The gist in brief
In practice, a paper contract costs significantly more than postage and paper. According to our calculation, the effort for a medium volume of about 300 contracts per month is around CHF 58 per contract, because labor time, administrative work, shipping and filing add up. If you only consider the moment of signing, you massively underestimate the real costs.
We have repeatedly seen in practice that the real surprise isn’t in signing, but in the entire path before and after. Exactly there lie the costs that many companies with 100 to 500 employees simply underestimate. For contract management, Legal and Compliance this is critical, because every unnecessary step ties up time and delays throughput.
Why a paper contract is more expensive than expected
Many people only look at the moment when the document is signed. On the table is the paper, with a ballpoint pen it only takes a few seconds, and the process seems almost free. In our calculation, this is precisely the thinking error: the signing moment is small; the pre- and post-work isn’t.
Steps that push the bill up
| Step | Why it costs time | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare document | Choose template, insert variables, internal review | Multiple people involved |
| Print and envelope | Copies, enclosures, address, postage | Media disruption before sending |
| Return processing | Follow-up calls, sorting, forwarding | Additional waiting time and coordination |
| Scan and store | Indexing, archiving, preserving | Filing becomes a long-term issue |
From our experience at actaSIGN, the effort only becomes visible when we lay out the entire process side by side. Then it becomes clear that it’s not a single step that is expensive, but the sum of small activities across departments. This is why solutions for signing PDFs or adding a signature to a PDF are not just a convenience topic but an efficiency topic.
What mistakes do companies make in PDF processes
- You only calculate the signing moment, not preparation, shipping and archiving.
- You don’t account for the document’s whereabouts and have to follow up.
- You underestimate copies, filing and later retrieval.
- You plan the paper path, although the approval process could be digital.
The most common thinking error
Contrary to the assumption that the contract is finished with the signature, the expensive part often starts afterwards. Once tracking, return shipping and archiving are added, the effort rises significantly. Exactly there are the costs that disappear in a simple unit cost calculation.
Do it yourself or digitize with actaSIGN?
| Situation | Do it yourself | With actaSIGN |
|---|---|---|
| Individual internal approvals | Possible, but often confusing | Faster and standardized |
| Recurring contracts | High manual effort | Clear processes and fewer media disruptions |
| Legal and Compliance | More review effort | Better traceable processes |
| Companies with 100 to 500 employees | Scaling becomes tedious | Processes can be standardized |
In actaSIGN environments we often see the same pattern: first a small optimization, then a clean digital process. Therefore we recommend starting with the existing paper process and gradually digitizing it. This preserves professional control while eliminating unnecessary effort.
What should you do next?
The most pragmatic step is to write down the current process in full: preparation, printing, shipping, return, review and filing. Only then will it become visible where time is wasted and which parts can be directly transferred to a digital workflow. If you want to start exactly there, signing PDFs digitally is usually the fastest lever.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a paper contract look so cheap at first glance?
Who benefits most quickly from the switch?
Is a digital process always cheaper automatically?
How do I know the paper path is already too expensive?
In short, our calculation shows: The costs of a paper contract do not arise at the ballpoint pen, but in the entire process before and after. If you introduce digital signing cleanly, you reduce not only effort but also create more transparency in contract management. For many companies this is exactly the point where the switch pays off.
Möchtest du deinen Vertragsprozess digitalisieren?
axelity ag, Sargans