How PDF automation can save you time

Nobody enjoys spending countless hours on repetitive and monotonous tasks. While some tasks are unavoidable, a vast majority can be automated. By leveraging automation, a big part of the workload shifts from the employees to the tools, freeing up time for high-priority tasks and improving overall workflow management.

But what exactly do we mean by workflow? A workflow is a sequence of repeatable steps that are performed in a certain order to carry out a task, such as creating an invoice or drafting contracts. By leveraging technology to streamline processes and eliminating unnecessary steps, businesses can help their employees increase efficiency and spend more time on more high-impact work. Learn about PDF automation, how to streamline your workflows, reduce errors and how PDFCreator can help your business and all the benefits that come with its integration.

The simple answer: Everyone.

According to a study by Zapier, around 94% of U.S. employees spend their time on repetitive, time-consuming work, with 44% of those surveyed, reporting that they did not feel highly efficient during the day. Many daily tasks can be automated and delegated to software tools, freeing employees from manual processes.

With the rapid advancements of technology, and so many tools available, it is only logical to take full advantage of them. After all, it’s all about working smarter not harder. When it comes to PDF creation, it goes beyond the conversion of a single document. There are many use cases for a PDF printer that allow for better workflows. Some might use it for the digital creation of reports, combining multiple file types into a single cohesive document, to archive important documents for later use, to digitize their paper archives, invoicing, and the list goes on. For each of these, you can set up your PDF printer in advance, a profile for each use, automatically making it that any file you convert automatically gets the layout specifications, is stored in the right place or sent to the right person.

By improving workflow efficiency, a company can help its team save time on administrative tasks, allowing for better resource allocation and smoother operations.

A 2023 study by Slack reported that employees lose an average of a third of their workday to menial and repetitive tasks. To put this into perspective, that’s approximately 13 hours out of 40 work hours that employees could be spent on more valuable, high priority.

Moreover, approximately one third of tasks in a high number of jobs are estimated to be easily automated. Despite this, many companies still fail to recognize the value of investing in employee productivity via automation software.

Beyond saving time and making sure focus lies in the right place, implementing automation tools also cuts down on possible errors and ensures consistency. For example, PDFCreator allows users to set up custom profiles that maintain uniform formatting, apply necessary elements, and store documents in designated locations, all without manual intervention. This process reduces the margin of error and inconsistencies between documents by streamlining the needed elements.

Implementing PDF automation means teams can cross-collaborate more efficiently, with their primary focus being on larger tasks, without having to fiddle about with adding page numbers, cover pages, making sure the layout is correct and that the images retain their quality. Moreover, by removing these mindless tasks, workers boost their productivity by simply spending less time on repetitive tasks.

Looking at the data, it is in a company’s best interest to invest in automation tools. Software is supposed to simplify your life; that’s why PDFCreator does the work for you in the background, helping you avoid repetitive, manual tasks. To reduce your workload, all you have to do is set it up after downloading it and then let the software do the work for you.

The setup and integration is quick and easy, providing long-term benefits by reducing workloads and enhancing productivity. Having systems in place that help alleviate the workflow will not only optimize data management but also improve overall team efficiency by automating essential tasks.

Making sure that document formatting is structured, professional, and available on any device is crucial. However, it can be difficult to put different file formats together and make sure it looks cohesive. Not when you use the right tool. PDFCreator allows you to take any number of files in any format, merge them into a single document and avoid any puzzle work from your end. Beyond that, you can define what other aspects are needed for these automated workflows – password protection, cover pages, backgrounds, page numbers, etc.

There is no use for software tools when their capabilities aren’t fully leveraged. The beauty of the PDFCreator tool is that it does not need constant management and work. It has been designed to take up a little time in setting up, simplify processes, and increase productivity. Therefore, all you must do is set it up, create the various profiles your business needs, be it for each department or various projects, and anyone with PDFCreator installed on their laptop can access the printer to create effortless PDFs.

Odds are, there are many folders on your laptop, with multiple sub-folders within them. That’s why PDFCreator has made it so that you can avoid searching through your folders to see where each file as to go, instead, you can simply print to PDF and automatically assign the document to be saved to a certain folder. Moreover, avoid having to monotonously type out the file name. Be it date, name, department or date, project, name, you can skip a step and assign user tokens to any file that gets converted with each profile.

Alternatively, you program the tool to send the PDF via email automatically upon conversion, ensuring a smooth workflow for employees without the need for manual intervention.

Apply password protection and encryption automatically to confidential files. Enable digital signatures for secure approvals. Ensure compliance with company security policies.

When looking for PDF conversion features, focus on tools which allow for easy integration into your workflow. They should also support a wide range of file formats (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and images) to PDF. Look for high-quality conversion that preserves the original document's formatting, including fonts, images, and layouts. Fast processing speed, batch conversion options, and easy drag-and-drop functionality can streamline your workflow. Specific features that you should look out for include:

• Merging
• Auto-save
• Automatic email sending
• Cover page 
• CS-script capabilities
• Sharing capabilities
• Encryption tools like password protection or water marks

The use of PDF software can be found in most industries and within each of their different departments. By leveraging automation, businesses can efficiently process large volumes of data, create digital documents, streamline their workflow process and easily impress clients, reducing manual effort and ensuring accuracy in document management.

Their use of PDF automation tools will vary based on the types of documents they need printed to PDF. Let’s go through some specific uses below: