Office Equipment Blog from Office Zone

Do you want to save money and create your own business cards in-house? To start, you need desktop publishing software, a computer, paper and a printer. You will then design and print your cards. There are three popular business card templates available. These are eight-up, 10-up and 12-up patterns. These are bundled with your desktop publishing software.

The eight-up business card pattern produces eight cards on a single sheet of paper, the 10-up creates 10, and the 12-up makes 12. One important thing to keep in mind here: The 10-up pattern is more universally compatible with most computer printers. Some printer models are not capable of printing all of the cards in a 12-up pattern.

Next, you will need a business card cutter. Business card cutting machines are the ideal tool to help you create business cards in a short amount of time. Business card cutters, also known as business card slitters, are compact and typically fit on the top of your desk. The model you choose will largely depend on the amount of cards you need to create and the type of paper you use. If you plan to produce only a few hundred cards a month, then a manual hand crank business card cutter such as the Cardmate should suffice.

Most business card cutters use friction to pull in and cut the paper. Glossy paper has the tendency to slip on the rubber friction wheels in the cutter, thus causing a paper jam. It is a good idea to use paper that is less glossy or slick. It’s also a good thing to know that most business card cutter models will accept up to certain paper thicknesses. Be sure the machine you purchase will handle your desired business card stock. And, be sure to take a look at our large business card cutter model selection today.

Ad you probably know by now, Office Zone offers a wide selection of office machines and other brand-name office products. But did you also know that you can save a significant amount of money with our clearance and overstock office machine inventory? Popular models are heavily discounted, and are a great way to stretch your office expense budget.

For example, you can view the latest discounts and deals on our clearance paper shredders here. This page displays a list of popular models with a sale price. If you don’t like the price advertised, you can always click on our Make an Offer button and suggest a price. Office Zone considers and responds to all reasonable offers.

We’re often asked if a common hairdryer can be used to melt down shrink wrap film instead of a heat gun. You can certainly try it, but you will most likely be frustrated with the results. You see, the maximum temperature for a hairdryer is 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If your hairdryer crept one degree higher than 140, the machine would burn your skin.

A heat gun will warm up to a toasty 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. Definitely not something intended for hair styling! A heat gun is designed to warm up quickly and shrink down the film that is wrapped around the product in the shortest amount of time possible.

The HotShot Shrinkwrap Heat Gun by Traco is a proven, industrial-strength heat gun that will melt down almost anything including PVC and Polyolefin films. This compact, easy-to-use shrink wrap gun will quickly wrap gift baskets, fruit baskets, DVDs, CDs, boxes, a wide variety of food products, and more.

The HotShot Shrinkwrap Heat Gun features variable temperature controls to get the job done fast. Because heat guns are so compact, it is easy to reach difficult places such as corners and other hard-to-reach areas.

Looking for a good information source on operating and troubleshooting your office machines? Office Zone has a full-time staff with leading knowledge and expertise in office automation technology, office equipment and other business machines.

We have harnessed this experience and bring it to you in the form of our product guides, FAQs, video demos, step-by-step instructions and other helpful information that quickly gets your office equipment up and running. Feel free to browse through our large archive of office equipment information. You’re undoubtedly bound to learn something new.

• Binding Machine Resources & Information

• Laminator Resources and Information

• Office Equipment Articles Tips & Information

• Office Equipment Repair

• Paper Cutter Resources and Information

• Paper Folder Resources and Information

• Paper Shredder Resources and Information

• Product Manuals

• Shrink Wrap Resources and Information

Here’s a quick tip that may be helpful the next time you’re experiencing problems with your office equipment. Did you know that Office Zone carries several free office machine product manuals? We have the largest selection of office equipment product manuals online. Most are available for download in PDF. You can find several of our office product manuals here.

These office equipment manuals come in handy when you’re trying to troubleshoot your machine, or when you need to find more information on a replacement part. So, the next time your paper shredder is jammed, or your binding machine refuses to bind, be sure to keep Office Zone’s office product manual section in mind.

Quite often, we hear questions like this one from our customers. They want to know what paper shredder is best for their office. And, there are several models that would be the correct answer to the question. We represent a wide array reputable shredder brands.

What makes Office Zone qualified to answer this question, you say? Well, Office Zone is a reputable company that has sold shredders since 1996. We have full-time service technicians and an extensive service department. We can service most paper shredders and solve most common paper shredder issues. Over the years, you learn first-hand the shredders that are well-constructed vs. the ones that are not.

So, who makes the best paper shredder? We have a list of seven brands that meet our criteria for a quality shredder. These requirements include a substantial manufacturer’s warranty, quality construction, long-lasting moving parts, a history of low product returns and a high degree of customer satisfaction.

From our experience, in no particular order, the following paper shredder manufacturers make some of the best machines on the market today:

1. Dahle
2. Destroyit
3. HSM
4. Fellowes
5. Formax
6. Intimus
7. Kobra

Did you know that we are willing to negotiate pricing on most of our open box products? Now you can save money with our open box and clearance office machines and office furniture. These products have been heavily discounted and are a great way to save your company money.

Most items are either overstocked products, open box customer returns, or display floor models. All products are in good working order and are covered by a warranty. Take advantage of our cheap and discount office machines and furniture today!

Question:

We are looking at possibly purchasing an envelope stuffer/folding machine. We would ideally be looking for a machine that can do the following: Fold 8.5 x 11 and 8.5 x 14 inch letters, insert into envelopes. We are looking for something that could also insert brochures or reply envelopes as well — up to 3 inserts per envelope.

So basically, a machine that would take our brochure, our letter (and fold it) and a reply envelope and insert it all into another envelope. Please let me know if your company provides such a machine and what the least expensive one would be. Given that we are a non-profit company, our budgets are very minimal for these sorts of projects.

Answer:

We highly recommend the Formax FD 6202 Advanced 2 paper folder/inserter. It features an impressive folding system that folds up to five sheets of 20 lb. bond paper at a time. It has the power and features of some of the larger, more expensive models in its class, but is still easy to use. The FD 6202-Advanced model 2 will handle the requirements of your job. It has two automatic sheet feeders and a single insert/business reply envelope feeder. Take a closer look at the Formax FD 6202 Advanced 2 paper folder/inserter today!

Question:

We are going to a convention and are thinking of laminating business cards for luggage tags. The laminator needs to be durable and fast. I would like to know if you think the Akiles APL-100 Pouch Laminator would work for this purpose. I also need luggage tags with a slot pouch and the flexible plastic loop straps. Also, what mil would you recommend for this type of application?

Answer:

The Akiles APL-100, or Pro-Lam 100 pouch laminator will do just fine. This model has a four-inch wide opening and is ideal for laminating luggage tags, business cards, ID cards and more. Over the years, we have found Akiles products to be durable, reliable and made of high-quality materials. Their laminators are no exception. The APL-100 will handle your luggage tag job. It features a four-roller system that ensures a consistent, flat laminated surface. It also comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.

We carry luggage tag lamination pouches with a slot and the flexible plastic luggage straps. The mil thickness I recommend for your application would be either a seven or 10 mil. This thickness of film creates a sturdy, long-lasting luggage tag.

We just added a new guide to our site that helps customers choose the best roll laminator for their needs. Roll laminators, also known as wide format laminators, make it possible to protect and preserve posters, maps, signs and much more. Be sure to take a look:

http://www.officezone.com/how-to-choose-best-roll-laminator.htm