A day spent going through documents in our office closet made us realize we had accumulated quite the collection of product manuals. A previously forgotten and random assortment of booklets of every shape and size taking up a significant amount of space. Maybe, it's time to go digital with these things and send their paper versions off to the recycle bin...
If you haven't noticed already, it seems nearly everything is now available online. This includes the majority of product documentation for tech devices, appliances, and other products, so why not tap into that resource to save some paper estate?
Find your product manual's digital counterparts
It's guaranteed after you declutter the closet or desk drawers of product manuals, a week later you'll suddenly need it. So don't just toss your manuals into the recycle bin. Take a few minutes and simply check if they're available online first.
For most manuals a simple Google search using the keywords, "INSERT-PRODUCT-NAME-HERE owner's manual" will do. You'll likely be taken to the manufacturer's website where you can download the appropriate PDF file and keep it stored on a cheap flash drive or on a mobile device (below). Once you've got it saved, you're safe to toss that manual aside. Proceed like this for all your manuals that have any foreseeble usefulness.
What about those IKEA manuals though? You're likely never going to need to rebuild that cabinet again, right? For IKEA items, if the piece features fabricated parts — such as hydraulic pistons, custom hinges, or pulleys — it may be a good idea to download and archive the manual. This digital copy could come in handy in the event you need a replacement part for an item IKEA has since discontinued (and removed from their site). Having a copy of the manual in this scenario will give you a shot at IKEA rounding up the part from one of their stores.
Archive Manuals in iBooks
Now that you have all the digital manuals you think you'll need, let's put them on the iPad.
- Transferring instruction manual PDFs into your iTunes Library.
- Sync your iPad
- Connect your iPad to iTunes and select it in the "DEVICES" section on the left.
- Go to the "Books" tab, and make sure "Sync Books" is selected.
- Now scroll through the documents in the Books list and select all the new manuals you just added.
- Click "Sync" and when finished disconnect the iPad from iTunes.
- Connect your iPad to iTunes and select it in the "DEVICES" section on the left.
- Make iBooks Categories
Now your manuals are digitized on the iPad. But lets add some order to the mix.- Open the iBooks app on the iPad.
- Now click the "Collections" button on top left, then "Edit."
- Click "New" and type in a category name for your manuals to reside — so they are out of sight and mind when browsing other books or PDFs you may have. We divided them into two categories - Home and Electronics
- Open the iBooks app on the iPad.
- Categorize your Manuals
- Click the "Edit" button on the top right.
- Select the manuals you want to move to a specific category, then choose the "Move" button on top left.
- Now select the new category you made and click "Done."
- Click the "Edit" button on the top right.
- Sync and manage
This is as easy as opening iTunes and clicking File -> Add to Library. Select the documents you need and click OK.
Having a digital manual is great. You can search for words, find diagrams by scrubbing through the page navigator, and everything is formatted to fit the entire screen. Best of all you can recycle the manuals in hope they get used again to make something great.
Now what are you going to do with all that paper space you freed up?
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I scan and shred every bit of paper that comes through the door with this exception, mostly due to the staples and format of the paper manuals. So all manuals are in a huge box file that gnaws daily at my insanely organized soul. It hadn't even occurred to me to stash them this way on the iPad. Genius. Thanks for the detailed instructions, I intend to do this immediately.
Or even better than using iTunes to sync, stick the PDFs on Dropbox. They'll be available anywhere, and you don't have to access iTunes to re-sync (handy if a broken computer is the source of your need for the manual...)
Imagine being able to find a needed manual in a moment!
Gone are the days of searching for the misplaced and/or missing manuals! My iPad just keeps getting more and more useful!
Brilliant!
You could download the PDF's too and put them on your ereader. Great idea guys!!
I'm sending this article to my father-in-law, who just bought a tablet and had the sales person PRINT out the entire 125 page manual that was available online, and yes, could have been viewed on his tablet. sigh.
