Office Ink BlogExpert advice on going green, getting organized, office design & tech from On Time Supplies.

This blog is powered by research. We here at Smart Office are constantly on the lookout for career and office product information you can actually use. In the process of scouring the Internet for that info, I’ve come to a startling realization: there are a lot of people way into office supplies. I have seen countless odes to paper clips, mechanical pencils, sticky notes and markers in blogs from around the world! A Google search of the exclamation “I love office supplies” yields more than 26,000 hits. I work for a great office products supplier and all that office supply love seemed a little over the to to me, but it did get me thinking. There are definitely some office supplies that I find especially useful and some I just get a little kick out using. That realization presented me with an opportunity to indulge in the blogger’s favorite activity: list making! My favorite office products in no particular order:

Wrist rest: I’ve had my wrist rest for years, but I never even bothered to take it out of the package until I got this gig. After working from home for a few days, the numbness in my hands and shooting pains in my arms alerted me to the fact that my tiny desk was laid out fine for casual web surfing, but was murder as a workstation. That’s when I pulled out the keyboard wrist rest my least favorite aunt gave me a few Christmases ago. What a difference it makes! I thought I was going to have to buy a new desk, but now I work comfortably at all day. So, thanks Auntie! Maybe one day I’ll learn to love the ice scraper you got me this past Christmas as much as I love my wrist rest!

Multi-colored Post-it Notes: My Post-its are my everything — my message board, my note pad, my address book, my daily planner. I am so glad they are available in so many colors since my wall is covered in them. That way I can call it art instead of a mess!

Roller Ball Pen: For the most part, I only have to actually hand write notes and memos to myself, which is great because I have terrible hand writing. Plus, I get to use pink ink and not worry about looking unprofessional!

microSDHC Card: Ok, I’ll admit it. This isn’t so much an office supply, as a boost-the-song-storage-capacity- of-my-not-an-iPod-mp3-play supply. Still, I seriously couldn’t live without it!

Cable ties: I didn’t even know about this useful little product until I started at On Time Supplies. Again, now that I sit at my computer desk all day, I have a new appreciation of products designed to increase comfort and organization. These cheap ties work great to keep all my cords organized and neatly tucked a way.

Space Heater: You can’t just crank up the thermostat when you feel like it in most offices. I can here at home, but I also pay the heating bill. So yes, you still need a “work sweater” and a space heater when you work from home!

If you follow the Smart Office blog, you know that it is completely illegal for printer manufacturers to void your warranty for not using name brand inks. This is great if you use an inkjet printer, because those run through ink pretty quickly. I use an inkjet and it sometimes seems as if I am buying a new cartridge every other day! Since printer ink is a recurring expense, it’s a good idea to find ways to save money. You have three options when it comes to replacing ink cartridges: OEM cartridges, OEM-compatible cartridges and re-manufactured cartridges.

OEM means “original equipment manufacturer.” OEM ink cartridges are made or purchased by printer manufacturers and marketed under their brand name.  OEM ink cartridges are guaranteed to work reliably and produce great looking documents, but they also costs the most. The other safe bet is OEM-compatible ink cartridges. These ink cartridges are generics made to OEM specifications, so they generally perform reliably. They also cost significantly less than OEM ink cartridges. For example, if your office uses a Hewitt Packard Officejet K8600 Series printer, you’ll pay about $29 for the OEM cartridges at On Time Supplies. The OEM-compatible cartridges from Innovera are only $22.

Finally, there are remanufactured or recycled ink cartridges. These are used OEM cartridges that have been refurbished and refilled.  Re-manufactured cartridges are the cheapest option — some quick Googling turned up $26 5-packs for the HP Officejet printer. They are also the riskiest option — they may be filled with inferior inks that can clog your printer, produce poor quality documents, break down or otherwise fail to perform reliably. Use these at your own risk.

Now maybe “fear” is the wrong term, but it’s as valid as any. MinnPost.com is reporting that 3M, long-plagued by shrinking sales in the new economy, is making back some lost profits with record sales of flu masks and other health and safety gear.

3M’s third-quarter profits of $971 million beat analysts’ predictions and prompted the company to raise its outlook for the fiscal year.

Health-care sales increased 4.7 percent to $1.1 billion, while its consumer and office division saw sales fall 4.8 percent to $923 million. Office products saw double-digit sales declines, the company said.

‘Tis the season to get sick, folks. There’s nothing wrong with a little caution, and 3M and the rest of the gang over at On Time Supplies are happy to help out with masks, hand sanitizer, and everything else you need to stay healthy and happy this fall.

