However, with the advent of mobile PDF scanner apps, it became a lot easier to turn your paper documents into digital files that can be accessed from any device and archived much more easily. 

With the right mobile app on your smartphone, you won’t need to worry about having access to a document scanner, since you’ll always have one in your pocket. Whether you’re an Android or iOS user, there are many applications that allow you to scan on-the-go. 

We’ll walk you through our top picks for the best mobile PDF scanning solutions you can find on the market:

1. Adobe Scan (Available for Android and iOS)
Adobe Scan is an easy-to-use app that allows you to use your phone to snap, and scan physical documents into PDFs with editable text for free. The app comes with inbuilt OCR, and image editing features to improve the quality of scans if needed. Users are also able to store and share scanned documents via email or back them up to Adobe Document Cloud. You can also sign up for a monthly package that allows you to combine files, rearrange documents, and fill and sign forms. 

2. Scanbot (Available for Android and iOS)
Scanbot is one of the most popular free scanning apps among smartphone users. The app offers a unique three-in-one package – document scanning, QR and barcode scanning, and faxing capabilities. It allows you to scan almost anything from documents and notes to whiteboards and business cards. When you scan a document, Scanbot adjusts many settings to capture the document perfectly, crop the document, straighten it and apply the filter. You can save scans either in PDF or JPG format and connect with cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, OneNote, iCloud and many others. By subscribing to the paid version for just $7.99, you get additional benefits like optical character recognition (OCR), extended storage options, PDF passwordsand text search.

3. CamScanner (Available for Android, iOS and Windows phone)
CamScanner is another top mobile document scanner app that is packed with many awesome features. It allows you to capture your receipts, books, notes, business cards, whiteboardsand other documents. The app uses OCR to extract text from your scans. Users also have access to features like smart cropping, automatic enhancement functions, advanced editing for annotations and sharing options (via email or social media as a PDF or JPEG file) for free. Another great feature is the passcode protection that allows you to protect the app and your documents from being accessed by strangers. You can subscribe to the paid version for just $4.99 to unlock premium feature like collaboration ability, multiple page collages and automatic uploads to Google Drive and Evernote.

4. Office Lens (Available for Android, iOS and Windows phone)
Office Lens from Microsoft was named one of the best apps of 2015 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico by Google Play. It is the simplest document scanning app there is. It allows you to scan receipts, notes, business cards, whiteboards, blackboardsand other documents. The app has an inbuilt OCR function that recognizes handwritten or printed text and allows you to search, copy or edit text easily. Office Lens offers a Document Mode with trimming and colour adjustments functions. The Whiteboard Mode also trims and adjusts glare as needed. Users have the options of converting scanned documents to Word, PowerPoint or PDF files. You can also save scans to OneNote or OneDrive.

5. Genius Scan (Available for Android, and iOS)
Genius Scan is another excellent scanner app for Android and iOS users. It allows you to scan a wide range of documents, convert scans to a multiple-page pdf or JPEG and share via email. The app uses a smart page detection feature to correct perspectives and enhance scans for you. The bulk scanning function allows you to scan lengthy documents with many pages. It also boasts other impressive features such as batch importing of photos, password protection, document organizationand an easy-to-use search function. You can integrate the app with cloud services like Dropbox, Evernote, and Box by upgrading to the paid version of the app called Genius Scan+ for $4.99 for Android) and $7.99 for iOS. 

Other top mobile PDF scanning apps you may consider are:  Dropbox (Available for iOS) Evernote Scannable (Available for iOS) TurboScan (Available for Android and iOS) Scanner Pro (Available for iOS) Tiny Scanner (Available for Android and iOS) And of course, PDFelement  Have any other suggestions for great PDF scanner apps? Let us know in the comments below!
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5 Online Document Management Tips

Sometimes it’s a challenge to stay on top of emails, tasks, and documents. But with an effective online document management system, and the help of programs like PDFelement, you can make sure they don’t get on top of you! 

