Oxford are a favoured brand by many for essential items such as address books and diaries, whether in the home or the office. You’ll see their branded products across the board in places like schools and universities, offices, homes and most local stationers. They are part of the Hamelin Paperbrands Group who are in fact the largest supplier of branded envelopes, notebooks, pads, diaries, personal stationery and paper-based education supplies in the UK.

The familiar Oxford logo stands for quality, performance and functional innovation that makes the brand stand out from its competitors. Because of their superior reputation and outstanding quality, time and time again, Office 365 are happy once again to recommend their products to you, like for example their Oxford Address Books an example of which featured to your right. They are the creators of many well known book and pad brands such as; Black n’ Red, Easybook, International, Notebooks, Npad, Office, Paper Show, Pink n’ Black, Oxford Desk Diaries (such as the one below) and Education (an exorcise book brand).

The Oxford range is made up of lightweight, portable notebooks, with useful features such as pockets, document holders and dividers which makes them ideal for business people who need to be organised whilst on the move. All Oxford international notebooks and pads use high-white 80gsm paper and have a framed 6mm ruling with space for meeting/subject titles and actions. Unless indicated, all books feature twinwire binding, are pre-punched and have oversized, perforated pages which tear to standard size. Each book has easy-clean polypropylene covers for portability and durability and includes a document pocket for loose notes, CDs etc.

Due to their many years in trading, the Oxford brand is well equipped to address and satisfy all the aesthetic and functional aspirations and requirements demanded by their users, whatever the demand. They are a customer orientated brand who strives to develop products based on customers ideas and concepts so as to meet these demands. Whether you are a child, a student, an executive or an office worker, the Oxford brand can cater for you. Meeting or anticipating end users expectations demands continuous efforts of innovation is what Oxford have proven since their beginning.

The Green Bit

Oxford are dedicated to providing environmentally friendly products for the benefit of future generations. They pride themselves on sourcing raw materials responsibly and continuously strive to improve the environmental credentials of their products. With that in mind, Oxford are pleased to announce all their exercise books manufactured from April 2009 are accredited with the Paper by Nature eco-label.

Paper by Nature is a unique international eco-label for converted paper products that guarantees eco-responsibility from raw materials all the way through to the manufacturing of the finished product. The Paper by Nature Association was initiated by key players throughout the paper and paper converting industry. The label is audited by a third party to ensure its integrity. The main requirements that must be met in order to be awarded with the Paper by Nature eco-label are:

• Reducing VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds e.g. alcohol emissions) which contribute to the greenhouse effect and can be harmful to human health.
• Reduce or prevent risks to the environment and to human health related to the use of harmful substances.
• Use of paper and paperboard substrate with a low environmental impact.

Because we are all responsible for the preservation of our planet, Oxford has undertaken to constantly strive to limit the impact their products have on the environment and inform their customers about the measures they are taking to achieve this. This could be from eco responsible product design, the selection of raw materials, right through to the manufacturing of the finished products.

Pentel, one of our most reputable and popular brands for writing equipment are the feature of today’s blog. Like many, I often only purchase a product if it is made by a brand that I know and trust. Like for example you’re in the market for a new printer and you’ve found that HP are the better choice. Well this is the same for Pentel who are globally one of the most popular brand choices for writing equipment.

Pentel are a privately held Japanese company who produce stationery and writing instruments. Some of their products include mechanical pencils, erasers, pens, correction fluid, pencil lead, and felt-tipped pens. Pentel are also the inventors of non-permanent marker technology. Most of Pentel products are manufactured in Japan, Taiwan and France. Their UK offices are based just outside Swindon Wiltshire.

Pentel Pens are one of our most popular brands of pens at Office 365 and the Hyper G Gel Pen featured to your right among the most commonly purchased. With 25% off the RRP and a free Cholet Womble (for a limited period), it’s not difficult to see why!

