直接跳至主要內容
找不到項目。
dropbox sign 標誌
為何選擇 Dropbox Sign?
展開或收起手風琴

我們提供的功能

線上簽署文件
建立電子簽章
選擇或建立範本
填寫及簽署 PDF
完成線上合約
文件管理
探索功能
向右箭頭圖示

使用案例

銷售和業務開發
人力資源
新創公司
金融科技
房地產
隨需服務
產品
展開或收起手風琴
Dropbox 圖示
Sign
輕鬆進行簽名與傳送
Dropbox 圖示
Sign API
將 eSign 與既有工作流程整合
Dropbox Fax 圖示
Fax
不用傳真機就能傳真
Dropbox 整合圖示
整合
與您相約在工作地點見
資源
展開或收起手風琴
部落格
工作流程專業與產品新聞
客戶故事
具實績佐證的真實故事
說明中心
詳盡產品指南
資源庫
報告、影片和資訊表
開發人員
價格
展開或收起手風琴
Dropbox Sign 價格
找出符合您需求的方案
Dropbox Sign API 價格
具實績佐證的真實故事
聯絡銷售人員
註冊
聯絡銷售人員
登入
展開或收起手風琴
Dropbox Sign
Dropbox Forms
Dropbox Fax
免費試用
部落格
/
電子簽章基礎資訊

The Problem With PDFs

by 
Claire Murdough
April 18, 2017
5
分鐘閱讀時間
The Problem With PDFs
工具提示的圖示

全新設計,優秀如初!HelloSign 現已更名為 Dropbox Sign。

關閉圖示

A long, long time ago something called a “Portable Document Format” (PDF) was introduced to the world. PDFs took traditional paper documents, and brought them online. People could now attach documents to emails instead of sending them via snail mail.

‍

The year was 1993. Ace of Base was still together and Home Improvement was the second most popular TV show in the US. Needless to say, we’ve come a long way.

‍

Fast forward 24 years (and many band breakups later) and we’re at a completely new junction for how documents are handled. Smart phones and tablets have entered the picture, people have become accustomed to cloud storage, and data is increasingly fluid.

‍

PDFs – once a leader in online paperwork – have shown their age and their limitations.

‍

Lest we settle for a “PDFs are good enough” attitude, let’s remind ourselves of the very real problems with PDFs.

‍

1. Your Data is Trapped

‍

One of the biggest frustrations with PDFs is that information is kept static, immobilized, trapped, locked – pick your adjective – in the PDF file. You can’t copy and paste information easily. You can’t update details quickly. You’re unable to pull data from a PDF and funnel it into a database.

‍

The list goes on and on.

‍

The result is that even a simple transfer of data from a PDF requires manual intervention. This usually comes in the form of tedious data entry by an individual or team.

‍

Yet despite the fact that repetitive activities like data entry cost companies massive amounts of time and resources, PDFs still mandate the extra work.

‍

There are better ways (such as our PDF form filling feature, but we'll get to those at the end).

‍

2. UX on Mobile Is Subpar

‍

“Subpar” is actually quite generous here. Most mobile experiences with PDFs are downright terrible. You have to pinch the screen to zoom, drag to read, and then unzoom to find your spot in the document again. Then it’s rinse and repeat until you get through the entire thing.

‍

Experiences like that aren’t only frustrating, they deter people from carefully looking over a PDF document or completing the required document flow when on their mobile device. No doubt about it, PDFs present a poor way to complete a document transaction on the go.

‍

This might be all fine and good except when you take into account that “nearly two-thirds of Americans are now smartphone owners, and for many these devices are a key entry point to the online world.” (Source)

‍

It’s no wonder why companies have low completion rates for important documents that directly affect their business!

‍

3. Content is Uneditable

‍

Imagine this: you spot a typo in a PDF that needs correcting. You go to click it and you realize – of course – it’s locked into the text. Your typo lives on to taunt you until you go back to the original file to update the document. Once saved, the new PDF needs to be re-sent to the right people. But right as you’re about to click “Send” you spot another typo. The cycle repeats.

‍

We’ve all been there.

‍

It feels eerily similar to finding an error in a printed document and having to go back to a Word file to fix it before re-printing. Both instances require a lot of work to make a small fix. Both types of “editing” are also unnecessary in this day and age.

‍

4. PDFs Must Be Downloaded

‍

Something special happened when Google released the Google Drive suite. All of a sudden, the most up-to-date versions of a document or spreadsheet could be shared at a moment’s notice using Google Docs or Google Sheets. This prevented the need to send Word files when sharing information. Different people could access information instantaneously. All they needed was a simple URL.

