In the vast majority of work environments organisation is absolutely imperative. In any office, clutter can start to build up if suitable organisation isn’t in place and this can lead to the misplacing of important documents, information or items. With this in mind it is advisable to ensure that your office has the relevant filing and storage systems in place to prevent disorganisation from disrupting efficiency and day to day business. Labels are an essential part of the organisational arsenal and an invaluable resource for all manner of applications. Here’s a guide to the various uses of some of the more popular forms of labels:

Ink Jet Labels

As the name would suggest, inkjet labels are blank, multipurpose labels that can be printed on using a standard inkjet printer. They are generally great value and using an inkjet printer as opposed to writing on them by hand ensures a more professional finish. Alongside their uses on the front of files, on filing dividers and on filing cabinet drawers themselves; ink jet labels are also great for use as postage labels and are available in a variety of different sizes, shapes and finishes. A number of manufacturers even produce transparent labels for a sleeker look.

Laser Labels

Much like inkjet labels, laser labels are multipurpose and designed to be printed as and when required: but in this case using a laser printer. For the most part, laser labels can fulfil the same myriad purposes as inkjet labels and are particularly good for printing CD labels and high quality graphics labels.

Electronic Labelmaker Labels

Electronic labelmakers are incredibly useful tools for the creation of neat and clear labels without the need for a computer and printer. These machines can be used for ad hoc label printing in any environment and their functions extend from labelling shelves or pigeonholes through to name badges for conferences and everything in between. There are a variety of different sizes of labelmaker and consequently a wide selection of label tapes available.

Labelling Gun Labels

We’re all familiar with labelling guns and their role within the retail environment. Although these simple devices are losing popularity in the major supermarket chain they are still invaluable to the smaller shop owner. Developments in labelling gun technology allow for more than just numbers to be printed out; with barcodes, text and all manner of information now possible to be printed as and when required.

There are quite literally thousands of different labels to cater for all scenarios and environments; you can be sure that if you have a business of virtually any nature, then labels of some sort of another could make your life at least slightly easier and are a vital addition to your office supplies stock.

It goes without saying how essential it is for every office to be fully stocked with all of the office supplies, office equipment, stationery and consumables that they are likely to need to go about their day to day business. What isn’t however a given is that this procedure is necessarily expensive. It is true in many industries that you don’t have to buy products from widely recognised manufacturers in order to be sure of quality and in the office supplies world, that rule holds true: provided you shop carefully and intelligently.

Although at first glance the one off special offers displayed in high street office supplies stores may hold appeal, for the most part, physical office supplies stores charge a premium for the majority of their stock. This is no surprise when you consider the costs they incur in terms of overheads, rent and staff. By all means take advantage of special offers if they represent great value and you genuinely need the item, but avoid paying over the odds for other items purely because you’re already in the store. It is almost universally better value to purchase the lion’s share of your office supplies and other associated equipment from an online retailer given their significantly lower overheads and consequently: lower prices.

Having sourced an office supplies retailer who offers a wide range of products at highly competitive prices the next step towards stocking up the office supplies cupboard on a shoestring is to look for items which fulfil the necessary criteria but aren’t priced at a premium. Although you may feel more confident opting for items from high visibility, widely recognised brands: a specific label is by no means a guarantee of higher quality. It can save you a great deal of money if you look at lower priced items from manufacturers you’re less familiar with. To secure peace of mind simply type the name of the manufacturer and item into a search engine in order to read reviews of the product.

The final major means of making a saving is to buy everything in one go. For a start, many online office supplies retailers offer free delivery on orders over a certain value: so by buying enough to qualify for the free delivery you are already making a saving. In addition to the free delivery, for the most part buying items in bulk results in a lower price per unit due to the phenomena known as economies of scale. Don’t go overboard, or buy more than you’re likely to need: but aim to buy all that you’re likely to need for the foreseeable future and you’ll notice the savings immediately and the benefits for months to come.

Superstat Member Awards: Category £2m+ Winner

DG Office Supplies Ltd

At the Annual Superstat Conference, DGOS came back winners for a third year in a row. It is the continuing support of our customers that helps us grow year on year and allows us to excel in industry events. So we would like to take this opportunity to say a massive THANK YOU to all of you who have helped us reach this point.

