For auditing purposes, and for future reference, industry practice requires that both the publisher and the advertiser archive their tearsheets for three years. At its core, the eTearsheets newspaper database serves this purpose.

The newspaper database also comprises an enormous repository of information that was previously unavailable in a single source. The information stored here is useful for a variety of commercial purposes, including settling transactions quickly and efficiently, locating and reviewing information in many geographical areas, and conducting marketing and advertising research. Most significantly, however, the eTearsheets also serves as a long-sought platform for a common Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) among publishers and their advertisers.