Pentel’s mission is to develop pens that offer their customers a more satisfying writing experience, correction products that give better value for money and art materials that allow their users to release their true creative side! They are proud that they have been responsible for the development of ideas behind two-thirds of the writing instruments in use around the world today. From the first acrylic fibre tipped pen, to no less than 26 shades of pigment gel ink, their goal is to create products that make all forms of written and artistic communication not only effective, but inspiring. Specialising in the production of mechanical pencils too, Pentel cover all areas; take for example the Pentel Mechanical Pencils featured to your left. These A300 Automatic Pencils have a non-slip rubber finger grip and a fixed metal sleeve to help prevent the leads from snapping. Also on an offer with 25% off, you’ll make a satisfying saving with us.

The Green Bit

Pentel is about to embark on phase two of its high profile national campaign supporting the Recycology brand of filing and presentation products and writing instruments.

The first stage of the campaign began in spring this year, running into early summer, featuring 18cm by three columns advertisements in the Daily Mail and The Times. Stage two commences on 22 August, with advertising in the same national newspapers, plus a two-week burst of Tube car panel advertising on the London Underground, starting on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Tube campaign will yield 75 per cent of the London Underground audience over the duration of the campaign. Pentel has also been supporting the Recycology brand with advertising activity in specialist end-user press, plus promotional offers including a free desk-size wheelie bin pen pot made from recycled plastic, targeted at office products purchasers.

Wendy Vickery, Pentel Marketing Manager says, “With the second phase of the Recycology campaign about to start, just as the August Bank holiday arrives, the exposure of the London Underground, complementing our national press activity, will give us opportunities to reach significant numbers of end-users, including students starting a new school or college term.”

Unlike office filing, home filing is never organised. One of the top priorities for an office today is filing and it is something which is never allowed to get out of hand. Filing is key to office organisation, without it, your business would be chaos. Your home should be no different. Consider it your own small business, with utilities bills coming in constantly, wage slips, invoices, personal documents and school reports, there really isn’t much difference between your home and a business. We’ve all been there, hunting high and low for that p60 or birth certificate and even had the kids turning the house upside down looking for it. But why allow your paperwork to get so out of control when it really is very simple to keep on top of… Honest!

People seem to assume that the only filing products that exist are those flimsy concertina folders or gigantic filing cabinets. Well frankly, this just isn’t true. We’ve found that the best solution your home filing problems is the desk organiser featured below.

Our Twinlock Crystalfile Desk Organiser has 40 hanging suspension files, so that 40 different categories for your filing. Think of all the different bills you could separate here and even have enough slots left for things like school paper work and…recipes? Anyway, you get the idea; it’s perfect and pretty cheap too. It features;

• Tough steel chassis for housing suspension files on the desk or shelf top
• Suitable for use with A4 or foolscap suspension files
• Holds up to 40 standard suspension files
• Anti-slip feet provide surface stability and protection
• Supplied flat-packed for easy self-assembly

You could solve all your home filing problems and grab a respectable 24% saving too. With £8.39 off, you can take this organiser home for just £26.21! Even though we trial our recommended products for you, we’re always keen to find out what our customers think. So why not give it a go and let us know how you get on.

Envelope sizes can be a tricky thing to get your head around; it’s certainly a visual thing that a simple discussion just can’t explain. So we’ve done our best to lay it all out for you as simply as possible. We’ve taken a closer look into the C paper sizes as, being the most popular envelopes; we’ve had plenty of queries. Many have asked about the C4 envelope dimensions and C5 envelope dimensions are another frequent query. Take a look at the dimensions of the C series envelope sizes, (defined by ISO 216) given in the table below in both millimetres and inches.

It comes in very useful to know that C envelope sizes are defined in the same was as A and B paper sizes with the same number. For example, C4 dimensions are the geometric mean of A4 and B4. Based on this, an envelope of the size between the two is produced which will neatly hold the A series paper of the same size —->C4 Envelope = A4 sheet of paper unfolded.

The diagrams below illustrate this theory and show the size of each of the envelopes when compared to a sheet of A4 paper.

