Office Equipment Blog from Office Zone

• How to choose the best paper perforator/scorer.

• How to choose the best paper slitter/form cutter.

Comb binding is a simple, inexpensive way to bind your documents and reports. Comb binding machines require very little setup and can be used by almost anyone.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Start by making some minor adjustments to your comb binding machine. Adjusting the punch margin depth, binding comb opener size, and disengage punching dies to prevent half-hole punches.

2. Gather together all the documents that you need to punch and bind. This includes the document paper, report covers, front and back.

3. Insert the sheets of paper that need to be punched. We recommend that you insert only about 80% of the maximum amount the machine is rated to punch. Pull down binding machine handle and punch your paper.

4. After all of the document sheets have been successfully punched, jog the paper to align the holes. This will make it easier to insert the binding comb.

5. Now, carefully place the binding comb on the machine’s comb opener to pry it open. Be sure the comb is placed on the machine so that the opened side is facing up.

6. Lay your punched paper on top of the opened comb spines.

7. Carefully release the comb opener to close the binding comb.

8. That’s all there is to it! Now you can move on to your next document.

Office Zone offers a wide assortment of comb binding machines and supplies. Be sure to take a look today!

Believe it or not, but the paper shredder in my office is 10 years old. It’s a small strip-cut shredder and I use it every day. Here are a three tips that should help you get the most life from your shredder.

1. Oil Your Shredder

Most of our customers who purchase a shredder are surprised to learn that most paper shredders require oiling. This is simply done by squirting a thin layer of shredder oil on a single piece of paper. You then shred the sheet, letting it pass completely through the shredder blades.

Then, push the reverse button on your shredder for a few seconds and you’re done. That’s all there is to it. I recommend oiling your shredder at least once every other week, depending on use. If you use your shredder on a more frequent basis than I do, then you should oil your shredder accordingly.

2. Sheet Capacity

Most paper shredder manufacturers will give their machine a sheet capacity rating. This indicates how many sheets of paper you can shred at one time. To make your shredder last as long as possible, I recommend backing the manufacturer’s rating off by about 30%. So, if you have a shredder rated for six sheets at a time, back it down to about four.

3. Empty The Shred Bin

Be sure to empty your paper waste bin whenever it’s full. People often continue to run their shredder with a loaded bin. This puts undue stress on your shredder’s motor and shred heads.

For more paper shredder tips, FAQ’s and tutorials, be sure to visit our Paper Shredder Resources & Information department today.

We recently added several helpful “How To” guides on our Web site. These easy-to-follow guides show customers and others how to find the right equipment for their specific office needs.

The Office Zone Web site now offers several tips from how to choose a business card cutter, to how to find the right vacuum sealing machine for your business. Be sure to take a look at these free and helpful product guides today:

• How To Choose A Business Card Cutter
• How To Choose A Magazine Display Rack
• How To Choose An Employee Time Clock
• Which Comb Binding Supplies To Use
• Which Wire Binding Supplies To Use
• Which Spiral Binding Supplies To Use
• How To Choose A Vacuum Food Sealer
• How To Choose A Coin Counter
• How To Choose A Letter Opener
• How To Choose A Photo ID Card Printer
  
• How To Choose A Rotary Paper Cutter

Office security is always a big concern, especially for large corporations and government entities. Photo ID badges and ID cards are a critical security measure for these organizations. While some are still using old Polaroid-style cameras and accessories, many are taking advantage of relatively new photo ID technology, including ID card creation software such as Card 5 or Episuite. These user-friendly programs help you create ID cards quickly using digital printers.

For our customers’ convenience, we offer a large selection of digital photo ID equipment and systems. These include: photo ID cameras, digital photo ID printers, and ID card creation software. We also supply traditional,

Polaroid-style cameras and supplies, including photo paper trimmers, pouch laminators and lamination film, and slot punches.

Whatever system you prefer, we have the photo ID creation equipment and supplies for you. Office Zone also carries badge holders, badge clips, badge reels, lanyards, and other photo ID related accessories. For more photo ID tips and suggestions, be sure to visit our Photo ID Guide.

If you’re like most people, you subscribe to some sort of magazine or other publication. And, chances are, you receive that publication in a clear, plastic poly bag. Publishers often use a mail bagging machine to bundle their magazine with a small booklet, advertising brochure, or some other similar item. We have offered the MiniPack Mail Bag Digit machine for quite some time now, and it works amazingly well for those in the publishing industry.

The Mail Bag Digit effectively wraps newspapers, brochures, bulletins, catalogs and other assorted publications in a sturdy poly bag. It uses a roll of clear or printed polyethylene film, or poly bag material, mounted on a motorized roller. The film is driven through the machine and then forms an envelope-like bag around the magazine. The bag is then sealed with cross sealing arms, and then automatically ejected.

Be sure to take a closer look at the MiniPack Mail Bag Digit today.

We have a little-known section on our Web site where you can find a wide selection of discount office machines and other equipment. Our Clearance department offers a wide variety of heavily discounted equipment such as paper shredders, binding machines, paper cutters, laminators, automatic paper folding machines, office furniture and more.

Most of these items are either lightly used demo models, reconditioned machines, surplus, or overstocked products from our warehouse. Most machines are covered by a standard 90-day warranty. If you need office equipment, but finances are limited, then be sure to take a look at our large selection of cheap office equipment today.

Military personnel and others can now easily and conveniently destroy top secret documents while deployed in the field, thanks to the new Dahle 20434DS ultra high security paper shredder. The model 20434DS is specifically designed to destroy high security documents and other sensitive papers while on the go. The machine falls under the NSA/CSS Specification 02-01. The shredder is approved for use by military, federal, and other government worker use.

The model 20434DS paper shredder is a security Level 6 machine, is compact, yet it packs a big punch. The shredder comes with a durable case that is both padded and waterproof. The shredder’s cutting cylinders (or blades) will shred a sheet of paper into 15,000 tiny particles, making document reassembly virtually impossible.

I spoke with a customer the other day who was frustrated with her home vacuum sealer. She was having trouble with a certain model purchased from a local popular retail chain. She said she was trying to vacuum seal large quantities of frozen vegetables and her machine just wasn’t up to the task. She needed a more robust vacuum sealer that would handle her work load requirements. She also wanted a machine that was fairly easy to clean up after heavy use.

After asking this customer a few more questions about her needs, including the size of the items she was vacuum sealing, I recommended the model MVS 31 Chamber Vacuum Sealer from MiniPack. We have one of these units on our showroom floor and it’s a well-built, durable machine. We’ve vacuum sealed just about everything with this model including a wide variety of foods. This is a machine specifically designed to vacuum seal a significant amount of vegetables, fruits, meats, and other perishable items, while making the entire process relatively easy.

The problem with external vacuum sealers, commonly available at several popular retail outlets, is the simple fact that they perform the vacuum sealing process externally. You don’t always get a dependable, consistently completed seal on every item. An internal chamber sealing machine, however, such as the MiniPack MVS 31, performs on a far more reliable scale. These machines require more of an investment budget-wise, but the performance factor alone is more than worth the difference in price. Be sure to take a closer look at the MiniPack MVS 31 Chamber Vacuum Sealer today.