Unless you’re one of those cruel bosses who gets a kick out of watching your staff and likes them to know you’re ‘keeping an eye’ on them, then in/out boards are certainly the way forward. It alleviates the pressure from you freeing up your time, your patience and some might say, enabling you to build better relationships with your staff! Providing an IN/OUT Board in your office means that staff are constantly aware that they must ‘clock in’ on time and that the responsibility lies with them.

It is vital, as a manager to employee’s that you know of there where-about’s during working hours. It is your responsibility to make sure they are safe while on business premises and so an IN/OUT Board can play a vital role in ensuring their safety. Knowing whether your staff are in or in fact out of the premises can even come down to a matter of life and death in some situations, such as fires, gas leaks, chemical leaks and other like emergencies. A simple glance at the board will show you who needs rounding up and who is already safely out of the premises!

The featured Indesign in/out board and message centre enables you to keep track of who is in or out of the office. You’ll find that each board is supplied complete with a wall mounting kit and blank name cards so that you can personalise the board to your office or department. In the unfortunately event of an emergency of any kind, the board can be lifted off the wall and taken to the assembly point for an accurate roll call of who is actually about!

• For keeping a record of whether staff are in or out of the office
• Gives easy reference in an emergency
• Can be easily removed to assembly point
• 20 names per board
• WxDxH: 597 x 25 x 220mm
• Just £101.40 inc VAT!

This product also qualifies for free next day delivery and if you’d like to order in bulk, we can even discuss quotes for you. Simple hit ‘get a quote’ at the basket screen, or call us on 0870 766 1624 where a member of our team will be happy to give you a price you’ll be pleased with!

Through the generations our music medium has moved from Records/Vinyl to Tapes, from Tapes to CD, from CD to Mini Disc and from Mini Disc to MP3. These days we download music in seconds onto our smart phones, via iTunes into our iTunes libraries, on Spotify into our Spotify libraries and we even create playlists on You Tube. But with all this downloadable music, our physical music libraries are dwindling. At first this wasn’t an issue as having new music at our finger tips was a novelty. However as we grow more accustomed to this new era of music, some of us are beginning to remember just how good it actually felt to pull a CD off a shelf and play it in our music systems. I love to look at my collection of music which sits proudly on a nice shelving unit in my living room. I’m quite proud of my collection, however I’m sad to think that everything I have bought over the last few years is on my computer and my phone, and not up there on the wall with the others, adding to what is already a fab collection, but could be awesome!

So, I have decided it’s time to put some effort in here and create the CD’s myself. I have bought the music after all; I may as well have physical copies of it! But as it turns out, this is simpler than you may think, and at Office 365 we have all the tools necessary to do it! So if you’re a new customer, why don’t you consider taking advantage of our 10% off (for all new customers) and stock up on your CD making supplies?

When I say you can re create the CD yourself, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you burn the music from your library onto CD, get CD markers and write the album title and band on it; I’m talking about actually re-creating CD’s that will look just like they do when you buy them in the shops! With our selection of blank CD’s, CD labels, CD case cover and tray inserts and CD cases, you can print your own artwork or actual original downloaded artwork onto these labels and covers creating a collection you can be proud of!

Using our range of supplies from Avery, you can finish the job properly by creating your own inserts for the jewel cases matching the CD to the case so it all looks very professional. You can also use this opportunity to add extra information such as a song lists and titles! All Avery CD printing supplies comes with Avery DesignPro® Software which includes over 800 pre-designed templates for CD/DVD Labels enabling you customise effectively.

So get stuck in and finally update your collection now! Let us know how you get on and how satisfied you were with the quality from Avery’s reputable range of labels and inserts. For enquiries and bulk orders call us on 0870 766 1624 or simply order online where you will also find an option to ‘get a quote’ for bulk orders!