Every business has its own security systems, some good, some not so good. One of the most widely used forms of security in the office today is security badges. It is no secret that crimes committed against businesses can be the most catastrophic; valuable stock and equipment are often lost, premises are damaged and staff morale inevitably takes a battering. With this in mind it makes complete sense to take appropriate security measures to protect our businesses.

One of the simplest precautions your business could take is to use ID Badges. In order to have control over the physical security of your business, you must control all access to your premises, in most cases through a reception area and ideally using an identification process such as ID Badges. These are not only used to identify a person, but also to establish personal position, status and access and prove an effective method of encouraging communication. Our range of ID Badges are simple to put together and are made by some much respected brands such as our Durable Security Pass Badge Holder featured to your right.

• Ideal for ID passes and magnetic cards
• Securely holds cards without damaging the magnetic strip
• Can be worn in either landscape or portrait position
• Can be used with Textile Name Badge Necklace, Badge Reel or Badge Chain
• Quantity 25

For this pack of 25 badge holders, you’ll receive 35% off the RRP, picking them up for just £31.09, that’s a saving of £16.42! With plenty more Security Pass Holders and ID Badges to choose from, Office 365 has everything you could possibly need to upgrade your business security.

The Green Bit

Protection of the environment is one of the great challenges of our time. Virtually no modern corporate organisation acting with a sense of responsibility can afford to dispense with eco management. After all, this one planet is all we have. Eco management can only have a lasting effect if the company practising it is engaged in continuous improvement.

Eco Friendly

DURABLE products are particularly eco-friendly thanks to their durability. The plastic materials they use are robust, have excellent recycling properties and can be disposed of together with normal refuse with no problem at all.

In accordance with its guiding principles, Durable continuously aim to further optimise their ecology-oriented management. Their aim is to develop products that are largely recyclable (of course they should also be produced at low cost and yield a reasonable profit!). To meet this ideal as closely as possible, Durable continuously carry out critical analyses of the environmental impact of their products and production processes. Thus the material thicknesses of their products and above all, their packaging are constantly reviewed for possible enhancements. Through packaging modifications developed in-house, Durable have been able to achieve significant material savings and reductions in volume. Durable also demonstrate their responsibility towards the environment through their purchasing policies. Important decisions in favour of ecologically sustainable production are being made in regular project meetings between their purchasing department and suppliers. Careful selection of optimal materials is one way to protect the environment.  The right choice of suppliers is also as important to Durable. They never fail to check whether the manufacturers and their suppliers are certified, and how they are being regulated. These questions must always be answered before they decide on any purchase.

Many would consider coffee and biscuits to be an absolute must have for the office. They provide a caffeine and sugar boost to your staff whilst boosting moral and giving them that feel good feeling that can only be achieved when they are valued. If you can have all this in just a cup of coffee and a biscuit, then it’s well worth the petty cash. However, there’s a whole new feel good factor that can be achieved from buying these sugary treats but this means buying fair trade. So how about it, happy staff, happy you and happy farmers too!

At Office 365 you will find a range of products made by the very respectable Fairtrade organisation. This is an independent and non-profit making organisation that licenses use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products in the UK in accordance with internationally agreed Fairtrade standards.  The Fairtrade Foundation is a registered charity (no. 1043886) and is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales (no. 2733136). Their vision is of a world where justice and sustainable development are at the heart of trade structures and practices enabling everyone, through their work, to be able to maintain a decent, fair and dignified livelihood whilst developing to their full potential. In order for this to happen, Fairtrade seeks to make a change to the trading structures and practices in favour of the poor and those who are at a disadvantage. Fairtrade contributes to sustainable development for marginalised producers, workers and their communities, by facilitating trading partnerships based on equity and transparency. Through the demonstration of alternatives to conventional trade and further forms of advocacy, the Fairtrade movement empowers and enables citizens to campaign for an international trade system based on true justice and fairness.

