or “How to Use TurboLaw to create PDF files”
The concept of the “paperless office†– like the flying car before it – has long been around. And just as steps towards developing flying cars have been made (try to imagine traffic jams in three dimensions!), so also have practical steps toward realizing the “paperless office.†Some of these advances have come thanks to the PDF file format.
PDF stands for “portable document format†and is a publicly available standard for creating files that reproduce paper documents. This standard, coupled with free “viewer†programs available on the Internet, allows just about any computer safely to view PDF files. PDF files are a quick and easy way to make electronic copies of documents that can be shared (via email or other means) with nearly anyone. Combined with TurboLaw’s picture-perfect forms, PDF files can be a lawyer’s – and paralegal’s – very good friend.
Forms can be quickly created on the computer and saved in PDF format for storage or transmittal to other parties, or filed on-line as with federal courts, never once requiring printing on paper.
The most commonly used software for creating PDF files is Adobe Acrobat Professional, which must be purchased, but there are free alternatives. To empower our customers, we offer our “Free CD†with several free programs, including “PDFCreator,†that complement TurboLaw. (You can also download PDFCreator by clicking here.)
To create a PDF file from an open TurboLaw document, click on the printer button on the TurboLaw toolbar. Change your printer selection to “PDFCreator†and click “Print.†Poof! A PDF file is created to be saved on your computer; it can be archived, emailed or filed on-line with some courts and agencies. TurboLaw documents converted to PDF files are easily emailed to opposing counsel and clients for review, even if the recipient does not have TurboLaw installed on his own computer.
Once you start working with PDF files, you may find fewer and fewer reasons to print things on paper – save for signing documents – and that’s getting pretty close to the “paperless office.†Now, about that flying car…