content2project.E-BILLING enables the signature of bills and other documents with the means of a digital signature.

Modern and cheap IT applications make it comparatively easy today to falsify digital documents. Herewith not only the reference data like e.g. the amount invoiced can be changed but also the design of a bill.

Besides, the process of the bill compilation is linked to high costs as they have to be compiled by assistants, printed, enveloped and sent. Beside the costs for the postage and the material high administration cost occur, too.

These two advantages of the classical bill compilation are improved by the opportunity of the digital signature of bills. The digital signature ensures that the data in the document are correct and that they have not been changed on their way to the receiver. Furthermore, the digital signature contains information about the invoice addresser so that the data from the document can be compared to those with the signature. In our solution the digital signature is integrated into the particular document. This is necessary as digitally signed documents normally may not be printed. The printing of bills is especially required for small and medium-sized enterprises which do not yet undertake a digital and legally compliant archiving of their documents or send their bills per fax. Thus, our solution combines the advantages of the paper and the electronic forms. Additionally to the digital signature the document is supplied with a two-dimensional barcode. This barcode makes it possible that documents can be printed or sent as fax anymore. If a document is transmitted in electronic form – e.g. in an e-mail or as a download -, the receiver can print it for the means of archiving. The electronic form inclusive signature can be restored anytime by scanning in the printout. Thus, enterprises can use the advantages of security from falsifications and realise the cost advantages for them without having an electronic archive.