Since its launch in 1994, the Fairtrade Mark has become established as a credible and independent consumer guarantee for products that help producers in developing countries get a better deal from their international trade. The Fairtrade Mark currently appears on a range of products including Fairtrade Office Coffee (featured to your right), tea, cocoa, fresh fruit, juice, honey, wine, dried fruit, nuts, Fairtrade Meeting Biscuits (featured below) and sugar, and non-food products such as flowers, sports balls and cotton products, many of these consumable products you will find at Office 365.

But what are the benefits to the producers?
There are a large number of farmers and workers in developing countries who struggle to provide for their families and their communities. It is poor market access and unfair trade rules that often mean the price they get for their crop does not cover the cost of the production itself. Recent reports (Fairtrade and the Global Food Crisis) proves that Fairtrade is helping to offset the worst impacts of the crisis for poor farming families in the developing world. Take for example sugar growers in Malawi. They now spend 80% of their income on food compared to 50% a year ago which shows how the Fairtrade price means they can carry on putting food on the table. The premium empowers them to maintain levels of investment in community development through this challenging time.

Rubber stamps are a major accessory to every business saving time and money and creating eye catching and to the point messages that stand out. Rubber stamps fall into three categories: stamps for use in the office, stamps used for decorating objects or those used as children’s toys. At Office 365 we stock stamps for office use and one of the best brands we’ve found has got to be Dormy.

Dormy Limited are the largest manufacturers and suppliers of stock and custom-made stamps and marking products in the UK. They are market leaders in the UK and also export to over 60 countries across the world! The brand now falls under the Trodat UK Ltd name which became the trading name on October 1st 2008. Trodat UK Ltd (the holding company) and Dormy Ltd (the trading company) merged to form a single company under the name of Trodat UK Ltd. Trodat UK continue to use ‘Dormy’ as a product brand within their portfolio of product brands, for its range of traditional stamp products, however Trodat UK is the brand choice when it comes to selecting self-inking stamps.

Today the Trodat group are the global market leaders for self-inking stamps, marking products and laser engraving machines. It has been for many years now that Trodat has been a trendsetter and a major player in the international marking industry and for the reassurance of their customers they can boast their ISO 9001 certification which has been in place since 1995 and they also have ISO 14001 certification which has more recently been awarded in 2008.  98% of Trodat products are exported and they supply to customers in 160 different countries. To boast further still; in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, Trodat was honoured with the award “Top 100 Work Places in the EU”! Trodat claim that their special strengths concerning stamps and marking products can be found in the principles of customer-orientation, flexibility, quality, design and fast response.

To your right you’ll see the Dormy Printing Kit. This clever kit enables you to create your own personalised rubber stamps and includes the following;

• 2 sets of 3mm reusable rubber type
• 2 sets of 4mm reusable rubber type
• 1 black stamp pad
• 1 set of tweezers
• 3 sizes of holders, small – 4 rows of text, medium – 6 rows of text, large – 9 rows of text
• Each holder will fit up to 34x3mm or 27x4mm characters per line

For individual or pre-made Dormy Rubber Stamps take a look at our full selection on the site and take advantage of massive saving across the entire range.

The Green Bit

As the world market leader in Marking products, Trodat believe that they have a special responsibility to lead the way when it comes to environmental matters and so have applied an integrated approach. In everything they do, Trodat try to keep the effects on the ecosystem as small as possible. Their staff are aware of this and use the best available, economically viable technology there is.

In their entire value creation process Trodat set great store by the efficient use of energy and raw materials. Their comprehensive awareness of the environment guides the whole Trodat process, beginning with planning and development, through to production and then on to transport and supply. Finally, all products are extremely durable, so not only is their commitment passed on to the consumer, but there is less waste to landfill. They believe that better than recycling, is just not to throw away at all!

CO2 Emissions

Trodat can proudly state that 500,000 m3 or 1,000 metric tonnes of CO2 have not been produced at Trodat at all since 2001! Their staff provide plenty of ideas, both large and small, on climate protection and their continuous efforts in energy and production management make Trodat the number 1 in sustainability as well. They are celebrating an invisible but important anniversary, for the environment and for all of us. The considerable volume of CO2 saved is the equivalent of the work of 100,000 trees per year, which is approximately the area of 400 hectares (almost 1,000 acres) of Central European forest! This is some achievement, no wonder their celebrating!

