Preparing to eFile  

How do I create my documents?

To create your documents, you'll need a word processing application, such as Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, a scanner and Adobe Acrobat (or the ability to create PDF files via a PDF printer). It really doesn't matter what operating system or the word processing application you use as long as you can convert the finished document to a PDF document.



What is a PDF document and how do I create one?

PDF (Portable Document Format) is a popular format created by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Documents using this format can be read by Adobe Reader, a free application available from the Adobe website. This type of document is considered a final form document because it cannot be edited. It is fixed and appears the same on nearly every machine that uses Adobe Reader. That's why most courts prefer to receive PDF documents. A PDF document's filename extension is .pdf, such as, Sample.pdf.

If you have Adobe Acrobat, you can create PDF documents directly from Microsoft Word. Some word processing applications, such as Corel WordPerfect, allow you to save documents as PDF documents. There are also freeware and shareware applications that create PDF documents. For more information, see your application's user documentation or visit the Adobe website.


How do I include paper exhibits?  

Many times you will need to include paper documents--such as a copy of a contract, a copy of a bounced check, or some other item--with your submission. You must scan paper exhibits into an accepted electronic format to eFile them. To do this you must have access to a scanner. Pay attention to court requirements for file size, color, and resolution. Most courts will reject your submission if you include images that are 1 MB per page or larger. Black-and-white scans with the resolution set to 300 dpi create pages that are 25-40 KB in size. Using color adds to the size of the file, so you should only scan using color settings when color is a vital element of the exhibit. See your scanner's user documentation for more information.


Is there a limit on how big a document can be?  

The court has established a 2 MB limit for each document. Generally, a 200-page document without images or graphs that has been saved in PDF format in black and white will be less that 2 MB.


What do I do if my document is too large?

If you have created a document that is over 200 pages or larger than 2 MB, you will need to split the document into a set of smaller files. The eFile system has the ability to load attachments and identify that they are associated with a previously included document. However, make sure you include the main document first when you split a document into smaller sections.


How many documents can I include in my submission?

You can include as many documents as you need; however, there is a limit to the total size of the submission. The Add a Document screen, which appears during the efiling process, will displays the size of each attached document. The limit is 10 MB per submission.