Problem 1

Wheelie Bins are smelly and frankly disgusting objects, whether or not bin liners are used to contain the rubbish placed inside them. All bin bags will inevitably end up with nicks, rips, and slashes, leaving odours, mushy stuff and horrible oozy liquids to find their way to the bottom of the bin. After a time and especially during the warmer seasons, bins left in this condition will attract maggots, flies and animals searching for the gunk within. The terrible smell will nauseate passers-by and leave whoever’s on ‘bin duty’ in a state of shock once they’ve taken out the trash.

Problem 2

The average wheelie bin is about four feet tall. Now no matter how tall you are, this will pose a problem when you unintentionally drop something inside. If an average person were to get into the bin, the top would come somewhere around their stomach or chest level. Leaning into the bin is just not an option; it leads to considerable discomfort, nasty mess on your clothes and to be honest, you’re not going to reach the bottom. Also very likely is the fact that you may even fall in…

The Solution

Take a look to your right at our Robinson Young Wheelie Bin Liners. These are 240 litre bags which are suited mostly to Standard Sized 240 litre wheelie bins (but are also a help around the home or office). They are 88 Gauge and come in rolls of 30. What Robinson Young have done here, is solve a massive problem. When using one of these after every bin collection, you inevitably avoid any nasty mess inside your wheelie bin, which in turn prevents odours. If anything is dropped inside, well you just remove the bag and easily fish out your item. The refuse collection team will take your Wheelie Bin Liners with the rest of your trash; all you have to do is place a new one inside once they’ve been. Another perk to these particular bin liners is that they are made using over 50% recycled materials, so you’re being friendly to the environment too.

Conversion between litres and gallons can be found here.

The Green Bit

Robinson Young Limited recognise that to a greater or lesser extent, every organisation has some impact upon the environment, and so are committed to a policy of continuous improvement in the way in which they manage their environmental responsibilities. Central to their policy are the following objectives:

• Monitor the effects of their directly-controlled activities and seek to minimise any adverse impact upon the environment.
• Minimise waste and ensure that there is effective control, which promotes recycling where possible and provides responsible disposal, particularly with regard to hazardous wastes.
• Promote environmentally responsible policies in all its commercial activities, including purchasing and investment.
• Work closely with customers and suppliers, so that environmental awareness is extended throughout the supply chain.
• Use energy supplies efficiently and to reduce the impact of their transport operations by the use of shared loads and backhauling distribution systems.
• To encourage their employees to consider environmental responsibilities and to integrate these considerations into relevant business operations.
• Comply with current legislation, and beyond this to adopt a best-practice approach to their environmental management policies.

We recently explained to you the background and benefits to binding and discussed your options in a blog titled ‘Which Binding Method is Best’. This article was written to help you decide which machine was best for you. Today we’d like to explain a little more about Binding Covers and Binding Combs so that you are able to make an educated decision when making that purchase.

Comb Binding is one of the most popular binding methods used by individuals and business around the world today. You may also know it as GBC Binding or Ibico Binding; plastic comb binding can be used to bind many different types of documents, but most importantly, this style of binding can easily give documents a professional look at a low cost, while providing various other advantages too. Binding Combs allow a document to lie flat, making it easy to read and photocopy, plus comb-bound documents can be easily edited. In just seconds, pages can be added or removed as necessary using your home or office binding machine and the combs themselves come in a wide variety of colours and finishes, from Black and White to more colourful options such as red and blue.

Leather look Binding Covers offer a premium leather like appearance for your reports, presentations and proposals. GBC leather look paper binding covers are made from an uncoated paper and they provide an elegant and economical cover option for every scenario. You can even select a leather like cover with a window or customized the cover yourself for a more personal look and feel. Using a binding cover will enable you to protect your documents from spills and stains whilst presenting to your document in a professional and elegant way.

Whatever you decide, with GBC’s supplies you’re sure to get a good result that lasts.

The L Shaped Desk is a piece of furniture which is becoming increasingly popular. Functionality and design are more important than ever and when you get your hands on a space saving furniture piece too, then you’ll be well on your way. This is why the ‘L’ shaped desk is such a good idea. They have been considered one of the most ingenious additions to the office furniture industry as they were designed to provide a functional counter whether you’re using it at home or in the office. With additional storage space in comparison to the average rectangle desk, the option to install different types of drawers and the space to create different working and usage compartments on either side, you have plenty of advantages to justify your purchase! You basically have the space of two desks, so you can have all your electrical equipment on your desk at arm’s length and still have space for writing and other work. Our favourite has to be the Influx Basics Radial Desk which you can see below.