This is such a great idea!!!!!!!!!I I love when I have "Duh!" moments like this. Thanks!!!
throw the things in a shoebox.
i have better things to do than actually go online and get digital versions of everything. when are you ever going to look at them anyways?
this isn't an example of 'going paperless' this is "how to waste time when you are bored'
why didn't i think of this?
Good idea. And as others have said, this can be done on any tablet/e-reader, as well.
This is a really good article. You should be able to sort and set up through categories in itunes after you select books in the library pane.
I wonder though why you would fill up your ipad with all of your manuals. I would guess you put the one on that you need at the moment. And instead of syncing through Itunes it would be faster, as redfive said, to put it into dropbox. In which case as you first stated everything is available online. So the easiest solution would be throw out all your manuals, and just do a search on your ipad/laptop/etc. when you need it. It should come up quicker, and you don't have to spend all that time organizing your manuals.
And my confession is that I have already organized them in Itunes. And I store the manuals in the basement. I'll throw them out soon.
Apt... why would you shred manuals? There shouldn't be any sensitive material in them. Just recycle.
We keep the owner's manuals near the devices -- the TV, universal remote, and DVR manuals for the living room are in a drawer in the coffee table. If/when we upgrade and sell the devices on eBay or Craigslist, the boxes are usually stored in a spare closet and the manuals go to the new owner. If we happen to misplace one, we look online as we need it. I don't see the value of downloading manuals that MAYBE we refer to once or twice in the X years we own the thing. But iPad lovers, don't let my lack of enthusiasm deter your project!!! ;^)
Oh, by the way, a number of "manuals" we have seen lately were on DVD.
This is one of those fantastic times that my passion for AT has solved a big work challenge in a thoughtful and creative way. Thanks AT!
I tend to do this as well and keep the PDFs on DropBox. Any time I have a new item purchased, I just save the PDF and recycle the manual. If the manual is on CD I copy the manual and toss the CD.
BRILLS!!!! I feel a weekend project coming on! Thank you for the fantastic idea.
I've been doing this for years and my friends and co-workers tease me about this.
ProTip: If your book/manual is bound and is not available on the internet as a PDF, take it to Kinko's and ask them to cut off the binding, then scan.
Since you can always find the manual on-line, why not bookmark it and retrieve it when you need it?
I wouldn't save manuals on my iPad - PDFs, especially large ones - are very large files. If there's something I don't want to just bookmark, I would save it to my laptop/desktop. I mean, why do you need your printer or audio receiver with you all the time?
you could save you manuals on an SD card to save space, and just pop the SD card into your e-reader/tablet when you need it.
Well, unless you have an iPad...
This is a little uncanny because I just did this last weekend. I've already got a mostly paperless household and until last weekend kept paper manuals and recipes. Not anymore though... http://downmodernhome.com/2012/02/streamlining-to-focus-on-bigger-projects/
Exception to the rule: Don't through out your catalogs if they look like these vintage beauties. Frame them instead!
If I need to go back to a manual, I'll do a web search for it and read it online. I do like the idea of storing the Ikea type build and parts list in Everynote or Dropbox.
Or, Use Dropbox to upload ebooks/PDF files in folder called "books" and open those files using iPad version of Dropbox. Then, select option to view it in iBook. No need to deal with iTunes.
I'm with 404. I'll never own an ipad, or use itunes, EVER, and thankfully for those of us like me, there's an even easier way. For many years I've stored the pdf versions of manuals, spec sheets, warranties, etc., in a file folder in Dropbox, just as 404 does.
Now everything has cons. The con to this is that unless you plan on dropping a ton of money for software (which I won't do), you cannot write the serial number and attach the receipt to said manuals, which I've always done in the past.
On the other hand, In this case, if you're OCD like me, you can place a scanned copy of the receipt in that same Dropbox folder and make a spreadsheet in Google Docs that lists cost, purchase date, model, serial number, the direct link to your confirmation in your email if you don't have a physical receipt (like when you order from Amazon, they email you a confirmation), etc.
It's two different places, but that works for me and has for years.