Since the introduction of document management systems, technology has drastically evolved. Company intranets today allow you to upload documents without a problem while also providing you a platform for project management and conversation. As a result, the intranet is the ideal place for online document management. Plus, with programs like PDFelement to help you edit and organize your documents, as well as convert them into a universal format like PDF, your life is made even easier! When using an online document management system, make sure to keep the following tips in mind:

1. Plan how to implement it
Each time a new software is introduced to your team, you should carefully plan the implementation process. Keep in mind that some people will learn the system more slowly than others. There is also a high chance that you will face resistance to the change in technology from certain members of staff. It’s recommended to come up with a strategy that accounts for challenges you might face, provides enough training, and encourages user adoption too. With the help of a social intranet software for managing documents, the implementation process can be streamlined. 
2. Encourage Collaboration
Many professionals prefer to work solo, and this won’t change until someone actively encourages them to collaborate. So, while your team might consist of extremely talented and creative staff, the team won’t be able to reach its complete potential without collaboration. Collaboration is only possible when you encourage it through an easy-to-use online system that everyone feels comfortable using. Once this happens, work will flow a lot more smoothly. 
3. Use it for communication
Communication is a crucial part of any project. In most cases, issues come up due to a lack of communication among the stakeholders of the project. Businesses today provide access to multi-channel communication platforms to all employees. So, team communication, as well as document management, must be integrated to get the best results. When you start using an online document management system as a central hub, users will automatically start to communicate without emails or external applications. 
4. Assign someone as an administrator
An effective online document management system is one in which documents and files are uploaded regularly. However, with this constant influx of files, there can be confusion and duplication. It’s easy to lose track of things. However, with a dedicated administrator, it’s a lot easier to manage the flow of traffic in the system. By hiring an expert, you can administer the social community and keep track of your document management system as well. The administrator can also answer questions that staff may have. 
5. Define access rights
Not everyone needs complete access to all the files and documents in your online document management system. So, with proper access levels, you can avoid confusion while also safeguarding certain documents. While some documents might need editing, others will be complete when they are ready for upload. So, these must be listed as read-only. Plus, setting permissions can make sure that there are no changes made to documents that you think are complete.
Through the help of programs like PDFelement and other Online Document Management systems, you work can be made much more enjoyable! Have any other Online Document Management tips? Let us know in the comments below!
         
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How E-Signatures Increase the Efficiency of Banking

Digital banking methods are now used by millions of people globally, due to its convenience and saved time. E-signatures are a big part of why digital banking works so well. Read on to discover why! 
  E-signature, as defined by the US Federal ESIGN Act, is an "electronic signature, which can be an electronic sound, symbol, or even process, associated with a contract or any other record and adopted or executed by a person with the intention of signing the record.”  Digital banking plays a vital role in today’s fast-paced world because it offers easy and convenient access to all of your banking needs. E-signature technology provides a secure yet convenient way for clients to sign legally-binding documents and send them back in seconds without wasting time, paper, or money. E-signature can increase the efficiency of online banking in the following ways: 
  • Saves Costs 
  It has been reported by Bank Systems & Technology magazine that banks spend millions annually to correct, retype, rework, and authenticate signatures on their business documents. With e-signatures, financial institutions have eliminated almost every type of error related to client signatures. Also, e-signatures accelerate the workflow as they can be incorporated easily in the automated document process, thus saving time, cost, and manpower. 
  E-signatures have also cut down the costs of large manual processing, data typing, and paper storage by getting rid of heavy paper documentation. All data is now digitally stored in e-signature cards, occupying minimum space on the bank server. This makes data retrieval secure and efficient. All overheads associated with creating, managing, storing, and retrieving the paper signed documents are eliminated. 
  • Saves Time 
  E-signatures increase banking efficiency by cutting down the document workflow from weeks to minutes. Using web and mobile browsers that are specially encrypted by the bank or financial institution, you can process documents very quickly without compromising their security or compliance standards. Documentation and forms that used to take up to 10 days to be processed, can now be processed within 24 to 48 hours with e-signatures. That’s quite a difference.    • Expands Reach 
  E-signature technology offers multiple ways of gathering signatures, like click-to-sign or scripted signatures drawn on mobile screens, without the cost of opening and staffing new branches globally, or spending money on extra resources. 
  • Improves Customer Experience with Speed and Mobility 
  These days, very few clients choose to print, sign, and scan their documents to send them back to the bank. It is a tedious job. That’s why speed and efficiency can make or break a client relationship.  Using e-signatures, which lets you sign a document with just a click to complete a documentation process, from any place, any time without compromising data security and maintaining compliance with the law speaks volumes about a bank’s working efficiency. 
  • Improves Sales
  Adopting e-signatures eliminates the need to print and send documents to clients via post, thus saving selling time. A client, without coming to the bank, can process different documents within minutes instead of days. 
  E-signatures are a huge benefit to the online banking industry, since it brings with it cost savings, security, global standardization, and the incorporation of mobile technology. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below! 
   
   
 
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5 Ways to Increase Your Productivity

As the year winds down and we start to lose focus on office-related tasks because we’re too busy thinking about holiday parties and family time, we start to find it harder to be productive at work! Luckily we’ve some tips to keep you on track.