Business cards; whether you’re an individual or a business we’re all overwhelmed with them. Granted, they’re a great concept and a fantastic way to advertise your business or service. They’re also convenient for the recipient; all those times you’re caught out on the spot needing a plumber, electrician, or general handyman, a web designer, a gardener even – and then you remember, you’re friend gave you their partners business card or that decorator who came out last year left you a business card for contact number reference should you need them in the future. Now you’re so glad you kept it, it certainly saves you the time of trolling the internet for numbers or digging out the yellow pages (and the reading glasses!).

However, it’s all very well having all these business cards, but where do you keep them all? Personally I find them in drawers all over my house, in the bottom of my handbag, weighing down the magnets on my fridge (which is annoying as they keep falling off!), in various jean pockets, on shelves around the house; everywhere! The most annoying thing of all however, is being unable to find the one you’re looking for when you need it.

This is where business card books come in handy! When you have too many business cards, more than you know what to do with; it’s about time you found an appropriate method of storing them all! Take a look at our Durable Visifix Business Card Album featured to your right.

• A4 Four-ring Album for 400 Cards
• Practical business card album with four-ring filing mechanism for storing 400 business cards (57x90mm)
• Supplied with 20 protective pockets and a 12-part A-Z index allowing for easy filing and retrieval of business cards
• Dark blue with contrasting silver stripes
• Just £42.17 INC VAT‼!
• Qualifies for free next day delivery!

If you’d like to order 15+ units, we’ll even consider a quote, so why not get in touch on 0870 766 1624 or click ‘Get a Quote’ on the basket screen. We now take PayPal too, for secure, easier and faster payments and customer peace of mind!

If you’d like to add additional pockets to your Durable business card binder, you can find them here at Office 365. You’ll find packs of 10 A4, polypropylene pocket sheets which will contain an additional 200 cards, for just £9.07 inc VAT!

Prices Valid as of 26/06/2012 – Subject to availability!

Are you looking for a new way to jazz up your ring binder system? The very first ring binder or lever arch file you’ll ever own will be for organisational purposes, and this will continue to be the case for every binder you own throughout the years. Most people find that their first is during the educational period of their lives, most likely beginning during the year prior to GCSE’s, when course work and studies have begun and work must come home, must be kept safe and is of great importance. Using a binder then will ensure that any work you produce that will count towards your grade can be kept safe and pristine, and any study materials can be kept together ensuring optimum organisation and ease of successful studying. Having said this however, my daughter had her first ring binder a couple of years back in 4 or 5 in junior school! This was purely for ‘club’ purposes with her friends and for her drawings.

Later on, as the years go on, you’ll find that binders are useful in your home for keeping you bills and paper work together. Used together with plastic pockets, ring binders are perfect for storing not only your utility bills, but your various certificates too, whether this be children’s awards and achievements (and your own), or your birth, deed-pole and/or marriage certificates! You’ll also find them very useful for other area’s in the home such as to store your recopies, and in my strange and wonderful families case; to store the bizarrely adjusted lyrics to traditional Christmas songs for ‘Sing Alongs’ on Christmas Eve.

In the workplace the binder is used, normally as a collection in order to file various customer and client accounts. Used as a set these binders can be grouped together and filed upon a shelf, stored alphabetically for ease of retrieval. With the addition of dividers and indexes, you’ll find you can create the perfect filing tool! Another popular use for the binder in an office environment is for various guides and manuals. Commonly used for training guides, health and safety reference folders, but also to showcase work and services for prospective clients and customers; the binder in a priceless tool.

Most ring binders and lever arch files have the facility to add a cover so that it can either be personalised or so that the binder can be labelling in some way. A cover will indicate a variety of things such as who it belongs to, what it contains, which date or letter of the alphabet the binder covers, the name of the club or association and so on. One unique way of producing a binder cover is to use OHP Film, also known as Over Head Projector film. This clear film can be written upon or fed through and printer for more accurate fonts and designs. We’ve found that black printing on transparencies is very effective, attention grabbing and can look exceptionally professional.

At Office 365 you will not only find a complete array of ring binders and lever arch files, but you will also enjoy the full spectrum of transparencies too. You can place orders online, or for enquires, quotes for bulk orders, or simply to speak to a human when placing your order, you can call on 0870 766 1624.

