--- title: Paperless accounting is elementary, but why do we need to abandon PDF? date: 2022-04-08T12:44:29Z modified: 2025-11-11T12:21:08Z permalink: "https://grow.ee/paberivaba-raamatupidamine-on-elementaarne-aga-miks-on-vaja-maha-jatta-pdf/" type: post status: publish excerpt: When talking about "green accounting", we mean papers that can be replaced with digital documents. wpid: 7374 featured_image: "https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Paberivaba.jpg" featured_image_alt: Capital raising_ timestamp: 2025-11-11T12:21:08Z tags: - Accounting --- ![Capital raising_](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Paberivaba.jpg) When talking about "green accounting", the first thing that often comes to mind is stacks of paper, which can be replaced with digital documents today. In fact, green thinking goes much further in the accounting world, and digital “paper economy” also needs to be sorted out. What does Estonia's first paperless accounting company [Grow Finance](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/front-page-3-2.md) do and how does it think in this direction? Grow Finance partner Ulvi Tallo recalls that he started doing training courses about five years ago, teaching how to become paperless. At that time, at least half of Estonian accounting firms still used paper invoices, if not more. Even now, there are companies where invoices are printed on paper. "Today, this part is marginal, but it is still done," says Tallo. ## Why become PDF-free? However, paperlessness is only the first step. In 2022, we should already be thinking about how to be PDF-free. Unfortunately, most invoices in Estonian accounting are sent in PDF format. “This is a peculiarity of Estonia that they are sent in PDF and not much thought is given to how large the PDF footprint actually is. This needs to be reduced,” says Tallo. Instead of PDF, e-invoices should be introduced, which have a much smaller footprint. A regular telephone or internet invoice can be only a few kilobytes in PDF format. Doesn't that seem too bulky? Ulvi Tallo explains what the problem is: “The range of PDF sizes can be very large, sometimes it is tens of times and sometimes even a thousand times larger than an e-invoice. The difference is that an e-invoice moves from one program to another, but PDFs remain in emails and elsewhere, where they are not deleted.” Since many accounting offices only recently moved [towards paperlessness](https://grow.ee/services/raamatupidamine/) and have not been managing PDFs for a very long time, the problem may not appear today or tomorrow, but in the distant future. “Today's footprint may not be that large, but if PDFs are never deleted, it will continue to accumulate and get larger. Offices that have only recently become paperless should already think today about how to get rid of their archives as easily as possible in the future,” Tallo emphasizes. A simple example that is familiar even to those who are not familiar with accounting: we snap a bunch of pictures with our phone and think that we will sort them out someday. The reality is often different – instead of sorting the pictures, we end up buying a new phone that is more powerful. “If you put 10 or 50 years into it, the footprint will grow exponentially,” warns Tallo. This is not an abstract scare story, but a warm recommendation from pioneers in their field. “Since [Grow Finance](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/front-page-3-2.md) has been digital for so long and has been working with PDF, we can already see this archive volume today. Others are so much newer that you don’t even realize it yet,” says Tallo. ## There is still room for development Who will be left behind by the development? The introduction of e-invoices shouldn’t be that difficult. Since [Grow Finance](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/front-page-3-2.md) operates internationally, Tallo knows firsthand that Estonia is a “laggard” when it comes to e-invoices. “Nothing will change until sending e-invoices is made mandatory,” believes Tallo. Currently, sending e-invoices is mandatory only for the public sector. “Grow Finance can send and receive e-invoices, but if they are not sent to us, then we can’t do anything,” says Tallo. There is certainly still room for improvement in retail, such as grocery and hardware stores, where invoices are still printed on paper. “The mTasku solution is very nice, but for some reason not many companies have joined it. In fact, there could be one central place where you can get a check without paper,” dreams Tallo. So it’s not just accounting firms that are struggling with paper and PDF. [Green accounting](https://grow.ee/services/raamatupidamine/) is not limited to e-invoices, however. Since accounting can be done virtually anywhere, [Grow Finance](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/front-page-3-2.md) also supports working from home and online meetings. “We encouraged the use of home offices even before the coronavirus. In fact, you don't have to travel everywhere and meet, it reduces the transport footprint. Fortunately, it has now become very natural,” Tallo is happy that something good came out of the pandemic. [ ![](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Praktika-Blogi_Mathias-300x169.jpg) ](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/mathias-valtsovi-raamatupidamispraktika-grow-financeis.md) ##### [Mathias Valtsovi's accounting internship at Grow Finance](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/mathias-valtsovi-raamatupidamispraktika-grow-financeis.md) July 21, 2026 Experience story from the Grow internship: How did the internship become a solid step in an accountant's career? [ ![](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Kuhu-riiki-ma-sotsiaalmaksu-tasun-300x167.png) ](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/mis-vahe-on-sellel-kuhu-riiki-ma-oma-sotsiaalmaksu-tasun.md) ##### [Does it matter in which country I pay my social tax?](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/mis-vahe-on-sellel-kuhu-riiki-ma-oma-sotsiaalmaksu-tasun.md) June 26, 2026 Your social tax determines your health insurance and pension – does it go to the right country? [ ![Working abroad](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Tootamine-valismaal-300x163.png) ](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/millega-peab-tooandja-arvestama-kui-tootaja-tahab-teise-riiki-kaugtood-tegema.md) ##### [Working from abroad: what does the employer need to know?](https://grow.ee/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/post/millega-peab-tooandja-arvestama-kui-tootaja-tahab-teise-riiki-kaugtood-tegema.md) May 21, 2026 Working from abroad brings with it tax and legal issues that the employer needs to be aware of.