The Reader has the layout of a web browser, complete with forward-back buttons and an address slot. This layout was chosen because people are accustomed to it, thus minimizing training time. The reader also uses a browser window from Internet Explorer, in order that users can retrieve Returnable Forms which are posted on web pages. It is reasonable to assume that, at some point in the future, the Reader will become a "plug-in" for IE and Netscape.

Once the Reader shows a form, the entire document is on the user's computer. This means that the user does not need to maintain an internet  connection until he is ready to return it. This feature can be very helpful for long forms, such as college applications. 

Users can complete their Returnable Forms rapidly because they can save redundant data. The Reader has a special feature, where users can save their basic data, such as name and address,  which they use from one form to the next. With this data stored, users can populate the most common fields in their forms simply by selecting the Populate Redundant Fields item on their menu bar.

To finish the form, users “sign” it by recording a unique statement of intent, in their own voice, and the reader embeds it into the document. Users return the form by pressing the Return to Sender button, which sends a copy of it back to your FTP server. 

If a user needs to have a paper copy of the form, he can print it. Unlike HTML -- or even word processor formats, an RTN document is designed around defined page specifications, and the designer can control every pixel on a page. Printing is 100% WYSIWYG, and text cannot overrun the boundaries of a page.