Best Office Supplies

1. Desk organizers

Are you one of those who have a knack for keeping piles of unsorted papers on your desk? Perhaps you are fond of letting your unopened mails get lost in piles of magazines, other mails, folders, files and other stuff.

Maybe you have a ton of old and unused notes all over your wall, and a large desktop container which essentially holds any other small item you used recently or months ago. Maybe you make a few attempts every now and then to get things organized but you still end up with the same old mess after a few hours or days.

If this is somehow you in totality or has some of resemblance, chances are that you lack a simple tool called a desk organizer.

A desk organizer serves you a number of things apart from keeping your workstation look tidy. An organized space gives you a psychological lift as it gives you a sense of having your things together.

It goes a long way in helping you get rid of the things you don’t need along with letting you have a better view and easy reach of anything you need. Whether it’s in your home setting or at work, a good organizer allows you to keep your items in a single place while allocating them into their respective and specialized compartments.

For instance, if you’re into a lot of paper-work, organizers with file storage capabilities will allow you to keep crucial files or folders within sight, and properly organized in an appropriate order.

But what matters most when faced with multiple choices?

All leading organizers have the following elements:

More compartments…

The best organizers accommodate a wider range of items. There should be a good balance of spaces for large, medium and smaller items while maintaining a practical size for the workstation. Typical spaces include those for files, pens, mails and smaller items such as paper clips.

You should clearly identify some of the common items you use and see if the model in question has compartments for all those items. Sometimes you may not have an ideal option and in this case, the greater the number of compartments, the better.

• Visible inside components

To allow for easy access to the items inside, organizers are better when they offer visual access to inside components. Most of the organizers which provide this property are made of a steel mesh, plastic and Acrylic. This allows for a surprising difference to your efficiency especially when you are involved in high volume work which is highly sensitivity to details.

Additionally, these types of organizers tend to fit in different styles of decor, thus they are not likely to compromise your workstation’s style.

If you are not into transparent stuff or simply can’t find anything with this property, you can still go for some opaque models which offer a degree of visibility to some parts of your items. Examples could be those models which provide compartments of varying heights so as to expose the top parts of your items.

• Solid, stable construction

Plastic and metal offer the most durable materials for desk organizers thus they are the usual part of most reliable models on the market today. A stable construction avoids frustrating moments of constantly having to repack your items after a slight knock.

For a practical reference, experts across the board agree that a good organizer should remain intact if you open the desk’s drawer or accidentally brush against it. However, it is also important to remember that the organizer doesn’t have to be heavy and rough as such models tend to cause scratches on the desk’s surface. Always try to make sure that the base is void of any rough edges which might take a toll on your desk’s surface.

• Practical size

Although desks take varying sizes, a good organizer should take as little space as possible while still accommodating all the items you intend to store. Always make sure that your organizer allows your desk as much space as possible to do different tasks such as drawing, writing and working on huge files. Organizers which take up the surface area of a single folder along with a vertical structural setup tend to be the most economical in terms of desk space.

• A provision of closed compartments

Though open organizers provide greater accessibility to useful items, it is also important to remember that some items are better off stored in closed spaces. Good examples are some documents which need some confidentiality, and items which tend to spill all over the place once they are knocked down. A good instance is push pins which tend to fall all over the place. Therefore, good organizers should incorporate spaces which afford some level of barrier against physical insults or other factors which may vary for different individuals.

• Justifiable price tag

It is common knowledge that better things come with an extra layer of responsibility in terms of price. However, not all models are as good as they claim to be, therefore always make sure that the price presents a good correlation with the value it provides in light of the factors we have discussed so far. Always check the specs along with credible reviews from former buyers to give weight to any purchase decision.

2. Folders

Folders provide you one of the smartest ways of managing your files. They allow you to organize your documents in a way that keeps them safe and easy to access thus saving both your time and the important information they contain.

Let’s have a look at a few things you need to keep in mind.

• Function and style

One of the first things you will recognize once you get on the market or by simple observation on standard offices is that folders tend to come in a variety of designs or styles. The reason behind is that different folders are designed with some particular functions in mind.

For instance, folders which are primarily intended for light files or smaller documents tend to have a simple and less bulky design. On the other hand, those intended for heavy-duty use may come in heavier, wider and with a bulky outer covering to handle the constant tension.

Let’s look at some of the examples.

• Standard folders: These are the most familiar and they take a basic design where you easily slip your files in between for relatively safe storage. These can easily fit in your organizer on the desk or hanging folders which are usually secured inside the drawer.

• Fastener folders: These can be thought of as standard folders with a little more protection through a single or several fasteners used to secure the files in place.
• Classifiers: As the name suggests, these types of folders allow you to classify your files for easier management. They usually have a thicker and harder material than basic folders and incorporate dividers in the interior to create multiple spaces for different types of files. To further secure the files, they also incorporate fasteners. These folders are terrific if you are looking for an efficient tool to keep a high volume of project files neat and organized.