Today I’ve been asked to tell you about ring binders and the various different sizes available. This is not an easy job or an easy article to make sound interesting; in fact I’m convinced my blogs would make for excellent bedtime reading; however I shall do my best to write the most engaging article as possible – considering it is about ring binders, please cut me some slack!

You’ll find that our selection of ring binders is available in various sizes from smaller a5 ring binders to the larger A3 variety. The standard and most commonly ordered size however are our A4 selection which is used by business and individuals in all walks of life. Take a look below at our explanation as to what each size ring binder is used for.

A5 Ring Binders – These are one of our less frequently used sizes however, they still very much serve a purpose in both the home and the office. Providing an ideal way of displaying glossy leaflets, manuals and brochures, these ring binders even serve their usual purpose of preserving work, art and documents. Used together with A5 Plastic Pockets, you have a fully functional alternative to the A4 ring binder.

A4 Ring Binders – Available in both 2 ring and 4 ring options and also in either O-ring or D-ring, there are plenty to choose from here. These are options are given to you so that you can choose the one that best suits the use your ring binder will see. For example if you believe that you’re going to be using your ring binder to hold large quantities of paper and pockets, you may decide that it would be wise to consider the 4-ring option. Using 4 rings means that pressure can be spread more evenly over the pockets and the holes punched in your papers which will results in fewer tears and a sturdier filing system. However if the binder is intended for light use, it may be more cost effective for you to consider the 2-hole variety.

Choosing a ring type (O-Ring or D-Ring) comes down to whether or not you intend to have an organised ring binder system. ‘O’ ring binders are fixed into the spine and ‘D’ rings are fixed onto the inside back cover; the only difference being is that D-Ring binders will allow you to use dividers and index tabs without the tabs protruding outside the binder. ‘D’ ring binders are specifically designed so that the contents can sit flat on the back cover and square on the right hand edge of the ring, so they have a wider cover which consequently allows for the use of dividers. This wider cover however, means that the binders are a little more expensive than the O-ring variety. Our selection of A4 plastic pockets will work with any of the A4 ring binders regardless of the amount of rings, or whether they are ‘D’ or ‘O’ shaped.

A3 Ring Binders – Popular among artists, designers, students, architects and graphic designers, the A3 ring binder is perfect for storing and showcasing their work whilst also keeping it safe. What’s more, using the ring binder option for storing your art and designs means that you will save a pretty penny as specific art and design storage folders will cost you 5 times what the binder will! Worry not, your paper work can remain perfectly intact, no punching required! We have a selection of A3 plastic pockets which will store all your papers without the need to make holes in them keeping them safe and protected from creases, smudging, the elements and spills!

Sometimes white paper just doesn’t give the desired effect. Pin boards, notice boards, office and classroom walls, their always plastered in sheets of white paper, each one looking the same, each one blending in, each notice going ‘un-noticed’. Sometimes if you have a message you need to shout out about, you need to think about doing a better job of it! Consider bold, ‘big’, CAPITALISED text; coloured text even?! Alternatively consider getting your point across by using boldly coloured paper appropriately matched with a contrasting coloured text! What about using black paper with white text? You could achieve this by using a white marker pen, chalk or a similar alternative. Red paper is always a good option as red is an attention grabbing colour signifying urgency, emergency and importance. Trying sticking to the traditional black text however make sure it’s bold and big and on a red paper for a striking message!

However coloured paper isn’t only useful for making your information posters grab attention! Try using coloured paper for various correspondents too. For example, where accounts are in arrears, try using red paper to get the message across to your customer. This is sure to get the message across. Use coloured paper for certificates in order to indicate the level of achievement awarded.

Using coloured paper couldn’t be better for artwork. Used in and around the home, your children will enjoy endless hours of fun creating their own posters, pictures, reward charts, greetings cards and other like items. Having a supply of various colours means that your child can cut shapes from the individual shades, such as green paper for leaves, yellow for the sun and so on. Use green paper for Christmas cards, pink for valentines cards, yellow for Easter cards and…you get the idea. Coloured paper stand out, it gets noticed and enables your work to benefit from a higher level of attention.

