Ask most offices if they are 'paperless' and they will say yes, right after describing a process that involves printing a contract, signing it by hand, scanning it back in, and emailing the PDF. That is not a paperless workflow. It is a paper workflow with an extra scanning step.
This article looks at why so many 'digital' signing processes still rely on a printer, what a genuinely paperless workflow looks like end to end, and what the printing habit is actually costing UK businesses in time, paper and hidden overhead.
Why Most 'Digital Signing' Still Involves a Printer
The most common signing process in UK SMEs still runs: draft the document, export to PDF, print it, sign by hand, scan it, then email or upload the scan. Every step after 'export to PDF' exists purely to get a wet-ink mark onto paper and back into digital form again.
This happens because many businesses conflate 'we send documents by email' with 'we are paperless'. Sending a PDF that still needs to be printed and physically signed does not remove paper from the process, it just moves the paper step to the recipient's desk instead of your own.
What a Genuinely Paperless Signing Workflow Looks Like
A truly paperless process never produces a physical sheet of paper at any point, from drafting to signing to storage. The document is created digitally, sent digitally, signed digitally with a legally recognised electronic signature, and stored digitally with a timestamped audit trail.
The difference is not cosmetic. Removing the print-sign-scan loop removes the delay of waiting for someone to be at a printer, the risk of a signed document being misplaced, and the manual re-keying of information from a scanned image back into a system of record.
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No printing: the document is signed on screen, on any device
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No scanning: the signed original is already digital
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No manual filing: the audit trail and signed copy are stored automatically
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No chasing: signers get a direct link and a reminder, not a printed pack in the post
The Hidden Cost of Printing for UK SMEs
The print-sign-scan habit is not free. UK office workers use thousands of sheets of paper every year, and independent research suggests a large share of that volume is genuinely wasted rather than necessary, through forgotten print jobs, duplicate copies and documents that are never referred to again.
The cost is not just the paper itself. Every printed page that needs to be signed, scanned, filed and retrieved carries a handling cost that dwarfs the price of the sheet, once staff time is factored in.
CITED EVIDENCE
Research commissioned by sustainable stationery manufacturer SeedPrint found that UK office workers use around 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year each, with an estimated 68% of that classified as wasted through unnecessary printing and forgotten documents.
Source: Zero Waste Week / SeedPrint research, 2025.
How Inkless Removes Paper From Every Step
Inkless is built so that a document never has to leave the screen. Contracts, agreements and forms can be sent, signed and stored without a single sheet being printed, using a signature process that is legally recognised for the vast majority of UK business documents.
For SMEs moving away from the print-sign-scan habit, the change is less about hitting a sustainability target and more about removing a slow, error-prone step from every single transaction that requires a signature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a document sent as a PDF count as 'paperless' if the recipient still prints it?
No. If your process expects the recipient to print, sign and scan a PDF, paper is still part of the workflow, it has simply moved to their desk. A genuinely paperless process lets them sign on screen instead.
Is a paperless signing process legally valid in the UK?
Yes. Electronic signatures captured through a platform like Inkless are legally recognised for the vast majority of UK business documents under the Electronic Communications Act 2000, provided the signer's identity and intent are recorded.
How much paper does the average UK office actually waste?
Independent research puts UK office paper use at around 10,000 sheets per worker per year, with a substantial share of that considered wasted rather than necessary, largely through unnecessary or forgotten print jobs.
Final Thoughts
Being paperless is not about sending documents electronically, it is about never needing paper at all, from draft to signed original. That distinction is where most businesses' 'digital' processes quietly fall short.
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Print-sign-scan is a paper workflow with a digital wrapper, not a paperless one.
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A genuinely paperless process removes printing, scanning and manual filing entirely.
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UK office paper waste is significant, and most of it is avoidable rather than necessary.
If your team is still printing anything to get a signature on it, Inkless can show you exactly where that step disappears.