• Hanging folders: These folders are devised to organize your files inside a drawer. They incorporate metal rods which extend into hooks which you use to secure the folder to the drawer.
• File jackets: These can rightly be described as standard files with sealed sides. They are usually flat and can expand to about 2 inches. They are commonly used in cases where you need more protection for your files such as transportation.
• Accordion folders: As the name suggests, these are more of classifiers but can be expanded to accommodate a wide range of widths. They also usually incorporate extra features such as indices, and a variety of labels to aid with more effective classification.

• Folder sizes

The amount of space you have for storage of the folders and the actual size of the documents you want to store influence the size of your folder. Therefore, it is prudent to have an accurate measurement of the space you want to use for storage which you then relate to the overall dimensions of the folder.

Apart from the space, other factors such as tabs can affect the size of the folder you choose. For example, if you want to use standard folders inside hanging folders but would like to keep the tabs visible for easier access, you would want to make sure that the standard folders height measurement is greater than the hanging folder’s.

• Tabs

The location and size are the most relevant factors attached to folders’ tabs. Tabs can be located in two places:  the top and at the base. Folders with top tabs are commonly used for basic on-desk file management or together with hanging files, whereas end tabs are commonly used for shelf files as in the case of medical files which often incorporate special color coding schemes.

• Tab size

When it comes to end tabs, they typically come in form of a single tab that covers the entirety of the folders height. Top tabs come in a number of sizes which may vary from running the entire width to just a quarter.

3. Punching machines

There are four main things you need to understand about punching machines to ensure the best possible choice. Let us have a quick exploration.

Heavy duty or portable?

Like most office related machines, punching machines occur in two main types depending on how much they can handle. Heavy duty punching machines are ideal for high volumes of paper in cases where using a typical medium machine would prove inefficient and impractical. Therefore, before everything else, you may need to define the type and amount of paper you will be using on a regular basis. The following factors will help you understand portable and heavy duty machines in a more specific way.

• Punching capacity

This refers to the amount of sheets (with standard thickness) which the machine can effectively punch in a single cycle. Medium punchers typically take about 15-22 sheets whereas as heavy duty machines can effectively work on up to 50 sheets.

• Punching diameter

This defines the width of the punched holes and it varies among different machines. Some heavy duty and other specialized machines tend to have wider holes and specialized shapes to accommodate specific binders.  For reference, standard punchers tend to have 5.5 mm holes.

• Punching distance

This defines how far apart the punched holes will be. While some accommodate a fixed distance, other more advanced models are adjustable to allow for a wide range of widths.

Standard machines usually have about 80mm.

• Material and general construction

The mechanical nature of the task associated with punching machines poses the need for a highly cohesive and resistant system.

This means that you need to check the material and general construction of the device. A durable machine’s central structure is typically made of metal to ensure the highest possible resistance.

4. Whiteboard and duster

Whiteboards prove a valuable tool when you want to express your ideas in written form whether you are planning a project or presenting your ideas to your colleagues. They can also serve as a mini notice board to help you keep track of things. Let’s have a walk-through on the most important aspects you need to be aware of in order to choose something that best suits your setting and style.

Material

Whiteboards are commonly made of two types of material: Melamine and Porcelain. As expected, each material has its own up and down sides.

Melamine: Melamine boards are ideal for light to moderate usage. The surface is lined with a special clear coat which allows for easier writing and wiping.

However, with prolonged usage, the coating tends to lose its integrity leading to a phenomenon called “ghosting effect”, where some of the erased text leaves some slightly visible markings on the board.

Porcelain Steel: Porcelain steel Whiteboards are ideal for frequent usage. They usually possess heightened resistance to ghosting and are also more physically cohesive when compared to melamine boards.

They might be slightly more costly than melamine boards which is justified by their overall long term value.

Size and method of mounting

You first need to define how much space you will need for the white board and then relate that to the amount of wall space you have at your disposal. This will lead you to choose the most practical size.

The method of mounting is also an important factor to consider as it may also have implications to how practical your whiteboard will be. Your setting will decide if you need it to be wall mounted, stand alone or a combination.

Additional capabilities

– Magnetic properties: These incorporate a magnetic mechanism which lets you utilize the board to hang other items like images or charts for presentation purposes.

– Planner boards: These come with pre installed calendars to allow for more accurate and effective time planning.

– Projection boards: These incorporate a surface which is optimized for easier usage with projectors.

5. Dusters

Most Whiteboards come with appropriate dusters and markers. However, there are some standalone markers and dusters capable of providing an enhanced performance than their regular counterparts. We will have a look at some of these later on in the review.

6. Janitorial supplies

Any office cannot do without the proper materials to ensure a clean and human-friendly atmosphere. Therefore this guide will look at some of the best janitorial supplies on the market to complement the basic work-related office supplies.