At Office 365 we have a huge selection of different coloured papers. Our Data Colours Rainbow Ream for example contains a great selection of pastel pink, blue, green, yellow, violet, orange and red 80gsm paper and contains a total of 500 sheets! This A4 paper is a snip at just £16.36 per ream! Order 3 packs to qualify for free delivery, and select ‘get a quote’ at the basket screen for quotes on bulk orders. Alternatively, call us on 0870 766 1624 to discuss orders.

It’s time for your 2^nd instalment of Office Games, dedicated to your work life satisfaction, 9 to 5 enjoyment and Monday to Friday employer frustration! We know what it’s like to be stuck behind a desk on these, “ahem”, ‘sunny’ afternoons when it seems everyone else is enjoying the, errm, ‘warmer weather’. We feel it as strongly as you do, the urge to move, stretch your legs, steer your eyes away from the computer screen. So we thought, between you and us, we could come up with some little games you could play that will keep work satisfaction at a high and keep you in your chair at the same time! The boss can’t say fairer than that?! If you get caught, you have one of two options; 1) DON’T BLAME US, or 2) explain that thanks to this new past time, you’re finding yourself enjoying coming into work and therefore expelling a more pleasant tone with the customers? It’s got to be worth a try right?

So today we’d like to introduce you to Office Games 2 – Office Basketball! Some of you may have tried this one before and may have even used a similar idea in your bedroom as a child. Now that you’re an adult, it doesn’t mean to say that you have to behave like one…well, not at all times any way! So rediscover your inner child and gather together the essentials for this fantastic office sport! It’s so simple I’d be concerned if you hadn’t already thought of it! All you need are plastic waste paper bins, one will do, and an area big enough to position it away from you.

Step one – Place the bin at least 3 meters away from you; the better aim you are, the further away you should place it. Remember, this is an office – other people may be using it, so try not to cause a tripping hazard! It would be fair to say that if you boss were to trip on your badly placed ‘basket ball hoop’, it would be game over!

Step two – Using either waste paper, empty ink cartridges, food packaging, sticky tack balls, your colleagues snacks (while they’re backs turned) or any other form of lightweight, throw-able object, get into position, take aim, and throw your rubbish (packaging, Blu-Tack, snacks) into your strategically placed bin.

Step three – If you score, stand – do a ceremonious little victory dance, be seated again and take your next call. If you miss, hang your head in shame, you’re rubbish, where were ya? Try again and if you fail again, well, don’t give up your day job!

To add a little more realism to your game, you can normally find the miniature basket ball nets that can be hung above your bin in various places online and high street retailers. It’s not essential however, and often the net’s too small for the object you’d like to throw, plus, it kinda gives the game away which isn’t ideal if your boss is a bit of a stig in the mud! For a wide choice of waste paper bins however, look no further than Office 365, the Don of all online stationery retailers!

Sometimes working in the office isn’t all it’s cut out to be. Some say it’s a sure way into the standard Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm working life (hmm, not so sure quite how accurate this stereotype is!) and others suggest that office work is perfect for the lazy employee suggesting that all ‘desk workers’ are thumb twiddlers or idle gossipers. Please let me tell you from my own experience that this couldn’t be further from the truth! Those sat behind a computer all day are expected to produce results and often must work to targets. Workload can be monitored and so employees are expected to produce a certain amount of work for their allotted working hours. Many take their tea breaks at their desks and will even eat their lunches while they work!

However, and this is a big however, there will always be a certain few who get away with a bit of ‘Office Dossing’ and if you’re one of those lucky few, we have just the thing for you! We understand just how mundane some people find working in the office and so have put our heads together to come up with some pastimes for you. We’re looking at office games and our first office game suggestion is ‘Spinning on the Office Chair’.

