Stationery Supplies: The bits we all need!

By David Crawley


From basic pens to high-tech fax machines, stationery supplies equip offices with many of the items essential to operating a business. A simple tour around any office will illustrate how important it is have supplies on which you can rely.

A reception area can include exhibit books that can be a prospective client's first introduction to a company. It is important to generate a good first impression with quality products. Letter trays for inward bound and outgoing mail, a laminated welcome sign, telephones - every item in a reception space have to speak to the professionalism of a firm. Places of work only have one opportunity to make a great first impression.

In locations for standard office management, the attention turns to function. Coordinating stationary supplies is essential to a smooth-running office. A mix of office items not only can make it harder to organize a place of work, they make a place of work seem less professional. Common goods like pencils, pens, staplers, staples, sellotape, pins and calculators ought to be readily at-hand.

Managing office documents with an efficient filing system can save offices both time and money. Filing cabinets should be equipped with all the bits needed to ensure that documents are filed properly, as well as organized in a fashion that will make them readily available when needed. Quality folders that won't easily tear, dividers that can be easily adjusted to hold suspension files, a labelling system that makes it easy to identify contents - all are important components of an efficient filing system. For files that need to be kept closer to work stations, lever arch files and binders are useful.

Agendas and calendars put up on notice boards and whiteboards assist the lines of communication within an office operate adequately and are most effective used in a central area. Central areas may also include staples such as paper, notebooks and refill pads.

A core area can also be a favored destination to place office machines like fax machines, copiers, printers and shredders. In offices where documents need to be constructed and assigned a professional, finished appearance, binding tools and laminators may be needed. Supplies for these machines, including paper, toners, cartridges and ink should be stored nearby.

For executive practices, superior quality items are especially important. Coordinated calendars and schedules present a polished, specialist look. Executives need many of the office items that are used in general office administration, however it is important that the items are coordinated and kept functional at all times.

Display areas such as whiteboards are often the focal point of conference rooms. Providing methods to share information during a meeting is vital. It is helpful to anticipate supply needs that may arise during meetings. Conference and meeting rooms need to be well-stocked.

A good stationery supply store can provide all the basic items needed to run an office, whereas a great supplies store can provide all that and more, offering items that meet all the demands of running a successful company.




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