This is a left handed option although it does come in right handed too, plus you can choose from tow finishes; beech or maple. It’s small price is another reason why this desk is our favourite L Shaped Desk. The desk is made by our Influx brand which is one of the Trexus family. Furniture from Influx combines clean, simple and stylish design with a fantastic choice of materials and finishes, to produce an offering that will meet the requirement of any office. Influx have been awarded the silver medal as a mid-level product, great for if you are looking for that little bit extra. This medal scheme has been created to help you make the right decision. Influx is a brand of commercial products which offer you comfort and value in both seating and desking.

At Office 365 we have catered for the demand for this fantastic design of desk and have many L Shaped Desks available. Choose from Left Handed L Shaped Desks and Right Handed L Shaped Desks and also from a stylish range of finishes. Whatever your budget, you will find something to suit your here at Office 365. If you need any help, we’re always pleased to be of assistance; just call us on 0870 766 1624.

3L Office Products are a brand who manufacture a wide range of self-adhesive, professional filing, indexing and storage products, presentation and identification systems, along with their divisions; 3L Symfoni and 3L Griffit™.

The company first came about in 1969 and where known as just ‘3L’. It was a family run business organised and assembled by the Ludvigsen brothers who worked, would you believe, in the kitchen of the family home. Since then however, the company has grown enormously and have developed to include three other divisions and exports to over 50 countries worldwide! Having said all this, 3L remain happy to report that the pioneering spirit and innovative drive that led to the formation of the company, remain key to what is now 3L Office Products A/S.

Our range at Office 365, includes all of what 3L have to offer, the more popular items include products such as 3L Tabs and 3L Plastic Pockets. The picture featured to your right are our 3L Repositionable Write On Tabs, which are great for the indexing of books, catalogues and files to create a quick overview. You have a choice of either writing or printing on the tabs and are the ideal 25mm in size.

3L understand and acknowledge the concept of globalisation and remain a ‘one site’ company. Practically all of their Research & Development, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and distribution management is handled by their 112 staff at their modern production and administration facilities. This is based only a few kilometres from the family home where the brothers grew up and where the original 3L was founded.

With their increasing success of local and global sales, 3L’s philosophy remains close to their hearts: Independence, tradition and continuity combined with a pioneer spirit and innovative drive. This means that they are able to respond quickly to and closely manage the demands of today’s global market, whilst providing an unbeatable, rapid response to customer service and support.

3L focus their energies on the development of new and innovative products across the entire range of their product line. They strive to continuously improve what they do and how they do it, so that they are able to guarantee their customers, worldwide, the best from their ever developing range of products and services.

For the record, 3L have once again been awarded the Quantore Operational Award for excellence in quality, product range, operational performance and reliability.

For many years now books have been bound with hard cover binding, punch binding, thermal binding, stitched or sewn binding and even manual hand binding. But which of the more recent binding methods should you choose? We’re going to take a look at the two most frequently chosen options and give you a better insight into how they work and what they work best with. At Office 365, we give you the tools to make your own informed decisions, and if you have any question’s, we’re always available to help.

Comb Binding – Comb binding allows you to bind documents of varying sizes together by using a flexible, plastic spine. They are able to bind a set number of pages, so you may need to do a few at a time rather than feeding the entire document into the machine at once. Commonly found in schools, businesses and most office and educational facilities, comb binders have a strong benefit over other binding methods; the ability to be opened and adjusted for adding or removing pages. The binding combs can also be removed and re-used for later projects. Our GBC Comb Binders include a function that enables adjustable margin depths which allow the operator to adjust how deep into the paper the holes are punched and also a ‘Guide Right’ paper alignment system which allows you accurate punching every time.

Coil Binding - Using a coil binding machine you can add appeal to business documents, demanding immediate attention. With binding coils, your pages will conveniently wrap all the way around the spine and your documents are flexible for mailing. Coil binding machines use spring-like coils, often referred to as spirals, to bind the sheets of paper or booklet together. Our coil binding elements are made from PVC plastic rather than metal. PVC plastic coils are highly durable and do not bend or stretch with use making them last that much longer. Our GBC Coil Binders feature an electric coil inserter. This dramatically speeds up the binding process, as an electric-powered wheel or roller spins the coil through the punched holes. This can also be done manually for low to medium-volume jobs.

Before choosing your binding machine, read carefully and make sure you select the right one for the purpose. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us on 0870 766 1624.

