We are impressed with the new Frixion Pens, we think they’re clever, really clever! We congratulate our friends at Pilot, someone there is pretty clever!!

The highlighter is especially clever. Anyone that can invent a highlighter that emits a bright glow that can be removed by a rubber is really clever. Especially when that rubber is part of the same pen – clever or what? These are really useful for offices and students alike as a really easy and practical way of removing pink or yellow highlighting. Pilot has produced one of these for every nib type… yes, every nib type – clever eh? Fineliner, rollerball or ballpoint they all have the “clever” rubber at the end.

Any why, you may be asking, are they called Frixion? Well, the clue is in the name. The friction that is generated by rubbing the ink that’s on the paper is all that’s required to remove it! We think that’s pretty ………… smart!

In fact, we like them so much, we’re giving them away. Check out our fantastic offer of FREE Pens and a FREE Pencil case.

Billy Jan 2012

Back in the early noughties, 3M had the idea to investigate how people used sticky tape. They concluded that the average length that a person would cut a piece of tape was 5cm. (How they found this out is a subject for another blog – stay awake at the back!)

They came up with the very clever idea of inserting individual 5cm pieces of Scotch Magic Tape into a dispenser that can be desk mounted on a weighted mount. Alternatively, the dispenser can be  worn around the wrist of the user in a rather unusual way. However silly you might feel “wearing” this item, the experience while wrapping presents of being able to pull pre-cut 5cm pieces of tape is one of an unparalleled joy (well, it’s really quite convenient anyway!).

If you use lots of tape, then this is the product for you. Even if the only times of the year you’d use such a gadget are Christmas birthdays, you’d still appreciate it more than you’d think. However if you are “old school”, you might prefer the traditional method of tearing tape and leaving differing lengths hanging over the edge of the desk, then maybe you should stick to Sellotape!

Check out the Scotch pre-cut tape strips here

Helpful Billy 2012

As far as I can tell, the only difference between these two types of pens is that, when used on a Drywipe board, the permanent markers are a pain in the neck and can cause a problematic stain. Fortunately we are full of helpful stationery hints and you can see just how to remove these annoying marks it you read one of our other blogs! (see “How to remove a permanent marker stain on a drywipe board!”)

When choosing which pen type to use, we would suggest taking the Drywipe markers. Both can be used in most applications quite satisfactorily and having the Drywipe markers removes the possibility of some Charlie using the wrong type of pen on the Drywipe board!

Both types are appropriate to a multitude of applications – they can quite happily be used to mark boxes or label the sides of lever arch files and are generally suitable for most other uses you would have for a permanent marker – and they can also be used on a Drywipe board. The only instances where you might want a permanent marker is if you really are sure that what you're writing mustn’t be removed and that what you're writing on will never be used for anything else!

There are many types of Drywipe markers and many popular brands but here at Cheapstationery we recommend 5 Star. They are the best value and of sufficient quality to last as long as any branded Drywipe marker, all of which end up drying out and need replacing eventually.

Billy trying to save you money!  Jan 2012

Well if sales are anything to go by the answer would have to be a resounding ....”yes”. Remember the old bottle and brush? As ever, the demise of one thing spawns the birth of another, in this case the correction mouse!

Ultimately certain office products tend to die away to become relics of history, residing only in the memory and the archives. Who can remember using carbon paper to create a carbon copy? Once upon a time it was an absolute office essential along with typewriter ribbons! Remember the 5¼ diskette? Quite revolutionary at the time but now laid to rest in that great office products cupboard in the sky, with the thermal fax roll on its last legs too and due to join it any minute!

Fortunately or not, the Tippex bottle and brush are in just the same boat. It was so revolutionary, so useful, convenient and easy to use. Just dab a blob of white paint on your errors. Originally invented by the mum of Mike Nesmith, one of the Monkees (the one with the woolly hat!), it soon became a fixture in offices the world over. Sadly, with the advent of electronic printers and a different culture means we are just as likely these days to reprint the entire document in less time than it took to open the bottle, get through the crusty bit at the top and flourish your brush like Michelangelo.

Tell us what memories you have of bygone office essentials that have gone the way of the Dodo!

    Here lies Tippex?

Nostalgic Billy Dec 2011

P.S. Just so I don't upset anyone or find myself on the wrong end of a lawsuit, I do of course mean all forms of correction fluid, not just a particular German company's specific product which bears a brand name that has become synonymous with that product and all its competitors! Phew!

(ed.-Thanks for clearing that up Billy!)

This is a problem that can be easily solved (preferably when no one is looking so you can milk your efforts to the full extreme by pretending it took ages!!)

Simply write over the marks with a normal Drywipe marker pen! Then rub the two messes out together. There must be some special chemical within the Drywipe ink that once applied to the permanent ink seems to mingle and allow them both to be removed!

Whatever it is and how it works we don’t care!! It just works!! Brilliant!!

Brownie points to Billy!!

Billy Dec 2011

If you’ve ever been a victim of credit card fraud or any other form of identity theft then you will appreciate just how important it is to keep your personal information secure. A Home Office report has estimated that this year alone, identity fraud will cost us all a staggering £1.9 billion!

If you're unlucky enough to have your card cloned or your accounts accessed you might well find yourself financially worse off, footing the bill for things you’ve never bought, though very often the banks have put in place many levels of security to reduce the chances of fraudulent transactions being successful. Somehow worse than that is the insidious feeling that you’ve been violated when your privacy is compromised.

That’s where document shredding is an invaluable weapon of defence. It’s vitally important to take responsibility yourself for shredding anything with your name and address pre-printed on it and there are many different types of shredders available. More and more people shred everything with any trace of their personal details, including envelopes, letterheads, even front pages of mailshots - annoying as they may be (apart from the Cheapstationery mailer that is!).

