1. Creating more usable space in your office is the biggest advantage. With scanners, computers, faxes and other modern technologies, you can eliminate a great deal of the clutter that sticks around the office for tracking purposes.
 This removal of clutter happens because you maintain a filing system on your computer of important documents instead of files in a bulky filing cabinet, or other means of storage.
 The computer can hold all of these documents in folders on the hard drive. You can create files, scan documents and save them in the folders you create. All at your fingertips, these documents are easily found and accessible.
 With the use of online bill tracking, email and other forms of transferring information on the internet, you will even cut out a great deal of the scanning in the first place.
2. Removing the hunt issues. The easy filing system can make it as easy for searching for the documents you are looking for.
 You can look in the file, or if you cannot find the document, you can do a search and put in the name of the document and it is found. There is no treasure hunt, through hundreds of files.
3. Less work. There is not nearly as much work in saving a file to your hard drive for a document, than with making a paper file, filing it and then organizing all the files.

The disadvantages of running a paperless office are pretty apparent also. This is the area that you will have to decide if the set up and work to make the paperless office work for you will be an overall benefit.

1. The start up of the paperless office can be pricey. Though, often times you have the needed equipment in your office already. This would include a computer, the Internet in many cases, a fax, and a scanner.
2. Ongoing upkeep costs are another area of disadvantage in some cases. If you plan on updating your computer and other office equipment to keep up with the technology of the time, it can cost some money.
 However, most programs and items needed to create and maintain a paperless office are on the low end of the technical requirements.
 Therefore you can make the software and equipment last for years as long as you do to mind the limitation of the devices you have.
3. Networking is an area that can cost you some money. If you do not have an existing network, you will have to have one created. This will also have to be up kept, as there was growth in your company.
4. Legality always plays a part with the business documents we use. Usually there still needs to be an original document submitted as evidence in a lawsuit.
 So where the legal documentation is concerned i.e. contracts, bids, or other documents that are possibly used in a lawsuit, you would still have to keep on file with the standard paper manner.

There are many reasons to have a paperless office, at least to some extent. It will save on the environment and trees, it will save on paper cuts and employee costs, but it is a gradual process that will take time to create, and a little work to maintain. The amount of paper you use in your office is all up to you.