If you’re looking for a new type of pen to use for your everyday writing and note taking, something which is a pleasure to write with, then we may have just the thing! Sometimes we can get tired of the same of Biro (ballpoint); sure they’re cheap and effective, but sometimes there is the want for something a little bolder, striking, something different to write with. If you have pen fatigue, then give our gel pens a try, you may never turn back!

Here at Office 365 we like to recommend black gel pens as they’re favourites of our own! Replacing the standard ballpoint in our office is the luscious gel pen which uses a special ink that’s pigment is suspended in a water-based gel. It is down to the thickness of this ink and its opaqueness that it is able to show up more clearly on dark or slick surfaces than typical ink found in other pen varieties. Thanks to this, gel pens are used in many types of writing and illustration and are a favourite among many professionals worldwide!

Another benefit to gel ink is its ability to flow consistently. Due to its solidity as opposed to liquid or oil form, the ink will go on and on until the pen is empty. I am sure that I am not the only person that gets annoyed with standard pens when writing on a surface that isn’t level. A ballpoint for example, when leaning on a vertical surface, will cut out and stop. However gel ink is not sensitive to gravity and so not only remains constant, but keeps its full body and colour – no fading letters as your write! You can store your gel pen in whatever position you like, and it will be ready to go whenever you are.

At Office 365 our black gel pens come in an extensive variety of sizes and designs, for example, you will find nib or tip sizes from 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm and line width from 0.2mm to 0.8mm! With eco-friendliness beating strongly in our hearts, we recommend the Pilot Begreen B2P Rollerball Gel Pen featured.

• Bottle 2 Pen gel ink rollerball
• Smooth skip-free writing with vivid colours
• Made from recycled water bottles
• 89% recycled plastic (excluding replaceable parts)
• Retractable
• 0.7mm tip gives line width of 0.39mm
• Packed 10
• Black
• Just £17.79 for 10 pens!

Now you have your perfect pen (and enough spares to keep for whenever you lose it), you need to look after it! Although they do not need to be stored vertically, it is important that you remember to replace the cap after use. If you do choose to store your gel pen vertically, say in a cup or desk tidy; please try not to drop it in! This can cause a shock known as ‘ink drop’ to the gel inside by disturbing the pen’s vacuum, so make sure you place it in gently and it will last you a long, long time.

Have you ever made the mistake of purchasing what you thought was a stack of letter trays, only to find upon delivery that you actually only ordered one tray? You’re not alone, many people make the same mistake, as have I, and then realise that the price was actually very small come to think of it. So they then go on to buy another 2 or three to create that tidy letter tray stack upon their desk, perfect for filing everyday paper work. However this is where many stumble across their next obstacle. Many letter trays will not stack upon one another without the use of risers. Risers, also known as spacers, are those metal or plastic rods or lengths which can be slotted into grooves either side of the letter tray so that another can be placed on top. The additional tray will have grooves in which the top of the risers/spacers will slot into. This process can be repeated until you have the desired number of letter trays stacked upon one another.

It is clear to see that without careful consideration buying letter trays can become quite an ordeal! Well here at Office 365 we have the perfect solution to this common annoyance; self stacking letter trays . When you buy from us, you have the opportunity to select a range of options in order to make your search more accurate and far easier! So within our letter trays category, you can select a number of brands or colours to search under, and you can also select between stackable and self stacking. With a great many different refine options, you can tailor your search so that you find precisely what you’re looking for. We even clearly mark our items as singular or grouped, so you’ll find options such as the Avery Paperstack Self Stacking Letter Tray which comes in a pack of 6 trays or various singular trays so that you can arrange however many levels of filing you choose.

At Office 365 we love the Rexel Nimbus Self Stacking Letter Tray featured to your right. It stands out above the rest not only for its sleek looks and reputable brand name, but also for its tiny price tag too. Its qualities include:

• One tray only
• Rexel Nimbus Executive Letter Tray
• The luxurious A4 trays have the look of glass with the durability of acrylic
• The trays are robust with an integrated self-stacking feature
• The design allows for easy locating of papers
• Wipe-clean surface
• WxDxH: 270 x 320 x 60mm
• Clear
• Just £18.53!