There is no universal way to be productive, because everyone works differently, and has their own tricks for staying focused. That being said, there are some general tips that you can try to follow to increase your chances. Plus, by trying different things, you will find out what works for you! 

Take a read through our 5 tips below:

1. Set goals and make a plan
Approach your day with a plan rather than winging it. Make a list of the primary tasks you need to accomplish the day before so that you arrive to work the next morning with a clear view of your goals. Plus, you’ll avoid “decision fatigue” which will slow you down. It might be helpful to set different goals for yourself, such as a daily goal, weekly goal, monthly goal, and a longer-term yearly goal.

2. Focus on one task at a time 
You may hear conflicting advice on this, but we strongly advise against too much multitasking. You might feel like you are being incredibly productive taking care of multiple things at once, but this isn’t actually the case. Our brains aren’t actually capable of juggling that many things at once, and we are much more successful when we focus on completing one task at a time. Plus, when we do this, we complete each task much faster. If you have one big task per day that you need to get done, work on that task at your most alert time – perhaps in the morning when your mind is fresh.

3. Avoid distractions
In this digital age, it’s understandable to be tempted to check social media, browse the web, or check your personal email on a regular basis throughout the day, but doing so can majorly damage your concentration. According to Julie Morgenstern, author of the book "Never Check Email in the Morning," checking your emails too much can hinder productivity, This, she believes stems from the fact that email is reactive and not proactive. "Those requests and those interruptions and those surprises and those reminders and problems are endless. There is a very little that cannot wait a minimum of 59 minutes," Morgenstern told Huffington Post. You will be much better focusing on those critical things you need to work on, and then setting certain times and intervals to check emails and social media.

4. Clear your head with meditation
Breaks are extremely important for clearing your mind in general. But practicing meditation or mindfulness techniques can help even more. A good meditation session can set you up with the right frame of mind for the rest of your day. Meditation helps you to remove unnecessary negative thoughts from your mind so that you remain relaxed, stress-free, and focused. Studies revealed that our brains typically become more focused and less distracted after a 20-minute meditation session. This allows us to be more creative and more efficient, in turn boosting our daily productivity. 

5. Eat healthily and sleep well.
Your mother was right when she told you that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Eating a nutritious breakfast is very important if you want to have a productive day. Breakfast provides you with the energy and nutrients you need to start your day and be able to maintain concentration and focus. Plus, if you indulge in healthy food for lunch, and healthy snacks throughout the day, your brain will continue to run at its best. Avoid salt and sugar, and instead opt for things like green tea or water, almonds, bananas, eggs, yogurt, apples, and carrots. If you have a sweet tooth, you can always indulge in a bit of dark chocolate! Plus, never underestimate the power of a good sleep!Eat We hope these tips will help you increase your productivity at work and in your daily life. If you have any other tips to add, list them in the comments below!
   
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The Top 4 Ways to Protect Your PDFs

In this day and age, security is at the top of everyone’s priority list, especially with the new GDPR regulations brought in this year. Luckily, many PDF tools, including PDFelement, offer security features that help you make sure information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. Often, clients or customers are providing businesses with their personal information. From both perspectives, a case of mistaken data leak can be a bad situation. For customers, it exposes them to risks of identity theft, and for businesses this opens them up to a damaged reputation, not to mention potential lawsuits and hefty fines. Yikes! Here are the top 4 ways you can protect your PDFs with tools like PDFelement: 1. Password Protection
With tools like PDFelement, you can easily set password restrictions on your document so that not just anyone can open, edit, save, or print it. There are two types of password protection offered by PDFelement – open passwords and permission passwords. Setting an open password means users must enter a password before opening the document. Permissions passwords require users to enter a password before they can access certain functions or settings to alter the document. To add an open or permission in PDFelement, go to the “Protect” tab and click on the “Password” or “Password Management” button. An open password is important if only a few authorized recipients are meant to open and view the file, for instance, sending a confidential form to someone over email. A permissions password is useful if a broad number of users are meant to view the file, but you don’t want just anyone making changes to it.  2. Redaction
Need to send a document containing sensitive information to multiple individuals? Perhaps you are publishing a legal or government document that will be viewed by the public. You’ll want to make sure any sensitive personal data is removed or hidden, which can be done through redaction. Redaction permanently removes or hides certain information by placing a dark bar over the information, which can’t be removed. This signals to viewers that sensitive data has been removed.  Many private companies or public authorities have to handle sensitive data that requires protection, especially to comply with the recent GDPR regulations that were brought in, which can bring severe financial penalties if they are not followed. To apply redaction in PDFelement, go to the “Protect” tab, and click on either the “Mark for Redaction” or “Search and Redact” button to get started. 3. Digital E-Signatures
With everything in business being moved to online platforms these days, it only makes sense that digital signatures would become an increasingly common way to sign documents. Just like signing a paper document by hand, e-signatures digitally authorize a document quickly and conveniently so business can be done much faster. It’s beneficial to look for a PDF program that offers digital signature capabilities. This not only adds a layer of extra protection to your file, but also makes things a lot smoother and easier for all parties involved. Plus, after signing the document, you can lock it with an open or permissions password to protect it even further. To add a digital signature in PDFelement, go to the “Protect” tab, and click on the “Sign Document” or “Place Signature” button.  4. Watermarks & Stamps
Lastly, another security measure you can add to your documents is a watermark or a stamp. A watermark is the addition of a certain design or pattern to your document that signifies the company or person that owns it. This is useful because it deters fake copying or altering of the document, as well as clearly shows the original source of the document. Watermarks help to prove the authenticity of a file, and with PDFelement, adding a watermark is simple. Just go to the “Edit” tab, click on the “Watermark” button, and choose whether you want to create a new watermark, update an existing watermark, or remove a watermark from your file. Similarly, stamps add to the authenticity of your document as well. When files include a digitally-authenticated timestamp, you’ll know the content within the file was last changed at that time. Or, the stamp can give you an idea of the last action that was completed on the document. For instance, a stamp can tell you whether it is a draft version, sent for comment or review, or if it has been approved or disapproved. Again, adding stamps is easy in PDFelement. Simply go to the “Comment” tab, click on the stamp button, and select the template you want to use to create your stamp. Have any more tips on how to protect your PDF documents? Let us know in the comments below!       
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GDPR and the IT Professional