How about some good news for once? Just posted on Reuters, EXPO® (perhaps best known for their dry erase products, and falling under the same Rubbermaid corporate umbrella as Sharpie®, Rolodex® and more) announced that Peter Torres of Davie, Fla., was the grand prize winner of the EXPO Extraordinary Educator Award.

What makes me so happy about this story is they picked a teacher who works to instill grammar basics (which I find awesome!) and break “text speak” such as using “u” for “you” and so on (which I find infuriating!) in a class full of seventh-graders.

According to Torres, there is a time and a place for “text speak” – using a
shorthand “u” for “you,” for instance – in today’s cell phone-wielding world.
But in the classroom, he says students’ increasing use of text messaging to
communicate has taken on even greater concern as it may also stunt their
academic growth. He adds that many students are putting “text language” in
their written materials and presentations.

“Kids these days do not know how to speak in front of people,” said Torres.
“They can express themselves in a social setting outside of school, but they
have trouble communicating in writing or when asked a question by an adult.”

Torres, who DJs professionally on the side, uses his entertainment skills to
keep language arts units dynamic, engaging and focused on the fundamentals.
His lesson plans include everything from challenging students to correct the
grammar used in rap lyrics to using well-known wizardly novels to get them to
unlock the hidden meanings of select prose.

The article goes on to say that Torres was chosen from hundreds of teachers nominated by students and parents nationwide. He will receive $5,000 in cash, a year’s supply of EXPO products for his school, a $900 mimio® Interactive Plus Capture kit and a “field trip” for two to Los Angeles or New York to attend the taping of an NBC Late Night Talk Show.

Teachers spend hundreds of dollars of their own money each year on school supplies – an average of $523 and $465, respectively, in large and medium school systems, according to a 2001 study by the National Education Association. The EXPO Extraordinary Educator Award is EXPO’s way of helping teachers defray some of those costs, and we salute them.

According to attorneyatlaw.com, Raynor Marketing is voluntarily recalling the Quantum Realspace PRO™ 9000 Series Mid-Back Multifunction Mesh Chair and Multifunction Mesh Chair with Headrest, both manufactured in China and sold exclusively at Office Depot.

Importer Raynor Marketing has received 33 reports of the seatbacks on the chairs coming loose and detaching, including 14 involving bumps, bruises, and other injuries, the CPSC said.

The falls occurred when bolts holding the seatback to the chair frame came loose and came off, officials said.

Quantum Realspace PRO™ 9000 Series Mid-Back Multifunction Mesh Chairs with SKU # 510830 and the Quantum Realspace PRO™ 9000 Series Mesh Chair with Headrest carrying SKU # 690690 are included in today’s recall. The Realspace PRO™ Mesh Guest Chair is not involved in this recall, the CPSC said.

The chairs sold for about $300 without headrest and $350 with headrest. If you own one of the two chairs seen below, check the SKU and contact Raynor to receive a repair kit. The contact information, as well as the full details of the recall, can be found in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s official release. As with the last recall, I am not trying to use this as a jab at the big office companies; just getting the word out. They’ll give me plenty to jab at them with later.

More news from the International Stationery and Office Products Fair in Tokyo. This time it’s a holographic display being shown by Epson, and it could revolutionize the way we handle communications, computing and more. From the Dvice article:

Presented by Epson, the rear projector beams a video presentation onto a 0.3 millimeter thin slab of glass cut into the shape of a person. The result is an effect that almost matches the virtual reality of holographic displays, missing only the three-dimensional aspect.

You can check out video of the amazing display in action here.

At the Saudi Gazette of all places, there is a small article about the ongoing ISOT Office Products Trade Show in Tokyo. Highlighted here are USB Flash Memory cards shaped like Samurai Warriors.

With a lot of video games, movies, and television in Japan focusing more on the Edo period (1603 to 1868 AD), Samurai culture is once again on the rise in Japan.

Of course, when you’re making a samurai-themed USB device, and you’re in Japan, of course it’s going to end up being cute. Call me a sucker for these kind of novelties, but I’d take a teeny cartoon samurai USB stick over a plain ol’ black one any day. Of course, I’m sure the prices are outrageous. For most consumers, the regular kind will probably do just fine.

Our pals over at Lifehacker have posted a really cool find from their photo pool: a standing desk that vanishes behind the closing doors of an armoire.

I’ve never personally been all that enamored with the idea of a standing-only desk, as most of my work sees me sitting at least a portion of the time. I much prefer something like this pneumatic desk that’s like a crazy office transformer, turning from sitting to standing with the touch of a button.

Still, if standing desks are your thing, this is definitely a classy solution. Some glass bricks space out the shelves to make sure it holds all of the computer components properly, and the addition of some IKEA cabinet lighting means there’s plenty of light to see what you’re doing. And when you’re done, it buttons up to look like any other piece of furniture.