When you look at the robust nature of this letter tray, it’s classy style and its perfect functionality, the cost per unit is considerably low. However if you’d like to purchase 15+ unit’s, we can certainly look at bringing this price down even further. Simply call us on 0870 766 1624 for a quote or for more information.

A common requirement for every office, workplace and home is the stapler, but, unfortunately, this item of stationery rarely remains stationary! As one of the first things to go amiss in the workplace, the stapler is possibly the most labelled item. I have witness fights break out over these contraptions! It seems the simplest course of action is to label it with a permanent marker, or purchase various coloured staplers so that each department has its own colour co-ordinated stapler. This way there are no arguments and certainly no mistaking who it belongs to!

Here at Office 365 we supply a vast selection of different types of staplers as there are always a number of different requirements needed of them. For example a very busy office may demand a stapler which can withstand constant use and in this case we would recommend our heavy duty staplers, where as a stapler with a longer arm will be useful for when book, pamphlet and leaflet binding is needed. As the most common form of binding, the stapler is commonly used in the homes, offices and various workplaces in order to keep documents organised, whether this be stapling two sheets of paper or two hundred! Another very popular choice is the electric stapler which reduces the time, stress and strain to individuals, alleviating the burden.

If you’re looking for the perfect product from our long arm staplers variety, then we may have found just the thing. Featured is our Rapid HD16 Long Arm Stapler from our top end range. It boasts qualities such as;

• Tough all steel design
• Ideal for stapling reports, brochures, magazines etc
• Size 400mm (16 inch) reach
• Takes staples no. 24 and 26/6-8
• Staple capacity 210
• Paper capacity 80Gsm sheets 40
• Throat depth (mm) 400
• Front Loading
• RRP £63.20 – Our Price £45.52‼ You save £17.68!

We highly recommend that prior to purchasing your stapler; you consider what will be required of it in the future. Rather than buying without consideration now and then purchasing again in the future to meet higher requirements, why not invest in a stapler that is capable of all your future tasks, it may cost more up front, however will save you money in the long run.

When I was a kid, my dad had the super duper magical pencil, one like no other I’d ever seen before. But I wasn’t to touch it… He said these pencils were special and only for grown up’s that the lead inside them was delicate and only an adult knew how to right with one. Instead of the standard lead (graphite) encased in wood which had to be sharpened when needed, this pencil required you to push the rubber tipped end whenever the lead wore down. It made my dad’s writing so neat and precise, the lead was always sharp and so never did his writing become bold and illegible. If only I could get my hands on it without him noticing, without breaking the lead…

Well one day temptation certainly did get the better of me and when he was out, I sneakily helped myself to this mechanical treat. I wrote my name with it, over and over, middle names and all, I practised a signature with it, all the while pressing ever so gently so that I didn’t break the lead. I never did tell him, and he never found out, but I felt very grown up, a child capable of using a ‘grown up’s’ pencil! So at the end of the summer holidays and in anticipation of a new year at school, I went to my local stationers with my pocket money and bought my very own mechanical pencil.

To my great dismay however, when I proudly opened my pencil case to reveal my band new gadget, it seemed everyone in my class had one too. My little treasure suddenly felt unimportant and I was filled with disappointment. Having said this however, to this day I still use mechanical pencils over standard ones as you just cannot beat they’re accuracy and precision and it is with great pleasure that I introduce one to the world today.

Here at Office 365 we have a whopping great big variety of mechanical pencils from a great list of brands. We have brands such as 5 Star, AF, Bic, Comfort, Helix, Paper Mate, Parker, Pentel, Pilot, Sharp and Staedtler. However the one we’d like to recommend today is Ergonomic variety from Staedtler. Take a look at the Staedtler TriPlus Mechanical Pencil featured to your right.