Basildon Bond and New Guardian go Head to Head in the new Envelope Challenge! Across the UK there’s one question on everyones lips, “which brand do I choose?” Trials have taken place to ascertain which brand makes the best manilla envelopes, plus we’ve made this blog for you so that you can choose for yourself!

On one hand, we have Basildon Bond who just so happen to be one of the best known stationery brands in the UK. Their renowned quality and popularity has put them high on our agenda’s along with their new found Business Superbrand status which was awarded in 2005. Having been around for nearly 80 years, they sure have the experience, plus with their 100% recycled range and continuous support of the NSPCC, they also have a conscience and a heart. The best ones we feel are the Basildon Bond Pocket Peel and Seal Envelopes with Window featured below.

Featuring;

• Basildon Bond windowed manilla envelopes
• Easy open
• Peel and seal
• Weight 90gsm
• Size: C5, 229x162mm
• Colour: Manilla
• Packed 250

Alternatively, and in the other hand, there is the Surprising New Guardian Envelopes. Their extensive range features a subtle ribbed finish and distinctive sheen for a classier look. Available in a heavyweight manilla option, you’ll find features such as ’Easy Open’ and ‘Power-Tac’ adhesive on many peel & seal lines. All New Guardian envelopes are made from paper awarded with the EU Eco-label which is better for the environment. Products displaying the EU Eco-label use less energy, consume fewer natural resources (eg water and raw materials), have lower impact on air quality and ultimately contribute to ozone layer protection and environmental safety. New Guardian are also proud supporters of the NSPCC  and make regular contributions to the charity. Their best manilla envelopes would have to be the New Guardian Heavyweight Pocket Press Seal Envelopes with a Window featured below to your right. Features;

• Suitable for mailing important, heavy or valuable items
• Available in a variety of sealing options
• C5 229x162mm
• 130 gsm
• Boxed 250
• Window position: 62mm in from left and 25mm up

Whatever you decide, Office 365 have plenty of envelopes to choose from. Take a look at our Manila Envelopes C5, Manila Envelopes C4, Manila Envelopes DL.

It seems our customers are wanting more in the way of Ball Point Pens; there’s quite a selection here, so which one should they choose. There are black ball point pens, blue ball point pens, red ball point pens and green ball point pens! But the pen we’d like to introduce to you today is one I’m sure you’ve seen before. You would have first clasped your eyes on it at school, fought for it with your siblings and kept it very close to hand at work. The Bic 4-Colour Ball Pen featured below is an absolutely genius idea that has been around for years now. It is a fantastic innovation which never died out and in fact is going stronger than ever before. However, it now comes with an amazing bonus! When purchasing a pack of 12, you can now get your hands on their unique 4 colour pastel pens. These little bonuses are not available separately so the chances are you’ll be unique too. After purchasing the featured pack of 12 Bic 4-Colour Ball Pens, you will also be taking home a pack of 3, 4-Pastel Colour Pens for absolutely Free!

With a choice of blue, black, red and green ink all in one pen, ideal for when information needs to be recorded in different colours! Each pen has a 1.0mm tip giving a line width of 0.7mm. Key benefits include;

• At the click of a colour-coded button you select the colour you want – blue, black, red or green
• Quality ink, quick drying and smooth writing
• Tungsten carbide ball, perfect sphere and very resistant
• Opaque blue barrel: medium point 1mm – line width 0.7mm
• Ventilated cap compliant with ISO 11540 / BS 7272-1 standard

The pen has numerous environmental benefits such as;

• Long lasting product: 2 to 3 kilometers writing length
• Light: designed and manufactured with just the right amount of raw materials
• Refillable
• PVC free product

To sum up this fantastic offer, Office 365 are offering you these pens with a saving of 24%, so for just £19.72 you will receive a pack of 12 fantastic pens, and remember; that includes the free 3 x pastel 4-colour pens. Please note, this offer is available until June 2010 and whilst stocks last.

Pins; available in many sizes, colours and shapes for all kinds of uses…but they all have one thing in common…they prick you in the finger when your rummaging around for something else, and can never be found when you actually need one.

Our number one budget brand have come up with an ingenious solution to this problem; make them bolder! You can now find Office Marking Pins and Map Pins in a fantastic, colourful design which stands out from everything else. Our 5 Star Flag Map Pins are constructed from hardened steel with plastic flags of different colours so that they can be seen before they see you! Take a look at the useful design to your right.

5 Star are a brand who continues to serve our office product needs no matter what, at a price we can all really afford. 5 Star products are now firmly established as one of the best-known office products brands in the UK and with 15 years experience under their belts, they are now experts in their field and even offer a 12 month no quibble quality guarantee! They deliver unbeatable price and quality, across the most popular everyday product lines, plus they’re also one of the most widely available ranges of office products. Whatever the budget, 5 Star products are affordable and with over 1,200 products to choose from, you’re bound to find the item that you’re looking for!

