An
electronic document is any
electronic media content (other than
computer programs or system
files) that are intended to be used in either an electronic form or as printed output. Originally, any computer data were considered as something internal — the final data output was always on
paper. However, the development of
computer networks has made it so that in most cases it is much more convenient to distribute electronic
documents than printed ones. And the improvements in
electronic display technologies mean that in most cases it is possible to view documents on screen instead of printing them (thus saving paper and the space required to store the printed copies).