• Ergonomic triangular barrel for effortless and fatigue-free writing
• Metal tip
• Pocket-safe thanks to retractable metal lead sleeve
• Extra-long screw in/out eraser
• Takes 0.7mm leads
• Refillable
• Unique ecological manufacturing process no PVC, no softening agents
• Environmentally friendly manufacturing process
• Packed:10

It’s a no brainer really, this pencil has absolutely everything you could possibly want! It really is a breeze to write with, a real pleasure and at just £20.71 for a pack of 10, it’s a real bargain too! Give it a try and let us know your thoughts.

A3 & A4 Quality Clip Boards

Today, Office 365 would like to recommend a top brand for quality clipboards, Rapesco.

Rapesco is one of Europe’s leading Office Products manufacturers. With them you can relax, safe in the knowledge that their products come with the specifications that you would expect from a manufacturer with only the highest standards and vision for the future in mind.

Featured to your right is the Rapesco Masonite Waterproof A4 Clipboard.

• Strong hardwood
• Over 50% Recycled
• Heavy duty clip with high capacity and hanging hole
• Glazed front to provide a smooth writing surface in addition to being waterproof
• Brown
• Available in A4 and A3

You can pick up this long lasting clipboard from us for just £1.96, and that an incredible 27% off! Now you can’t say we’re not good to you! Also available from Rapesco is the A3 Masonite Waterproof Clipboard. For all other A3 Clipboards and A4 Clipboards take a look at the site.

Prices correct as of 21/07/09

The Green Bit

Rapesco regard their environmental performance as a strategic issue. They are continually seeking ways to conserve natural resources, to reduce the amount of energy they use, to eliminate pollutants and hazardous substances from their products, processes and to maximise the use of recycled products. Rapesco operate a strict Quality Management System (QMS) and are constantly increasing the awareness and importance of this global priority to everyone within the Rapesco supply chain. As a result of its rigorous programme of improvements over recent years, and Rapesco’s commitment to performance improvement through the development of its product range and complex manufacturing processes, Rapesco feels very good about its attitude towards conservation. Ideas from their QMS Committee set up to primarily find ways of making their products more eco-friendly are rapidly being translated into actions as the company introduces a series of component and materials changes with long term environmental benefits. Having successfully raised the environmental credentials of the products themselves and their packaging Rapesco’s environmental team are now focused on the manufacturing and distribution processes. This means improving every aspect of the way the company works. For example, driving the business towards an almost paper-less operation, recycling wherever possible and retail packaging has changed from a PVC base to one of PET. Time and focus has been directed towards the coatings on their metal products to ensure traditional methods are changed in favour of modern eco-friendly ones without ever compromising quality. Galvanising in place of copper and nickel in place of chrome. Parts are easily disassembled in order to allow for specific recycling, such as their tackers when compared with others which are welded or pressed together making them impossible to repair and very difficult to recycle. Rapesco are putting the environment in front of marketing desires so that packaging is not over sized, nor overly complicated and considerable thought into making its eventual recycling as easy as possible is always considered as a priority. At the point of product design products are created to achieve strength and longevity with strong materials formed into shapes able to out-perform larger, heavier non eco-friendly items supplied by others. Rapesco’s worldwide customers rightly expect them to make designs, developments, manufacturing processes and products as energy efficient and environmentally responsible as possible. It is a continuing mission. Like quality, environmental management is a journey without a destination.

This Weeks BEST Range

There are still so many of you out there who need help finding the perfect desk. Sometimes you’re on a budget and we recommend accordingly, and sometimes all that you’re after is the BEST. Well today we have found the perfect desk for you. Although it may not be the cheapest in our range, it has all the features you could want and more, and comes with an incredible 38% off! So maybe you could save some pennies after all…

Elysium Executive Desk Left Hand Pedestal – Best Office Desk

• 37mm thick desk, shaped and handed tops with 4mm edging featuring panel end and integral pedestal
• Pedestals have deep filing drawer, standard drawer and pen tray drawer
• Walnut finish
• The Elysium Executive range provides your office with style and individuality whilst also being practical in use
• Gold Medal Rating
• 5 Year Guarantee
• Left-hand
• WxDxH: 2200x1190x750mm

If what you’re looking for is sleek and stylish, boasts superiority and charisma, the Elysium range from Trexus is for you, but more specifically, this beauty featured here. You are bound to make a statement with this piece.

