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ThreadProof vs pasting screenshots into Word
The short answer
Word is free and everyone has it, but it re-scales images, has no page-level exhibit numbering, no redaction that survives export, and no record of the original files. ThreadProof lays each screenshot out at a fixed size, numbers every page, burns redactions into the pixels, and lists a SHA-256 fingerprint for each original file in an appendix.
| ThreadProof | pasting screenshots into Word | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free for up to 8 screenshots with a small mark; paid plans from $9 a month | Free if you already have Word or Google Docs |
| Time for a 40-screenshot thread | About five minutes: import, arrange, redact, export | Usually an hour or more of pasting, resizing and re-checking order |
| Redaction | Black boxes are drawn into the image pixels before the PDF is written | A black rectangle drawn on top of an image can often be moved or deleted by the person who receives the file |
| Page numbering and labels | Page x of y on every page, exhibit label, continuation notes | Manual headers and footers you maintain by hand |
| File integrity record | SHA-256 fingerprint of every original file, listed in an appendix | None |
| Where the files go | Nowhere. Everything runs in your browser | Nowhere if you work offline; cloud sync if you use Google Docs or OneDrive |
When pasting screenshots into Word is the better choice
- You have three or four screenshots and no deadline.
- The recipient asked for an editable document rather than a PDF.
- You need to write long commentary between the images.
When ThreadProof fits
- The thread runs past a dozen screenshots.
- Anything on screen needs to be covered up before it leaves your hands.
- You want consistent page numbers, labels and a record of the source files.
Questions
- Can't I just export the Word file to PDF?
- You can, and the layout usually holds. What does not survive is the redaction: shapes drawn over an image in Word are objects, and in many exports they remain separate from the image underneath. ThreadProof draws the box into the pixels before the PDF is written, so there is nothing on top to remove.
- Does ThreadProof change my messages?
- We don't retype your messages. Your screenshots are placed as images, exactly as they came off the phone, so nothing is paraphrased, corrected or re-worded on the way through.