Is it possible to use Acrobat in a small design & manufacturing company as a document approval & release tool?
We currently release engineering drawings (from Solidworks), specifications, and procedures (Word docs) by printing them, signing on the print-out, then scanning into PDFs. We lose graphics quality and it takes time. We are too small to use a PDM system.
Here is what we ideally would do:
1. Author completes the document in the native software, prints to PDF, and somehow submits it or notifies a "checker"
2. The checker reviews the PDF. Any corrections are handled in person or via e-mail, but automating the comments and back-and-forth is a plus.
3. When the checker is complete, he applies some kind of electronic signature, which is visible on the PDF.
4. The author or a document-control clerk then makes the file read-only, copies the PDF file to our "release" server, and notifies a list of people of the release via e-mail.
We currently run Acrobat v7 and the signature functionality has some distinct issues which prevent us from using Acrobat for this process:
- too many clicks and confusing options in wizard to apply signature
- training and acceptance challenges
- we don’t know how to generate and manage Digital IDs from a third party
- “signing details” form fields & options do not match our business process, need to be configured or eliminated
Does Acrobat v8 or v9 support this type of user-friendly approval & release process? If so, which components/tools/modules do we need?
Thanks in advance!
Glenn
