Choose a format by checking who needs the information, where they will use it, and what they can access. You can use more than one format if you have a clear way to keep the copies current.
Paper binder or printed manual
Paper can be read without a charged device or an account. You can put a short contact sheet at the front and keep longer records behind it. Check text size and page labels with the people who will use it.
Paper needs a known storage location and suitable protection. Anyone who can reach an unprotected copy may be able to read it. Updating a binder means replacing the affected pages in each working copy.
PDF saved on a device
A PDF can hold the same page layout as a printed manual. You can keep a local copy and print it when needed. Test the local file with the device offline; a link in an email or cloud folder does not prove the file is available without a connection.
The device still needs power and access credentials. Check how readable the pages are on its screen. When you replace a file, remove obsolete working copies and tell the people who use them.
An app or shared document
An app may make editing and sharing easier. Its offline mode, account requirements, export options, and access controls depend on the product. Test those features with the intended reader before relying on them.
Check whether a helper needs an invitation, a subscription, or your device to open the information. Try exporting a readable copy. Review the provider's privacy and deletion terms before storing sensitive records.
Make a small access test
Use fictional details for the first test:
- Put an address and backup contact in your chosen format.
- Ask another adult to find both.
- Test the situations you need to support, such as a phone without internet or a caregiver without your account.
- Change the backup number and check that each working copy is updated.
Choose the format that works for your household in that test. Keep passwords and recovery codes separate from a broadly shared contact page.
Where Hardcopy fits
Hardcopy uses a guided interview to organize your household details into an emergency manual. Digital Complete costs $49 and provides a PDF you can download and print. Hard Copy costs $179 and includes the digital package and a printed manual. See the current plan details before choosing.
You supply the household information, check the result, and decide who should have access. Keep your downloaded files in a place you can find. Paid plans include 12 months of updates; review the current terms for what happens afterward.
Hardcopy also sells a standalone preparedness book. That general reference book is a separate product from your personalized household manual.
See the manual sample pages. If you want to start on paper yourself, use the free one-page worksheet and binder checklist.