These pins are available in packs of 100 with an incredible 69% off. This means you can buy these pins with your change for just £0.77p! Another great saving with Office 365.

Prices available as from 20/04/10

Easily one of our most successful brands and highest achievers are the incredible Nobo, an Acco brand. Their so good in fact that they made it into our best suppliers list for top quality at No: 3! They are probably THE most popular brand at Office 365 and are the Kings (or Queens) in presentation equipment. No other company in this area of the market even comes close to competing.

The Nobo brand are part of the Acco Company, the largest suppliers of branded office products worldwide. The sheer size of the company is demonstrated in the huge volume of countries they are marketed in, with a list of more than 100 to be precise! Spanning across a wide range of office products, they continuously invest in knowledge of how people work so that they can fulfil their mission to deliver exceptional performance products across their brands.

Acco’s vast portfolio of high quality products have a large number of reputable subsidiaries which have become established market leaders themselves. For example, belonging to Acco are these well known brands; Rexel, Nobo, Twinlock, Sasco and many more, all of which I’m sure you’ve heard of. More specifically, Nobo a leading brand in Europe, creates products that are designed to improve functionality and enhance the professional image of the presenter. It has become the professionals preferred choice. Their range of boards include the Nobo White Boards, Nobo Dry Wipe Boards, Nobo Magnetic Boards, Nobo Cork Boards, Nobo Notice Boards and so on, all of which have not been beaten in quality and functionality. Along with their AV accessories, furniture and machinery, plus their Rail Systems, they have an answer for every presentation need and a choice that will blow your mind. It really is very impressive.

The Green Bit

Acco are committed to providing and conducting its business in an environmentally responsible manner, ensuring that their products, packaging and operations are safe for their employees, business partners, customers and ultimately, the environment. They strive to continuously improve their processes and products to ensure innovation, quality and value for money without compromising on their environmental responsibilities.

Their core objectives are to reduce the amounts of material that they use whether in their products or their packaging, identify plastics to aid separation and recovery and recover parts and establishing re-usability potential, recycle as much as possible, use significantly more recycled materials in their processes while promoting and supporting the recycling of their products by their business partners and consumers. They also aim to recover the energy produced from waste by safe, effective disposal, return materials back to nature and review what they have done to try to improve their processes even further. As a testament to their commitment to be more environmentally driven and focused, many of Acco’s products have been verified by the MBDC Consultancy and awarded the Cradle to Cradle certification. This certification provides a company with a means to tangibly, credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality.

Acco are also proud to have been awarded the UK’s BOSS (British Office Supplies and Services) Federation Environmental Award for the past 11 years. The BOSS Federation is the trade association which serves the UK Office Supply and services industry by providing a range of initiatives, cost saving benefits and services, to enhance the business performance of its members. This comprehensive award scheme covers a wide range of environmental issues, such as reducing energy consumption and improving our employees’ working conditions.

Masters are Office 365′s top value for money yet sophisticated brand for Brief Cases and Portfolios. For over 20 years, the brand have been constantly achieving industry recognition as one of the most successful product and service companies in the office products industry across the entire globe. It doesn’t matter which line of business you’re in, you will always find that Masters have the products and focus their energy and resources on delivering outstanding service and excellent value.

Being a globally successful company enables new customers to see how respected and popular the brands is and offers the extra reassurance many users need when purchasing products such as these. Masters have operations in Europe, Asia and North America and deliver to over 25 countries, supplying products to a selection of leading retailers and household names that we’ve all heard of.

With Masters continued investment in their systems and their dedicated offices and warehousing, the company can ensure that they achieve their stated target of 99% service levels, and will continue to do so for the life of the company. Masters guarantee that with their growing range and continued customer focus, their users will find not only products but also service of a standard which will ensure that the word is spread and Masters continue to grow as a market leader in the global office products market. So whether you’re looking for laptop bags or conference folders, Masters are sure to provide the passionate attention to detail, design and sourcing you’d expect. With their focus centred on your needs, they aim to make your life in today’s busy business environment easier, offering quality, innovation and excellent service as standard. The Masters product range includes;

• Masters Brief Cases
• Masters Portfolios
• Masters Clipboards
• Masters Computer Bags
• Masters Easel Binders
• Masters Plastic Pockets
• Masters Presentation Folders
• Masters Tags and Tickets