As you’ve probably heard, the purpose of GDPR is to protect EU citizens from organizations that might use their data irresponsibly. In today’s blog post, we’ll cover what this recent regulation means to IT Professionals, what their biggest challenges are, and how PDFelement can help!

EU citizens now have the authority to decide what information to share with organizations, how and where to share it, and whether they want to delete their personal information from any database if they so choose.

GDPR and the IT Professional

With GDPR replacing the Data Protection Act of 1998, it becomes more critical that businesses, especially IT services, should know everything they need to about the changes that have been brought forth inlegislation. Better understanding means better compliance with the regulations and fewer chances of penalties. 

Challenges of existing approaches to documents for IT Professionals Document storage:
Every item of personal information that you store in printed or digital documents is subject to GDPR regulations. Typically, files are stored in a range of different formats, including: –  •    Editable documents (such as Microsoft Word files) that can be easily edited, and are therefore insecure
•    Unencrypted PDF files with no access control Document sharing:
Internal collaboration sees documents shared across multiple locations – with little or no user accountability. In addition, many businesses share entire documents as a matter of process, even if only one piece of the document is truly relevant to processing.  Meanwhile, the growth in sharing via email and cloud services has also dramatically increased the risk of data leakage. Human error accounts for a large proportion of data breaches and most documents can be opened by anyone that has access to the file.
5 Ways PDFelement can help: 1. Conversion of all Office document file types to PDFs – Getting documents out of paper and into digital office files is an essential first step toward GDPR compliance. PDFelement allows you to create industry standard PDF files that are fully compliant with all PDF viewers on virtually any device. •    Batch PDF creation from over 300 file formats
•    Print to PDF from almost any application 2. Data Redaction
Redacting data can allow companies to remove the sensitive or identifying data, without removing the entire record. This makes the process simpler and less invasive. 3. Encryption and Password Protection
Encrypt documents with 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption levels, and permissions settings to control the viewing, printing, and modification of files. 4. Convert scanned documents into editable PDF files 
A paper-free office has long been a dream for many people. Quickly convert paper documents into searchable and editable PDF files you can organize, share and protect. 5. Archiving
PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of the Portable Document Format (PDF) specialized for use in the archiving and long-term preservation of electronic documents.  Make sure you stay up-to-date with this important privacy protection legislation! If you have any other tips let us know in the comments below.
 
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Spiceworld 2017 – It’s a Wrap!

So what is SpiceWorld? Is that the movie about the Spice Girls?
  Nope. In case you’ve never heard about this conference, it’s an annual one held in Austin, Texas, by SpiceWorks, which is the biggest IT community online! There are always thousands of IT pros and vendors; this year, we had a chance to visit globally well-known giants such as Canon, Cisco, and HP. It was a three-day long mix of how-to sessions, networking, happy hours, and parties.  Meet our Team! From left to right:
Ray – North America Sales Representative, Stella – EMEA Sales Representative, Faisal – Brand Development Manager, Patrick – Product Development Lead

This was the PDFelement Team’s first time at SpiceWorld, and we were a proud Chipotle sponsor. At this conference, we wanted to share our passion for creating simple software solutions for life’s everyday challenges through multimedia, utility, office or mobile applications with all of you!