Water

Did you know that power stations by rivers do not consume water? Instead it is used as a regenerative resource for providing energy. 18 million litres per hour or 5,000 litres per second: this is a lot of water which Trodat uses in the form of electricity for the operations of its site in Austria. Compared to fossil fuels, that is the equivalent of burning 2,000 tonnes of coal per year, which would produce 5,600 tonnes of CO2, greenhouse gases and other poisonous substances. The use of water power saves the environment from this. Trodat is aware of its especially privileged situation in energy creation. They benefit from the ideal topographical and meteorological conditions which they have at their location for the production of energy from water power. Only by totally avoiding poisonous substances can we protect the quality of ground and drinking water for the future of our children. That is why the materials used at Trodat are completely free of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, lead or zinc. The conviction that we hold the Earth in trust for our descendants is deeply anchored in the social conscience of the Trodat company. Their environmental performance has enabled them to obtain international standard ISO 14001 certification for environmental management, an additional characteristic that clearly differentiates them to their customers.

Toxic Substances

Only by totally avoiding poisonous substances can we protect the quality of ground and drinking water for the future of our children. That is why the materials used at Trodat are completely free of toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, lead or zinc. The conviction that we hold the Earth in trust for our descendants is deeply anchored in the social conscience of the Trodat company. Their environmental performance has enabled them to obtain international standard ISO 14001 certification for environmental management, an additional characteristic that clearly differentiates them to their customers.

Trodat Products

Everyone who buys Trodat products can rely on the products’ having been worked on in compliance with environment and resource saving principles from development to fabrication up through packaging and transportation. With the purchase of a Trodat stamp, you automatically start with a responsibly manufactured article. Trodat makes ecologically responsible products the standard. From now on, it is manufacturing the Original Trodat Printy date stamp from at least 70% recycled plastic. Trodat is not creating a new “green line” by doing this. Instead, it is optimizing the existing selection for the environment’s sake. The conversion to at least 70% recycled material has already begun. The product line will be completely converted by December 1, 2009. Conversion to recycled material makes the gray housing a little darker. The labels and order numbers remain unchanged.

An underestimated element of business and workplace safety is key security. All across the world and every day, many businesses lose their keys due to unorganised key storage, foul play or simply ignorance. Safe storage and management of keys should be an essential part of your security; however you’d be amazed at how often it’s overlooked! The best options for the secure holding of your business keys are key safes and security cabinets.

Choosing the right safe isn’t always easy; it will depend on a number of different factors, for example, how many keys will you need to store? Are they to be held as single keys or in bunches? Who will need authorisation and to which key(s)? What level of risk could your business be under should any key go missing? How many keys will the cabinet or safe need to contain? Worry not however, whatever you’re looking for, from a simple lockable key organiser cabinet, to a high security key safe or even a sophisticated key tracker or key management system you’ll find your ideal solution here at Office 365.

Take for example this Durable Key Box featured to your right. It has a 36 key capacity and is constructed of durable aluminium. This stylish modern cabinet is designed for use with the innovative Key Clip and with its wide opening door and sturdy lock, not only does it look the business, but it does the job too. The cabinet comes with a sample bag of 6 Key Clip key holders, wall fixings and a sturdy lock with 2 keys. All this plus you get the brand reassurance too. Durable safely hold a top position in the market and have done so for some time due to their ongoing development of innovative, stylish and superior designed products. Their numerous International awards for design symbolise their ongoing progress and commitment.

The Green Bit

Protection of the environment is one of the great challenges of our time. Virtually no modern corporate organisation acting with a sense of responsibility can afford to dispense with eco management. After all, this one planet is all we have. Eco management can only have a lasting effect if the company practising it is engaged in continuous improvement.

