Scribd iPaper is a fantastic way to preview documents online, without having to download and install the necessary apps for viewing locally. Think of it as Adobe Reader for the web. Except you can also preview Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and many other file formats.

In conjunction with Box.net, iPaper offers a seamless experience of previewing files stored through your Box.net account.

Simply right-click on any applicable file, and choose Preview:

Your document preview is then opened in a new window.

From here you can quickly switch pages, zoom, and share with others. You can also embed the document on another site.

Documents load really fast; even image-heavy Word docs.

Using iPaper

Box.net uses the iPaper API, but you can also upload your documents and start sharing immediately!

Your document obtains a permanent URL, where viewers can leave comments (requires a Scribd account).

iPaper is gorgeous to use, with a very fluid behavior. Check out this sample document to see how easy it is to use iPaper.

Other thoughts

Gmail already allows document previews for email attachments, but it's not nearly as extensive as iPaper. I'm hoping Google integrates some of iPaper's technology into their own suite of apps.