Pre-SpiceWorld

In my experience, going on a vacation takes a lot of planning and preparation, especially when it comes to packing. Will I need that extra sweater? Are you sure I won’t need these extra socks?

But going to a conference required planning and preparationon the next level. The team spent the week before the conference in a frenzy, putting together presentations, making trips to IKEA, and gathering the necessary supplies for our booth, including the Microsoft Surface Pro that Michael won! Let’s see what our first-time SpiceWorld attendees thought about their experience!
Faisal

PDFelement’s goal for #SpiceWorld2017 was to really get our name out there. We’re the only PDF solution software next to Adobe that offers enterprise-grade functionalities on both Mac and Windows; we were specifically designed for small-medium businesses and our prices reflect that.

My own personal goal was networking. I wanted to meet other IT pros and learn about how they’re leveraging PDF solutions and how they’re improving document workflows at their own offices. Most importantly, I wanted to understand the market for PDF technology and improve our product to suit user needs. I was happy to see that many people came to our boothan d was really interested in trying out the 6-month valuation that we were doing!
I thought that the conference was a fun experience. My three main highlights included:

1. Meeting one of our PDFelement 5 users, it was nice to meet a user in real life! 
2. Trying authentic Texas BBQ for the first time. The portions were massive and the ribs were really juicy. Look how happy Ray and Patrick are! 
3. After watching the SpiceRex wander around the conference, he finally visited our booth on the last day and we got a picture with him! 

Patrick
The vendor I wanted to meet was Softchoice, since they are one of the biggest IT solutions and services provider in North America. We managed to set up a meeting with them at the conference and had a chance to chat. It was cool to meet them in person and pick their brains. Hopefully, there will be a chance to work with them in the future, especially since they are based in Montreal. It would be nice to work with another Canadian IT company. 

I have to say that our first time attending SpiceWorld felt pretty good! We had the chance to meet a lot of IT professionals anddecisions-makers and talk to them face-to-face. I thought it was very valuable to hear about the technical challenges that they are facing everyday. It felt even better when we were able to show them how our product and services can help their company solve these problems.

Aside from the conference, I just wanted to say that the local cuisine was awesome. I will definitely come back to Austin just for a bite of theTe xas ribs and couple of local beers!

Ray

I must say, I was a bit worried about how our booth was going to turnout, since we were designing the set-up remotely and didn’t have a chance to visit the venue until we had to physically set up for it. I was also curious about what the Spiceworld attendees were looking for at the conference, and hoped that they would be interested in what we had to share. But the backdrop our designers made ended up fitting like a glove and the IT pros that visited our booth were very friendly when I had the chance to talk to them face-to-face. Usually, I handle all of our sales inquiries over the phone or email, and it can be very hard to tell what the other person is thinking or feeling.
What I enjoyed most on this trip was the casual culture of Spiceworld and Austin’s BBQ. Overall, I thought that it was a pretty good conference!
  Stella This would be my first time attending at SpiceWorld and in Austin. Going into the conference, I was really looking to communicate with our potential users face-to-face and listen to their voices, and to truly learn their pain points and business needs.
SpiceWorld turned out to be a great place to connect with people, and I was very excited to hear the positivefeedbacks from potential users after I introduced PDFelement. The only thing I regret is not attending SpiceWorld sooner; I hope to see you all again next year!
Well, there you have it. Good food, good drinks, and better company. We are very proud of how our PDFelement team did at #Spiceworld2017. It was an exciting opportunity to showcase our products alongside other Fortune 100 companies; we learned a lot from our fellow vendors about their experiences. We’ll be back next year, and we hope you will be too!       *Written by Rebecca Chen, Community Manager at PDFelement  
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Simplify HR Forms Using PDF