Again, I’ve never been concerned with people seeing my messy desk (sign of creative mind, or so I tell myself), but if you’re one of those people who hate clutter, this is definitely an elegant solution.

Just found this over at eWeek.com – it’s a slideshow of some pretty impressive office gear. While it’s a little more unique than the stuff we sell, things like this still hold a special place in my heart as a gadget lover. I think the perfect office is one that blends over-the-top tech like this with a full pantry of the basics; pens, paper, toner, that kind of thing. And while the best bet for, say, picking a reliable office chair is to find something comfortable and affordable, I’ll always drool over some of this stuff, like this Motoart B-52 Ejection Chair. Check out the E-Week article for more geeky pipe dreams.

For your high-output devices, there’s a chance that your regular bargain-bin batteries aren’t cutting it any more. I know I’ve bought AA batteries from the dollar store thinking I’m getting a great deal, only to have them not even be recognized by my digital camera. A lot of cheap-o batteries don’t even have enough juice in them straight out of the box to power a lot of today’s high-end electronics, but luckily there are plenty of affordable alternatives.

Lithium

Lithium batteries are pretty much the brass ring of portable electric power. For a long time this technology had not been efficiently miniaturized, and Lithium batteries were either too big or too expensive for everyday use. In recent years, though, this cost has come down substantially, and now you can buy Lithium AA replacements for about the same cost as Alkaline (or “traditional”) batteries. According to some promo material picked up from Energizer reps, the Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAs (for example):

• Lasts up to eight times longer in digital cameras, 7 hours longer in handheld GPS devices, and 2x longer in photo flashes than their Energizer MAX brand.
• Are leak resistant and offer a 15-year storage life (vs. 7 years for ordinary Alkalines).
• Function in extreme temperatures, from -40°F to 140°F, making them perfect for GPS devices, radios and other outdoor gear that may see hard-weather use.

The lists go on and on, but basically Lithium is poised to become the new standard in battery use. The only downside is that the cost is still relatively high when compared with traditional alkalines, though it’s nowhere near where it was a few years ago. Also, given the performance boost you get from Lithium, it’s a matter of buying one set of slightly higher-priced batteries or potentially buying up to three sets of regular batteries over the same time frame for the same amount of use. Seems like a no-brainer to me, especially when there are many price points to choose from (Energizer, for example, has an “Advanced” Lithium battery line to complement the “Ultimate” line mentioned above, at a slight reduction in cost and performance).

Professional or High-Output Alkaline

This type of Alkaline battery does not quite stack up to Lithium, but is a solid choice for buying in bulk and getting a comparatively dependable battery for your electronics. These Alkalines, like the Duracell Procell line, are formulated to be able to handle the high-power draw of devices like digital cameras, while still being as cost-effective as traditional Alkalines.

The downside to these batteries is that while they can handle the initial power draw of a high-output device, they won’t last nearly as long as a lithium of the same type. These batteries would be a perfect choice for flashlights, remote controls, and other devices that see intermittent use but need to be fully charged when you need them. You wouldn’t want to put a pricey Lithium battery in a flashlight you might not turn on for months, and these high-powered Alkalines are a suitable alternative. Even then, the differences are noticeable:

The fenix is known as being one of the most high-powered flashlights
on the market, and demands a solid battery to get the most out of it.

Rechargeable Batteries

NiMH or Nickel-Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries have grown in popularity recently as one of the best ways to cut down on battery spending. In a world of high-power-draw, constant-use devices like MP3 players, cell phones, PDAs, wireless video game controllers and other gadgets, we’re burning through portable electricity like there’s no tomorrow, and rechargeables can help manage that.

The basic idea should need no explaining: make an initial investment of a charger and a set of batteries, and instead of buying new ones when they go dead, plug them into the charger. Presto! Fresh batteries in a matter of hours and no extra cost involved. The only real downsides to rechargeables are areas in which there is constant improvement: price and performance.

Rechargeables cost substantially more than use-once batteries, and the charges used to be a substantial investment as well. However, as part of a growing trend toward eco-friendly products, rechargeable batteries have seen a lot of support lately as an environmentally friendly alternative to filling up landfills with one-time-use batteries. This has allowed the costs to come down significantly.

As far as performance, rechargeables were never meant to be on par with their high-power counterparts, but were instead to be used in a case where you’re going to be drawing small amounts of power out of a device frequently enough to not want to keep shelling out for batteries. So for the products I listed above and other items like wireless computer mice, flashlights and so on, rechargeables may be the perfect choice.

Hopefully this information will help you make an informed choice about batteries and realize that there’s no need to throw away money on the cheap stuff when a smaller investment and a bit of planning can save you a ton of money in the long run.