It is available in both left and right handed option and is also made in both Walnut (my favourite) and mahogany finishes.

Have you ever tried worked at a desk, full time, at a job that involves a lot of typing, keyboard and mouse work? If yes, have you tried to do so without the use of wrist rests? For a week its fine, a month even, but you get three months down the line of repetitive all day keyboard use and you’re almost sure to experience problems. I for one am a prime example of this! I began to experience a sharp pain, achy too down the underside of my wrist which came and went all day long. Massaging it didn’t help, pressure didn’t help, it just lingered on causing me real problems, and of course work suffered. Having written posts on office ergonomics in the past, I of all people should know better! So I invested in a gel wrist rest.

It is proven that using a mouse or keyboard for an average of 8 hours a day without the correct support is likely to put strain on the median nerve which can result in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This common complaint is responsible for wrist pain for many people working in desk jobs across the globe. Sufferers can expect to feel aching, burning, numbness, or tingling in the palm of the hand, wrist, thumb or fingers. In more severe cases, the thumb muscle may become weak, which can affect the grasping mechanism making. In fact, pain can even extend up to your elbow for many cases! When working, you need to assess whether your unsupported wrist and lower hand fall below the level of the keyboard. Putting too much pressure on the bottom of your wrist can lead to many problems. A padded or gel wrist rest will provide a cushion for your wrists whilst raising them providing a better angle for typing.

If you are suffering with problems relating to repetitive typing and mouse work, invest in a wrist rest and take plenty of breaks from activities that aggravate the pain. So make sure that when typing, you stop often to rest the hands, even if only for a moment. Also medications like ibuprofen can relieve pain and swelling.

Our Compucessory Keyboard Wrist Rest pictured is ideal for anyone working long hours at the computer. It features the following attributes:

• Keyboard Wrist Rest
• Translucent, soft gel wrist rests provide comfort
• Easy clean surface
• Non-skid backing prevents unwanted movement
• WxDxH: 461 x 71 x 26mm
• Black
• Just £12.58, saving £4.42 off the RRP!

With a great many other to choose from, you can be sure that you will find the best wrist rest for you here at Office 365, and remember for bulk orders just ask us for a quote when ordering online, or call on 0870 766 1624.

Posting delicate objects isn’t easy. If you don’t take proper measures to ensure the items safety, it could end up damaged which will only have negative effects on yourself or your business. In order to maintain a good reputation with your customers and to avoid additional costs incurred when replacing broken items, make sure you invest in suitable and protective envelopes.

Fair enough, it is not always essential to post an item using a padded envelope and as they are more expensive this should be a cost avoided where possible.  They are normally more expensive and if what you’re sending is not breakable, then why pay more? However when posting items such as CD’s, DVD, CD-ROM’s, important documents (for example certificates and agreements), or photographs, then you will need to ensure that they do not get creased, bent, folded, squashed, smashed or damaged during transit. Your best option for ensuring the safety of this type of item is to use a protective envelope such as corrugated envelopes.

We have a great range from Smartbox who are a German responsible for manufacturing a range of unique and innovative dispatch packaging and practical Archiving systems. The company even offers a complete portfolio of Packaging materials and Cartons, together with a large range of accessories. We find that when using a company who specialise in one area, that you are more likely to get the quality you would expect, and Smartbox are certainly no exception!