DG Office Supplies has grown year on year since it commenced trading in April 2000 and this year we reached the landmark anniversary of 10 years. We are very proud to receive awards like these as it demonstrates that we are offering the service that companies want. Our move into Manchester in June has further supported our desire to meet the needs of businesses in the area, allowing us to offer same day deliveries with ease.

Along with the addition of our fantastic Commercial Manager, Mr Simon Axon, in January and the Acquisition of Warrington Business Machines, 2010 has turned out to be an exciting and eventful year, and we look forward to more of the same.

When it comes to planning future strategies, what would we do without our beloved whiteboards? If you are an employer, you know a whiteboard is an exceptional mean of communication and that it helps your employees grasp your ideas more quickly and directly.

In fact, just like me, there are many people out there who are blessed with a photographic memory, which means that our minds take actual pictures of the things that surround us so that we are more likely to remember them. Practically speaking, our brains are photo album shaped. I deeply believe that an image is better than a thousand words and that is why, whenever our managers organize a meeting or are simply up to something, they are always accompanied by one of those giant white boards and colorful drawing pens, so that their audience will follow them more easily and will take mental pictures of what they see.

However, I am not trying to say that managers are the only ones who can use whiteboards. On the contrary, I’d like to invite all of you to get yourself one, especially if you are involved in creative and complex jobs and/or studies. If you are a wedding planner, for instance, you had better be well organized and put together an efficient team of collaborators. Now, a wedding is sure to be an important event and that is why most brides and grooms decide to hire an expert planner to make their perfect day even more perfect.
But how could a wedding planner possibly organize all of their ideas and things to do without the help of a whiteboard? I am sure they would end up buried under piles of papers, pictures and folders.

Of course, the same applies to event managers, secretaries, assistants and students.
But there’s a question I’d like to ask you: Have you ever thought about whiteboards for children?

You probably have not. Well I had never heard of them either until yesterday, when I saw my cousin writing incomprehensible words onto a pretty little Hello Kitty whiteboard that was actually meant for children! As I saw it, I must confess it got me a little confused: do children have such busy minds too? Well maybe they do and if we all bought our children whiteboards, we may give them an actual tool to communicate with us.

Well, I suggest a team of experts meditates on this delicate issue and lets us know more about it.

Between shipping out office supplies Bolton companies need and advised on office supplies Liverpool organisations should consider we still find time to muse on interesting topics here at DGOS...or so we'd like to think!

Ever wondered how a printer transfers the images or typing from you monitor to the paper, for a perfect end result every time?

Yes, I know you select print from the drop down list or hit ctrl+p key sequence when using Windows or an MS application, but the process that happens when the data is sent to the printer and the finished job appears in the tray.

No technical jargon here, just a straightforward explanation, and please take notes, there will be a test later.

By selectively heating printer paper which has been coated with chemical composition, commonly referred to as thermal paper, when the paper passes over the print head the coating will either turn black, or colored, depending on whether a color or black only printer, and will produce an image or a text document, or a combination of both.

There is another method that uses a heat sensitive ribbon as opposed to thermal (heat sensitive) paper, and is the reverse process of the one mentioned above.

There are four main components to a typical modern laser printer, a thermal head for generating the heat to transfer the toner onto the paper, and a set of rollers that feed the paper through evenly from the paper tray, through to the end product tray.

A sturdy spring to pressure the thermal head, and ensuring even contact with the heat sensitive paper, and all the electronic controller boards for converting your print request into a finished, perfect print job every time.

An electrical signal, controlled by the internal electronics set up, will pass to what is known as a heating resistor, which from the interpreted data sent by you to the printer, will generate a pre prescribed heat pattern. The heat activates a thermo (heat) sensitive layer in the paper and generates the print job. Perfect every time, unless there is an issue with paper feed or print head issues.

The electronic boards inside the printer are pre programmed to recognize data from sensors referring to the paper input size and thickness, and to “read” the numerous font sizes and types available for users in most word processor or other applications in use today.

Modern thermal paper, it is estimated, will retain an image or print without deteriorating for anything up to fifty years.

Only trouble there is, maybe I won’t be around in fifty years to check the photos I have just printed up today.