Eco Friendly

DURABLE products are particularly eco-friendly thanks to their durability. The plastic materials they use are robust, have excellent recycling properties and can be disposed of together with normal refuse with no problem at all.

In accordance with its guiding principles, Durable continuously aim to further optimise their ecology-oriented management. Their aim is to develop products that are largely recyclable (of course they should also be produced at low cost and yield a reasonable profit!). To meet this ideal as closely as possible, Durable continuously carry out critical analyses of the environmental impact of their products and production processes. Thus the material thicknesses of their products and above all, their packaging are constantly reviewed for possible enhancements. Through packaging modifications developed in-house, Durable have been able to achieve significant material savings and reductions in volume. Durable also demonstrate their responsibility towards the environment through their purchasing policies. Important decisions in favour of ecologically sustainable production are being made in regular project meetings between their purchasing department and suppliers. Careful selection of optimal materials is one way to protect the environment.  The right choice of suppliers is also as important to Durable. They never fail to check whether the manufacturers and their suppliers are certified, and how they are being regulated. These questions must always be answered before they decide on any purchase.

It’s true that whilst everyone seems to be interested in creating or using high-tech computer generated presentations and equipment, the flip chart still continues to be the most effective presentation media that exists. It isn’t always essential to invest a lot of money in high tech visual aids & equipment; in fact the best visual aids are the simplest. It is important to remember that the purpose of using a visual aid is to enhance your presentation, not to upstage it. We’ve found there are several advantages to using a flip chart, for example; you don’t need to worry if the bulb burns out or worry that you forgot an extension lead plus, they do not require that you use any special films or printers. All that is needed when using flipchart pads is an in-expensive box of flip chart markers to allow you to do all the creativity you need to get your presentation across the way you want.

Try this one for size; the Nobo Flipchart Pad featured below is ideal for all meetings and presentations. It has 100 pages of bleed resistant paper in size A1 (813 x 584mm). As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, we at Office 365 are a very generous firm and give you only the best discounts and offers available on the net today. You will find savings of more 50% off on RRP’s and a price match policy to complement our confident pricings. The flipchart featured for example is actually a Pack of x2 and is only £14.24, making a saving of £30.74, that’s 68% off! The pads are great for;

• All kinds of presentations or training
• Capturing information during group discussions
• Use on an easel as a display and information board where other methods prove too expensive or information is likely to change frequently
• Use during teaching, in schools, colleges or universities
• Tracking targets and goals in sales and manufacturing plants
• Displaying menu’s or special in cafes and restaurants
• Childs play and learning in nurseries and pre schools
• Art classes and artists
• Use as a coaching tool in schools, offices and sports teams

Before purchasing your flipchart, make sure it will fit the stand you will be using. Some have different spaced holes at the top. If you’ve selected this pad, good choice; Nobo are easily one of our most successful brands and highest achievers, 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, no other company in this area of the market even comes close to competing.

A Single Drawer Filing Cabinet can be a fantastic asset to a small office, either in the home or the business. They provide a perfectly adequate amount of filing space for your household bills or for personal work filing.

At Office 365, we have a fantastic Pierre Henry single drawer filing cabinet available and for just a snip of the retail price. Take a look at the image below for example.

In the image you will see 1, 2 and 3 drawer filing cabinet options, the price we are going to give is for the 1 drawer option. It features;

• A4 steel filing cabinet
• Holds A4 suspension files
• Smooth action drawer runners
• Strong quality steel construction
• Lockable, comes supplied with two keys
• Stackable, modular and portable
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 400x400x400mm
• Silver

With 25% off the recommended retail price, you can now pick this up for just £35.42! Pierre Henry are a reputable family owned company who produce a range of A4 filing cabinets, file boxes, desk top accessories and tambour cupboards from three manufacturing plants in Normandy France. The companies Head Office is based in the beautiful and very practical capital, Paris. With over 60 years of production experience Pierre Henry sells its products across the globe to many of the largest resellers in the world.  Products are produced to all key European standards and offer value for money items for both the home and office use.