Streamline your Human Resources department with easy to use PDF software that saves time and money while boosting morale and productivity.    A big issue in most HR departments is the massive pile of paperwork that seems to build up out of nowhere. As we know, digitizing paperwork to PDF forms can be a lifesaver for everyone, whether you’re an HR professional or a candidate.    A PDF tool like PDFelement is a great asset to have in your human resource department. Simplify your HR process by digitizing forms like job applications, employee surveys, and time off request forms. Simplify administrative tasks so they can be completed online or via email, allowing for more flexibility and mobility. Enable employees to be more efficient with their time, even when working remotely. And if you need to be reminded, The Benefits of Working Remotely outlines the positive effects this has on productivity and employee morale overall, which should be an important factor to consider if you work in HR.   By using a PDF tool like PDFelement in your HR department, you can:    Store Files Easily  PDFs are easier to manage, store, and update than paper files or even other digital file types like Word or Excel. Having a digital template of forms and contracts on file lets you easily make changes and adjust to changing policies.    Save Time  Another huge benefit of going digital is the time saved from manual data entry. Time is valuable in business, and you don’t want to be wasting it with tedious re-typing and filing. With PDFs you can instantly extract relevant information onto your computer. This makes data more accessible and eliminates human error.    Create HR Forms Easily  Designing your HR forms on a digital platform will save your company time, money, and ultimately labor costs. Need some ideas on how to set up your HR Forms? Check out this article to see some examples for Human Resource Form Templates to get you started, or even easily start from scratch in PDFelement. Create professional and easy to use forms, contracts, surveys, and more using PDFelement’s robust form filling tools like automatic form field recognition and OCR. You can password-protect your document or redact certain sections as well to ensure the document remains secure. Your candidates, employees, and budget, will thank you.    Fill HR Forms Easily  PDFelement’s powerful features allow employees and employers to collaborate and communicate more efficiently, with the ability to digitally annotate, edit, and sign PDF forms, even on-the-go from a mobile device. With easy to use digital e-signatures, and security tools like password protection to ensure confidential information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, PDFelement has candidates and employees covered. Plus, you can easily convert PDFs to or from other file types if necessary to make the process even easier.    When your HR department is spending less time caught up in administrative tasks they can spend more time doing their primary job, which is recruiting, training, and taking care of employees. A functional human resource team is the key to a successful business strategy, and through a PDF tool like PDFelement, human resource management can be made much more efficient and user friendly.    Are there any other ways you can think of that PDFs are beneficial to HR Teams? If so, feel free to comment below! 
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Create the Ultimate Travel Checklist

Now that we’re winding down to the end of summer, it’s the perfect time to get that one last trip in. Luckily, with digital tools like PDFelement, you can create the perfect travel checklist, minus the hassle!  As much as traveling can be fun, making a travel checklist prior to your trip is not always as enjoyable. Luckily, through the use of digital tools, you can make the process a bit easier. Whether you have a separate checklist for different areas like packing, itineraries, etc., or an entire vacation checklist that encompasses everything you need to do, bring, or see on your trip, tools like PDFelement can help you create the ultimate travel checklist.  Your ultimate travel checklist should contain the following information: 
  · Luggage 
  First of all, we recommend taking a rolling bag if you want to be able to move about easily. It will fit most of your clothes and accessories, but will still be easy to move. Take into account what the weather will be like at the destination you’re visiting so you can bring the appropriate clothing. Plus, don’t forget about toiletries, and what items you’re allowed to bring in your carry-on! 
  · Itinerary Planning an itinerary involves doing a lot of research on what sights there are to see in the location you are visiting. It also involves taking into account the interests of each person you are traveling with and planning activities that cater to everyone. You’ll also need to plan your flight times, accommodations, meal times, etc. to ensure your trip is organized and that you can enjoy it to the fullest! 
  ·Documents 
  Ensure that you collect all relevant papers before traveling including your passport, visa (if required), ID card, cash and credit cards. Also add health and travel insurance, emergency contact list and scanned copies of all these important documents in your bag or wallet in case you lose them. Write them on your travel checklist, so you don't forget! 
  ·Home Security Measures 
  Another part of your travel checklist should always involve security measures that you’ve put into place for while you are away. If no one is available to look after your home or you do not have anyone staying behind, ensure that you lock your home securely and turn on all alarms before you leave for your destination. There are various apps available that allow you to monitor your home while away. If you can’t travel with a pet, ensure your pet will be properly looked after too.  So, how can PDFelement help you get the most out of your travel experience? You’ll be able to make use of the following features:    Scanning and OCR features – make copies and scans of important documents such as passports and use OCR to edit the content in these scans if required  Annotation and collaboration tools – send the itinerary to your friends and travel partners so everyone can edit or add comments!  Form Filling Tools – fill out travel forms or documentation quickly and easily  Digital Signatures – sign important application or documents easily with PDFelement’s digital signature functionality  Conversion to other file formats – If you have an Excel spreadsheet for budgeting, accommodation planning etc., you can easily convert it to PDF. OR if you would rather plan out your trip in Excel you can convert a PDF to Excel or other Microsoft Office file formats as well.  PDF Viewing - lastly, you can read an e-book while relaxing on vacation - what better way to get away from the daily grind!  
Don’t miss out on your last chance to have a blast this summer! Install PDFelement, and start planning your trip!  Have any other tips on how to create the ultimate travel checklist? Or just travel tips in general? Let us know in the comments!               
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User Adoption: Why You Should Make Users Your Top Priority