DGOS: not just experts in the supply of office supplies Liverpool or the distribution of office supplies Bolton companies need; but all-round knowledgeable folks!

Starting a new business is an exciting time but also quite costly, therefore researching properly the essential office supplies and equipment for starting a business is strongly advised - it is important to decide what supplies the business needs and what it does not.

In this day and age, the most essential equipment that a new business needs is a telephone system to enable the business to connect with its customers and suppliers. Broadband internet is now an essential part of the business and not just a luxury, with wireless becoming a very popular choice. There are a number of telephone and broadband suppliers so it is best to shop around.

The next essential equipment is computer, computer software, printers, copiers and scanners. When buying a computer, it is best to invest in a computer with high specification processor and high storage capacity. Also, investing in professional office software instead of just relying on the free package that comes with the computer is advisable.

There are a number of printers and combined printers, copiers and scanners available in the market, so do assess the business requirements before buying one. If the business will only print basic documents and needs to be able to fax occasionally, then a basic all-in-one printer will do. When buying a printer, don’t just compare the cost of the machine but also the cost of the ink cartridges which can be expensive to replace. It is more cost effective to buy a slightly more expensive printer that uses affordable ink cartridge.

The last two big buys for a new start up businesses are office chairs and desks. It is important to invest in a good office chair that offers support as employees will be using it most of the time. A comfortable chair will tremendously affect the productivity of the employees. It is not necessary to buy new desks, so shop around and compare prices of new and second hand desks.

Finally, a business needs stationery. For in house printed records and reports, there is no need to use high quality paper but printed correspondence with clients is ideally printed on high quality paper to give the business a professional image. Cutting costs can be easy by printing the businesses own headed paper using the quality printers chosen, and using a nice quality paper is essential. For all manner of office supplies Liverpool startups might require, or office supplies Bolton based new business need, DGOS are on hand.

There are so many choices of printers on the market that it can sometimes make choosing the best printer for the business quite difficult. It is important that you approach buying a printer as you would with any other business purchase you make. The prices of printers can vary from just under £50 to over £6000 and all of those available to a business depend on the style, brand and type of printer – of course those at the higher price are useful for larger businesses although no small business should have to consider buying cheap. However price is not the only consideration when buying a printer for the office.

The important thing you need to consider when buying a printer for business is what it is going to be used for. Is the printer only for printing word and excel documents from a PC? How many documents will be printed every day, where only 100 print outs are considered minimal for large businesses but massive for smaller to medium sized offices?

If the company is printing hundreds of documents a day for 5 to 8 hours, then a laser printer for domestic market, from a high street retailer, will not be good enough as it will not be able to cope with the work and with hundreds of pages to print a commercial printer may be well thought out.

Will you use it for printing catalogues or images? For design, companies that need the images to be sharp then inkjet printers are one of the best options though cartridges and servicing can be pricey.

On the other hand, if you need to turnaround images quicker, but sharpness is not as vital, then a coloured laser printer is a preferred option as all round office equipment goes.

When choosing a printer for business, an additional consideration is the cost of cartridges - before selecting the cheapest printer available in store, check out the cost of cartridges that are available (with the most popular brands often being the most expensive). It’s worth considering that many so called inexpensive or cheaper printers have relatively expensive cartridges as that is where the manufacturer makes their money, unfortunately for us. A cheap printer may not be the most cost effective printer for the business.

Is an all in one printer a good option? Well choosing a printer for your business is not the easiest task, and most are try after you buy however a point to make is that all-in-one printers are not always a good option for high-end users. Dedicated printers that are supplied and service by either a specialist office product supplier or a local hire company are good options.

To discuss the best printer options for your office, or to find out about options when it comes to office supplies Liverpool based organisations or office supplies Bolton situated companies need simply get in touch with our team.

For those of you out there who like to keep up to date with all goings on in the world of office supplies, office politics and other related fields there is a new website to allow you to do just that: www.officesuppliesinfo.co.uk is an independent blog focussing on the world of office supplies online which collects together the best articles from websites such as this one alongside their own original content.
If you want to keep on top of all things office related, then there’s no better place to go!

We hope you get chance to go and take a look.