‍

It was a magical introduction to real-time collaboration.

‍

Yet PDFs still require you to download a file before sharing it with others. Once sent, the recipient is often required to download the file on their end.

‍

All those delightful benefits listed above – the ones about instantaneous sharing and real-time collaboration – are moot when it comes to PDFs.

‍

5. Version Control for PDFs Causes Night Sweats

‍

We can’t actually verify PDF version control causes “night sweats,” but we’d definitely wager a guess that at least one person has lost sleep trying to locate and share the correct version of a PDF.

‍

Version control becomes particularly frustrating when you need to disperse accurate documents amongst teams. Protocol would require that each person delete old versions before swapping in the new PDF versions.

‍

You can guess how that usually goes. Spoiler: not well.

‍

Alternatives to PDFs

‍

New ways to handle documents and form information have developed (and fast at that), bringing companies the option to seamlessly collect, store, and disperse information into documents, all the while retaining their legality and legitimacy.

‍

We’re not talking about small improvements to PDFs either. We’re talking about completely new ways to handle information in documents.

‍

Dropbox Forms is one example. Dropbox Forms removes the PDF from the user experience entirely, showing only relevant fields to the individual filling out a document. Data that’s entered into the fields flows directly into a company’s database to be safely stored. It provides a far better experience for anyone filling out a document, and to those collecting information.

‍

But don’t worry – we understand PDFs are still instruments for sending and storing data. With Dropbox Forms, even though the user never interacts with a PDF, their inputted data gets auto-filled into a PDF to be sent, stored, or transferred as needed. The difference is that any important data is first funneled into a database, so you never have to worry about unlocking it from the PDF down the line.

‍

It’s really the best of both worlds! And the best part is that Dropbox Forms is free, allowing you to launch up to 100 workflows at no charge. Try it out here.

‍

To learn more about this solution, visit “What is Dropbox Forms?” or our Dropbox Forms page.

‍

You can also check out examples of workflows that can be simplified using Dropbox Forms:

‍

  • Dropbox Forms Showcase: HR Onboarding
  • 3 Ways to Use Dropbox Forms (Out of About a Million)

‍

It Was Nice Knowing You, PDFs

‍

PDFs have had their time and place. You could argue they’ve even had their era! But information that stays locked in a document isn’t the future of our increasingly mobile world. Businesses are gunning for better ways to manage their data. Staying stuck on PDFs only detracts from this goal.

‍

To learn more about how you can unlock your data from PDFs and put it to work for you, try Dropbox Forms.

時時參與其中

I would like to receive marketing email from Dropbox Sign. This includes newsletters, product announcements, promotions, and special invites.
By submitting this form I accept the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
完成!請查看您的收件匣。

Thank you!
Thank you for subscribing!

Lorem ipsum

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Lorem ipsum
向右箭頭圖示
關閉圖示

Up next:

一個人在辦公桌前使用筆電工作。畫面顯示要新增至文件的電子簽名。
電子簽章基礎資訊
8
分鐘閱讀時間

SES、AES 與 QES:電子簽章類型簡介

Person signing a document on a tablet in a living room.
電子簽章基礎資訊
5
分鐘閱讀時間

How to validate a digital signature—and why it matters

電子書

小型企業可以如何利用混合式工作型態發揮優勢

產品
Dropbox SignDropbox Sign APIDropbox Fax整合
為何選擇 Dropbox Sign
電子簽章簽署文件簽署及填寫 PDF線上合約建立電子簽章簽名編輯工具簽署 Word 文件
支援服務
說明中心聯絡銷售人員聯絡支援團隊Cookie 與 CCPA 偏好設定開始使用:Dropbox Sign開始使用:Dropbox Sign API
資源
部落格客戶故事資源中心合法性指南信賴中心
合作夥伴
策略合作夥伴合作夥伴搜尋工具
公司
職涯條款隱私權
Facebook 圖示Youtube 圖示

可接受的付款方式

萬事達卡標誌Visa 卡標誌美國運通卡標誌Discover 標誌
CPA 法規遵循標章HIPAA 法規遵循標章Sky High Enterprise ready 標章ISO 9001 認證標章

Dropbox Sign 電子簽名在美國、歐盟地區、英國和世界上許多國家均已具備法律約束力。
詳情請參閱我們的條款與條件以及隱私權政策