While it sometimes feels as if all of the documents that we use are stored electronically, this is actually not the case. In fact, it’s often advised that important documents — like records, inventories, accounts, and more — are kept in both physical and digital form. Soft copies are stored on computers or perhaps online in the Cloud, while hard copies are paper documents that must be carefully safeguarded.

While there are advantages to keeping hard copies, namely in that you will always have a backup copy available, you must take extra care to ensure that your hard copies are kept secure. Hard copies are not merely vulnerable to prying eyes or theft; as long as you’re careful, that’s almost an afterthought.

The real issue that you should be worried about is damage. When you leave hard copies in an office for the night, there is no guarantee that the documents won’t be damaged by moisture. Furthermore, they could be smudged or otherwise harmed when they’re being handled. Therefore, you need to consider how to best keep documents safe, whether that’s through additional protocols or the use of products like report covers and laminating film rolls. Let’s look into some of the safety procedures you should follow below.

1. Use Laminating Film Roll

The laminating process is made to keep a variety of different paper products, including business or legal documents, safe. Laminating film rolls essentially act as a shield for the documents and are the most basic elements of paper protection on the market. At a minimum, you should use laminating film rolls whether you’re storing documents for an academic report or a legal proceeding.

This film is transparent and is meant to seal in the documents and protect them from moisture, extreme temperatures, fingerprints, and tearing. There are different levels of thickness meant for different types of paper. For example, 1.5 millimeter film, equal to .00015 inches, is among the thinnest. This would be used most often for items printed on heavy cardstock. Thinner degrees of film can make documents easier to handle, as well. Keep this in mind when you choose your laminating film roll.

2. Safes

If you’re concerned about particularly sensitive documents being accessed by the wrong people, a safe is an additional measure that you could use. Safes not only ensure that your documents are kept in a cool, dry environment, but they also keep them safe from theft and prying eyes. Birth certificates, tax returns, wills, and passports are among the types of items commonly kept within safes (and with good reason). However, safes are not only kept in the home for security purposes. They are also allowed within many offices, where they store sensitive information for businesses.

3. Clear Covers

If lamination doesn’t provide enough flexibility and you would rather keep your documents within covers that are easier to remove, there is an option available. Clear covers make documents easier to remove. This way, if you would like to be able to make edits with a pen or pencil, you can do so. Some also simply prefer the ability to store documents safely but handle them more directly as needed. Clear report covers make that possible. While it can’t compare to the complete protection of a safe or a laminating film roll, a report cover can act as an important barrier to prevent damage.

4. Shredders

Obviously, you should only shred documents once you’re completely sure that you don’t need them anymore. Be careful to ensure that you’ve removed any clear covers before you use this equipment to eliminate the possibility for damage. Shredders keep information safe, to a degree, but you’ll also have to protect digital documents with an even more impenetrable fortress. And if your hard copies are the only ways in which you can access the information you need, you may need to think twice before shredding.

It’s important that you handle documents with care at all times — and it’s equally important that you keep especially sensitive information in both hard and soft forms. Relying on soft copies too much opens you up to losing the information you need. But to protect your hard copies, consider using laminating roll film and other products. To learn more, please contact us today.