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The More you Know – Equations for Form Calculation
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!

The Benefit of Small Work Teams
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!

A Look Back at SpiceWorld 2018
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!

The Top 5 Uses of PDF Tools 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!

The Best Tools to Kick-Start Your Business in 2019
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!

The More You Know: Creating a Table of Contents
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!

The More You Know: Setting Tab Order

Spiceworld 2017 – It’s a Wrap!
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

Simplify HR Forms Using PDF

Top 5 Mobile PDF Scanning Solutions
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!

The Top 5 Tech Gadgets to Add to your Holiday Wish List in 2018
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.

The More You Know: Adding Stamps to PDFs

How to Put Together an Effective User Manual for Your Product

Create the Ultimate Travel Checklist
· 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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The Top 5 Benefits of 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!

The More you Know: Enabling Updates

How E-Signatures Increase the Efficiency of Banking
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!

The More You Know: Adding Hyperlinks to PDFs
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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The More you Know: Setting up Form Responses for your users

5 Online Document Management Tips
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!

GDPR and the IT Professional
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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The Top 5 Uses of PDF Tools for Instructors
With the beginning of the school year comes many challenges for instructors. They return back to long days of teaching, lesson planning, and marking assignments. Their days are packed, so any tool that will help make their lives just a little bit easier is one they should likely invest in. An instructor’s main concern should be on educating their students – helping them understand concepts, explaining and listening to different viewpoints, and giving students all the tools they need to absorb information so they can use it in the future. They don’t want to think about the mundane aspects of their job like how to best markup student papers, share learning material, or fill out a tedious form. This is why a PDF solution like PDFelement can be a real time-saver for instructors now that the school year is starting back up again!
Here are the top five ways PDF editing tools can make your life easier as an instructor:
1. You can mark assignments electronically
Since everything is done online these days, it makes sense that marking assignments is often done electronically rather than in hard copy as well. Luckily, tools like PDFelement have an abundance of annotation tools. With PDFelement, you can leave comments or sticky notes to draw attention to a certain point or concept, or you can highlight certain sections that you’d like a student to change or review. Not only will you be able to easily make these changes, but you can also easily send the marked up file back to the student who can read and review the changes using PDFelement as well.
2. You can share learning material effortlessly
As well, many learning materials are now provided to students in electronic format – either through files or links to educational websites. With PDFelement’s editing features, you can easily put together reading packages for your class, using tools to manage, organize, split pages, add bookmarks, and more. If you do decide that you want to print out the reading materials for your students, you can also easily print to PDF using PDFelement. As well, PDFelement’s OCR features lets you easily scan material from a hard copy textbook that can then be edited and added into the reading package or shared electronically with your students. Most PDF editors allow you to compress and reduce large pdf files as well, so they can be easily shared without compromising quality. This can come in handy when you want to send material to students via email or other platforms online.
3. You can quickly convert files PDFelement lets you export PDFs into other editable formats like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, HTML, and more, while preserving all formatting from the original document. Perhaps you have material in PDF format that you want to present to your class. You can easily export your PDF into a PowerPoint presentation. You can also convert other file formats to PDF effortlessly, while retaining the same formatting and look as the original. Perhaps you require your students to send their papers in PDF format to ensure that no formatting gets misaligned in the process of sending. Students can easily convert their paper written in Word to PDF format with PDFelement, which will help make your life a lot easier when you are reviewing and marking the paper. 4. You can read up on material for lectures
Most PDF editing tools come with relevant layouts and settings that offer you advanced reading experience with smooth scrolling and fast search. If you are researching concepts online to include in your next lecture, or if you need to view online PDF content, you can do so easily with tools like PDFelement. You can also markup the text as you go, making notes on what you want to include in your lesson plan, or highlighting certain sections.
5. You can share and fill out forms easily
With PDFelement, you can create or edit PDF forms either from scratch or from a template using automatic form field recognition. This is really helpful if you need to create a form for your students to fill out. Perhaps you want to gather feedback about the class by having students fill out a form. Or you might require your students to complete monthly assessments on their work by filling out forms, either online or in hard copy. You can easily create these types of forms, and your students can easily fill them out using PDFelement. Plus, with digital signatures, you or your students can electronically sign forms for saved time and convenience.
We hope this school year will be a little easier with the help of PDFelement! If you have any other tips for instructors, let us know in the comments below!
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