At PDFelement, we care about our users. That’s why user adoption of our software is a huge priority. Read on to discover how important it is to ensure you take the user into account when developing a software product. User adoption entails building customer confidence in your services or product, as well as in the mission and vision of the product. It also means merging both the why and the what of your product by making adoption a collaborative effort between your marketing, sales, product team, and customer success department. You need to look at the product with a different perspective. Look at it as a method of engaging with your users, rather than simply a product you are trying to sell. This ties your users into the mission of your company, making them more emotionally connected to your organization. There are numerous benefits to considering user adoption in terms of your product. One of the most obvious is the ability to outshine your competitors. It makes users feel like your top priority
User adoption is not only about whether your employees are able to use your software system or not. It is also about prioritizing your users so that your organization can gain additional benefits in the long run. The following are a few of the ways that considering user adoption when developing your tech product can be a huge benefit:  Better adoption eventually leads to higher retention
The truth is that many companies are still confused about user retention and might be clueless about where to start. Most commonly, companies directly focus on customer retention which is the wrong approach since there are no shortcuts when it comes to customer growth. In fact, many companies that skip considering user adoption during the product development stage lose out in the end. As companies grow bigger, sometimes they forget about user adoption, or they simply skim over it. When high growth companies take shortcuts for advocacy, expansion, and even retention, they fail to build stronger foundations for their users, even though they have all the right resources. The bottom line is that user adoption is the only pathway for achieving long-term user retention and taking shortcuts only means you’ll lose out in the long run. 
  It also leads to positive business outcomes
The value of higher user adoption in terms of business objectives and outcomes can’t be overlooked. Technology that is not adopted by users can be considered a wasted asset. This is why user adoption plays a crucial role, especially in IT business where customer advocacy is key.  It is the only way in which companies can achieve positive outcomes because there is positive word of mouth and a positive reputation associated with the company or product.
  Lastly, it helps in improving implementation
Sometimes, decision makers put all of their focus on the way the system performs on a sheet of paper and neglect the way the software works in practice. Therefore, when it comes to implementation, a more user-centric approach should be used. If your company does not test out the software with various different types of end users during the development stage of your software, it will be hard to ensure you are meeting the needs of every type of user, and therefore implementation will not go smoothly.  And there you have it – the benefits of considering user adoption when developing your software product! Have any thoughts on the topic? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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The Healthcare Technology Revolution

Technology has undoubtedly touched every aspect of human life and revolutionized many sectors. The Healthcare sector is no different, and technology has the power to transform it into a highly evolved experience for both patients and medical professionals. But many healthcare practices are stuck in the old way of doing things. 

Through the use of digital tools, like PDFelement for example, and other digital systems, Healthcare could be greatly improved. Here are just a few of the ways that technology could revolutionize healthcare: 

1. More Accessible Data
Easy accessibility of data from mega servers is the hallmark of today's advancing technology. Instant and detailed information is available in the blink of an eye and enables health professionals to share this information for research and data analysis purposes. Through "big data," diversified information can be collected from different populations and shared instantly. This helps in research studies, identifying risk factors and recommendation of preventive measures.

2. Improved Communication
Innovative technologies have bridged the communication gap between healthcare professionals. Video chats, online discussion platforms, and real-time meetings are just some examples of the communication capabilities that have resulted in improved case management, treatments, and patient recovery. Video conferencing is also a cost-effective way to not only get specialist assistance but also to provide education and training to healthcare staff. This virtual communication bridges the gap between rural areas, and far-flung remote areas. Local GPs, nurses, midwives, health workers, etc. can generate face to face clinical services through teleconsultation to ensure correct treatment and procedures are being carried out.

3. Electronic Medical Records
Previously, patient data was stored in different physical locations. But electronic medical records have centralized this system and streamlined it into running more smoothly and efficiently. Electronic medical records are stored in a central online location, keeping all of the patient's history, test results, diagnosis and other relevant information safe. This enables healthcare professionals to see the health trends of a patient quickly and easily. \

4. Mobility and Mobile Apps
Healthcare related mobile software applications are not only cost effective but time-saving also. Such software can enable patients to manage their health status efficiently, get prompted for regular checkups, get assistance in finding general medical information and access 24/7 accessibility to test results without booking an appointment with their doctor. Healthcare professionals can also use these apps to quickly access any medical knowledge, clinical trials or research from these mobile apps. 

