Paperbased

Paperbased, often written as paper-based, describes systems, processes, or materials that rely primarily on physical paper documents rather than digital records for creation, storage, and transmission. It encompasses the use of printed forms, handwritten notes, and filed documents as the main carriers of information.

Common contexts for paperbased methods include education (paper exams and worksheets), government and business administration (forms and recordkeeping), healthcare (paper charts and billing), legal and regulatory filing, and traditional accounting or invoicing systems. In these settings, data collection often involves manual entry, handwriting, or physical distribution through mail or courier services. Archiving typically relies on shelving and organized filing systems rather than servers or cloud storage.

Advantages of paperbased approaches include low dependence on information technology, immediate accessibility in environments with limited digital infrastructure, and tangible records that can be reviewed without devices. They also offer straightforward compliance with certain regulatory or contractual requirements that specify physical originals or wet signatures.

Drawbacks are notable: lower efficiency due to manual processing, greater physical storage requirements, higher risk of loss or damage, slower data retrieval, and challenges for data aggregation or analytics. Environmental considerations arise from paper consumption, though recycling programs can mitigate impacts. In many sectors, paperbased systems coexist with digital alternatives, forming hybrid workflows that transfer data to electronic formats for processing while retaining paper records for retention, verification, or compliance purposes.