The company take pride in their well thought out ideas and developments and has designed their corrugated envelopes to have the right balance between being protective and being lightweight enough for cost effective and manageable transportation. Available in the following sizes, you’re sure to find a Smartbox Corrugated Envelope for your specific needs:

• W150 x D250 x H50mm
• W210 x D292 x H50mm
• W248 x D340 x H50mm
• W246 x D357 x H50mm
• W285 x D397 x H50mm
• W335 x D500 x H50mm
• W187 x D272 x H50mm
• W235 x D337 x H35mm

For many people, office work and sitting for long periods can cause severe back pain, or at the very least discomfort. Ergonomics suggest that there is a better alternative to the typical office chair; it is called the kneeling chair. Starting out a just some sort of ‘craze’, these kneeling chairs soon took off and now you’ll find offices across the globe furnished with these ergonomic gems.

Our selection of kneeling chairs are designed to be used for desk work, for use in the home office and even for dining. The chairs have been developed to promote movement and variation in order to keep the body in its natural state of activity so that stress to the back can be prevented. The concept is that the chair keeps the spine in its natural curvature and the spinal disks dynamic, this in turn ensures good blood circulation and improved oxygen supply, leading to better concentration and general good health

Our office kneeling chairs are favourites to our customers with back problems, and are suitable for both children and adults enabling whoever uses the chair to develop a natural sitting posture. However these chairs do not only keep you alert and prevent back pain, they even work the postural area thus promoting better back muscles. Basically, when you sit on a kneeling chair you balance the spine in the correct position over the pelvis and the angle of the chair means that this posture is maintained without any effort!

If you’re looking for comfortable, fatigue-free sitting and would like to work at your desk without strain, then a kneeling chair is certainly the answer for you. Take a look at our extensive variety here made by the reputable Trexus brand, as featured to your right.

• Strong steel construction with gas lift height and angle adjustment
• Deep padded seat and knee cushions
• Silver epoxy coated frame mounted on easy roll castors for ease of movement
• Seat H: 480-620mm
• Available in colours blue, burgundy and charcoal
• Just £91.67‼

For more help an advise on comfortable seating and general office ergonomics, please feel free to call us on 0870 766 1624 and one of our team will be very happy to help you.

What better topic of conversation than that of a mop and its fellow wringer? We do discuss the most interesting subjects here at the Office 365 blog spot; staples, paper sizes, pencil shades, envelopes – such fascinating stuff… don’t you think? Well today the mop and bucket are under the spotlight as we determine which one is best for you. Now rather than filling up all our buckets with hot soapy water and actually putting the mops and wringers to the test, we thought we’d rely on customer reviews and pass on their recommendations, after all, the customer knows best. Oh how wonderful it is to use that expression to our advantage!

The test is between two brands, Rubbermaid and Charles Bentley. First off, I’d like to point out that I can personally recommend the Charles Bentley brand, as my own mop, bucket and wringer are made by the brand, although mine is an old fashioned cream metal variety, but that’s beside’s the point. The mop cleans, as it should, and the bucket holds water as it should and the winger squeezes off excess water as it should, job done, boxes ticked. It’s all pretty standard really. So we move onto customer responses and it seems we have had far more purchases of the Charles Bentley variety. Is this telling us something, or is it just that we have a larger variety within this range? Well considering there is only one option within the Rubbermaid brand, and this is a rather expensive wheeled variety, I think that answers the question!

The Rubbermaid Combo Bravo Mop Bucket and Wringer does have its place. This is a pretty decent bit of kit which would suit larger premises very well! Although not necessary in the home, this set would be ideal for hotels, large restaurants and so on. The wringer is more efficient than the standard variety which is great for speed and the bucket size means that you will not need to refresh the water constantly. Being wheeled it is easy to manoeuvre around reducing bending and carrying. For £87.37, it’s not cheap, but it is good!

Our Charles Bentley variety is available in both wheeled and standard options in a variety of colours. Their wheeled selection come in red, blue, green and yellow colours and are available for just £41.54, where as the non wheeled options are available in the same colours, however are just a fraction of the price at just £12.18. All products within the range have been reviewed well and are quoted as being strong and durable which is all you want really! Take a look at our selection of buckets with mop wringers and decide for yourself, but don’t forget to let us know you’re thoughts once you’ve tested it out!