5. Convenient Digital Forms
Healthcare related mobile software applications are not only cost effective but time-saving also. Such software can enable patients to manage their health status efficiently, prompt them for regular checkups, help in finding general medical information and providing 24/7 accessibility to their test results without booking an appointment with their doctor. On the other hand, healthcare professionals can quickly access any medical knowledge, clinical trials or research from these mobile apps. 

As you can see, technology can have a huge impact on healthcare. Innovations, trends, and digital healthcare services have already improved healthcare services in the following ways: By providing cutting-edge digital platforms Improved operational efficiency Efficient integrated approach to patient care Automated administrative and clinical processes Easy collaboration between different healthcare sectors Higher HIMSS (healthcare information and management systems society) Enhancing the capacity for innovation Better patient outcomes Reduced costs Healthcare has only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to technology, but it has already made good use of the benefits of technology and hopefully will continue to do so. Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
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The Top 5 Document Collaboration Tools

Teamwork is crucial to the success of any business. But the big question is – how do you ensure your team collaborates successfully in today's virtual business world?

Before the digital age, a “team” meant people sharing the same office space. However, with the rise in virtual technology, many business owners have moved toward remote teams and digital collaboration. According to statistics from the American Community Survey, telecommuting has grown by 115 percent between 2005 and 2015, nearly 10x faster than the rest of the workforce. Further research highlighted in the Harvard Business Review, confirms that the performance of the telecommuting populations increased dramatically by 13 percent over the course of nine months of ditching the traditional office setting.

A shift towards remote work means that the need for virtual communication and collaboration tools is greater than ever. Fortunately, there are a ton of options out there that can help your team work together from any location. Frombrainstorming, to running productive meetings online, the options are endless.

We’ve compiled a list of the best document collaboration tools on the market. The following applications are well worth checking out, whether you work as a team in the office or remotely. Plus, using PDFelement alongside these tools makes teamwork even easier:


1. Slack
Slack is an incredibly smart collaboration tool with millions of users around the globe. It allows you to send real-time direct messages to your employees or coworkers individually or as a group. The app also features a video calling option and a searchable record of all your files and conversations. Another interesting feature you should explore on Slack is the ability to organize conversations into different channels (perhaps for specific projects, technical support, general meetings, etc.). The app allows for integrations with a growing number of handy services and apps including Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box. The free plan has limited functions, but the paid version offers more capabilities.

2. Google Docs
Google Docs is probably the most popular and well-known application on this list. It is a free cloud service from Google that enables teams to collaborate on documents in real time. You can work on documents over the cloud, edit or make a document "a view only" file, and access shared data on any device. Unlike most document collaboration tools, you do not need to download a special application to enjoy Google Docs. Once you create a Google ID or Gmail account, you are automatically qualified to use Google Docs. You’ll enjoy 15GB of cloud storage on the free plan, which often is more than enough if you have a small team.

3. Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is an easy-to-use, flexible web-based document collaboration tool from Dropbox. The platform allows teams to create, review, revise, manage and organize shared documents in real time. The tool allows embedding of video or audio into Dropbox Paper by merely copying and pasting the URL into the Paper document. There's also be the ability to share files with team members individually or as a group, manage access to documents, assign tasks to a team member with mentions and get feedback in real time.

4. Trello
Trello is another respected project management tool that allows you to organize projects and collaborate on them easily. Trello's boards, lists, and cards let you organize and prioritize your projects in a fun, flexible and rewarding way. Plus, you can create to-do-lists and delegate tasksamongst your team members. You can also input comments in each card as a means of giving feedback to others. The platform is integrated with top utility apps like Evernote, GitHub, Google Drive and Slack. The best thing about Trello is that you are empowered to customize the tool according to your needs with features like board backgrounds, emoji reactions, and stickers.

5. Bit.ai
Bit.ai is one of the newest document collaboration tools on the market, but its unique feature-packed platform means it’s a strong competitor even to more established applications on this list. Bit.ai helps you create, manage and track documents. Apart from allowing multiple users to collaborate on documents, users are also allowed to share YouTube videos, SoundCloud Playlists, Google Docs, One Drive Excel Spreadsheets, GIFs, Tweets, Pinterest boards and more. The app's minimalistic design won't necessarily wow you, but you will surely love the app's abilities to track engagement levels on shared documents, customize options, search easily, create smart workspaces and more. It lets you collaborate and work effectively with teams of any size.

And there you have it – our picks for the best document collaboration tools currently on the market! Have any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments!   
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