Commercial shredders are ranked according to their DIN no. This is not about how much noise they make, it’s just a scale of security that ranges from shredding into strips of different widths (narrower being more secure) to cross-cut shredding (even more secure) to shredders that pulverize the paperwork to dust. Governments, the Military, Banks and financial institutions take information security very seriously and demand a high DIN level whereas the common or garden desktop versions hardly register on this scale but they will still provide excellent levels of data security for most people’s needs!

After all, your common fraudster is hardly likely to collect all your strips up and paste them together unless you’re some sort of a celebrity, in which case, they’ll just hack your phone! ;-)

Billy Dec 2011

To check out some of our shredders, click here

With our environment under enormous pressure due to over consumption, a question often posed when buying paper is whether to go 100% recycled or FSC.

If 100% recycled is what you want then no substitute will do. However, it’s not always a black and white choice and there are other options available. If you are concerned about the environment, using responsibly produced FSC* and/or PEFC* papers is an alternative to going 100% recycled. The pricing on FSC/PEFC is keener than the 100% recycled paper, usually better value by about 150% and the paper comes from responsibly farmed and managed forests. In short, this means there is crop rotation and replanting of trees.

Because price is such an important issue in these difficult times it can seem harder to maintain a commitment to reducing your environmental impact. By consuming brands which are labelled as FSC or PEFC you can stay green whilst being sensible about the price.

Billy Dec 2011

*For those of you who are unfamiliar with the acronyms FSC and PEFC, here's a quick explanation.

FSC is the Forestry Stewardship Council. It's an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests.

The FSC runs a global forest certification system with two key components: Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification. This system allows consumers to identify, purchase and use timber and forest products produced from well-managed forests.

PEFC stands for the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and just like the FSC, it's an international, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable forestry. Its eco label also allows consumers to purchase with the knowledge that what they're buying is from a well managed source.

For more info, follow the links to their websites.

For some intermediate sized offices the problem of keeping tea and coffee fresh can sometimes pose an interesting challenge. Whilst there is the advantage of purchasing larger quantities of more popular brands in large tins or bulk amounts to reduce costs, it can cause a problem keeping it all fresh for the length of duration it takes to consume it all.

We advocate the use of airtight containers storage jars. These can prove to be a good investment not least because they ensure that the coffee and tea remains fresh until the last cup is made but also because they look a darn sight more attractive than the tins or massive bags that the drinks themselves come in. Some good choices can be found at http://www.kilnerjarsuk.co.uk

Billy Dec 2011

The question to consider when purchasing pens is

“Am I buying a pen for me or am I buying a pen for my office?”

The truth about pens is that everyone has a very personal view of it. Some like a particular brand and others a particular style. Whether it be nib type, choice of colour or line thickness, everyone has an opinion and everyone has a favourite.

If you are buying pens for a call centre or if they are for a management office the decision should be based on price and target user. For example there is little point buying premium branded products for a heavily staffed telesales office if cost and consumption are problems. They are likely to be quickly consumed and in some instances, taken off the premises. Before you know it you will be under pressure to reorder the same pen which ultimately could turn into a very heavy burden on your budget. You also run the risk that, if you fail to restock the same product, it could lead to a dip in morale when it appears that management is “cutting back”; very demoralising!

Either way it is important to get the right product in place in the first instance. Continuity is always perceived as safe and secure whereas chopping and changing can be deemed as a reflection of weak management and engender a lack of stability. (Naturally, in the right context, change can reflect excellent management strategy. This is only an opinion)

Gauge carefully who the users of the pens will be. Are the pens going to get a short term use out of them or not? Consider price and consider numbers in pack sizes.

Just because black and blue are the most popular colours it doesn’t mean you need to buy a box of 50 red pens or green pens? They can come in smaller pack sizes which allow a selection to be offered without the need for overstocking?

Cater for the team rather than yourself. Imposing your choice of pen on your colleagues can lead to staff disputes, redundancies, and fractious atmospheres. In some instances it has even been cited as the reason for attempted murder!

But don’t be held over a barrel on it!

Remember you’re always safest with a 5 Star pen!

One of the questions we get asked the most is “What can we do with our old unused stationery?”

Well, the answer may be simpler than you think. Firstly take a moment to decide what you want to keep and what you want to lose, recycle or donate.

Certain items are much more useful than you think. For example old letter trays are a most useful way of tidily storing items in a cupboard. They are useful because they allow the user to take advantage of the full height of the shelf. Items such as books, notepads and subject dividers are best displayed on a letter trays because whoever goes to the cupboard can see at once which items are in stock and which need ordering. They also provide a useful vertical edge to “lean” things against such as bigger document wallets, large envelopes etc. Each stack helps you create another vertical edge in addition to just the sides of the filing cabinet!

Old pens that may have been chewed and old unwanted colouring pencils or pens and markers should never be just thrown out. Along with unwanted letterheads, marketing material and old files, they can all be collected into a box and then donated to local schools and nurseries. After all, for a young child there is no greater pleasure than doodling on the back of a piece of unwanted card with coloured pencils! Perhaps other than eating!!

The question of what to do with unwanted electrical items is a bit more complicated. Generally, old mice, keyboards and other electrical equipment should be disposed of responsibly. If you take them to your local household waste site, they’ll have facilities to recycle them.

Remember where there’s muck there’s money. Who’s to say that the old desk and swing chair that you no longer need is not desperately wanted by someone else? For the time it takes to load it into the back of a car and take it to the dump you could have taken a picture of it and uploaded it onto an auction website and sold it. The item would then be collected by someone saving you the time and effort of disposing of it yourself! All that is needed is a bit of time advance planning and you could be in the second hand furniture business!!