So yeah, we’ve all done it, all made ourselves ill from it and we’ve all enjoyed it maybe a little more than we should have, but you haven’t tried it this way! We’ve come up with a few ways that you could turn office chair spinning into a competitive sport. Try setting the challenge with your colleagues as to who can do the most turns in one spin. You could even see who could keep up chair spinning between phone calls for the longest, or if you’re feeling particularly naughty, you could see who’s able to maintain conversations with customers…whilst spinning! The possibilities are endless!

Take a browse through our selection of office chairs here at Office 365 designed for maximum fun! Combine them with the use of a chair mat and its plane sailing! Our chair mats reduce static build up, provide an even surface and protect you from catching your chairs wheels on wires whilst also providing the perfect surface for wheeling around in your chair! With chairs available in low back and high back options, with and without lumbar support, with or without arms, in a choice of colours and from selection of top brands, Office 365 are your one stop shop!

Looking to order in bulk? Office 365 are more than happy to offer customers reduced prices on bulk orders, simply enquire on 0870 766 1624 or select ‘get a quote’ at the basket screen. You’ll also find we accept PayPal giving you that extra comfort in the security of your finances.

Feeling creative?  Let your imagination soar off into the clouds and build your own hot air balloon!

Using products available from Office 365 why not try your hand at these?

For the balloon, cut strong paper, with 5 Star Scissors or use soft card and cut using a Stanley Cutting Knife, making hexagonal shapes of equal size.  Using a choice of Sellotape, staples, or labels, join the hexagonal shapes together to form your balloon shape. If you’re using paper you could even cover it with Tipp Ex to give it more strength. To make the basket at the bottom of your hot air balloon, you can take a Robinson Young Insulated Vending Cup, make two holes in each side and insert a long strong length of Smartbox Pro Medium Polypropylene Twine, in each side, making sure to tie a knot  so that the string stays in place. Make two holes in the balloon and attach the opposite end of string into the balloon to join the balloon to the basket. You now have your basic hot air balloon and the fun can begin!

You can now decorate your balloon with the many choices available here with Office 365; let your imagination go wild! Decorate your hot air balloon with Avery Packet of Labels, or use Lakeland Colourthin Colouring Pencils or Derwent Academy Oil Pastels to make your balloon really take off! Once finished you can hang your hot air balloon and admire, and use the paper cup as storage for pens or any other office stationary of your choice.

For a different take on this idea, substitute the paper balloon for a small refuse bag, take outside and drop from a height and watch it catch the wind and float gently down. What a great way to pass the time at home! Alternatively, if you get bored in the office between phone calls, you could stand on your chair and drop your refuse bag balloon and watch it as it falls gracefully to the ground. Please note, if you get in trouble with the boss, it wasn’t our idea! Please we really shouldn’t be recommending standing on chairs, so do go careful!

After all this excitement, you may then want to go for a lie down….but on the other hand, you may want to try hot air ballooning for real?! If so, why not head on over to Adventure Balloons where you can enjoy the real thing for as little as £89 per person!

‘Memory is such a fickle thing’, which is why it’s always a good idea to keep handy and in full sight a 5 Star 2013 Wall Calendar. An at a glance reminder of what day it is; whether one day seems very like another, or it was a heavy one the night before, this handy wire bound wall calendar will keep you up to date.  What’s more its 249 x 231mm size and large easy to read numbers will assist those of us still resisting the call of the opticians for glasses! No need to go fumbling for your diary, you can squiggle those important events straight up.  Public Holidays are shown, so you can start planning that important vacation or just dream of lying in your hammock in the garden!  You can order this product in bulk if you have other needy friends. Our Price – Just £1.44!

While a wall Calendar is handy for a quick reminder, those on the go may need constant reminders.  This is where the Post-it Multi Notes Cube comes in extremely handy.  Phone numbers, names, email addresses, book marking, messages or moments of inspiration often need to be jotted down, before they fade, or drop out of our ears. With this cheerful array of colourful notes/page markers, you can suit your mood, maybe a pink note for an urgent message, or an orange one for a fruity message! Whatever your desire you have it at your finger tips, to be organised. The notes come in yellow, green and blue and in size, 76 x 76mm, while the page markers come in colours orange, green and pink and size 25 x 76mm. Our Price – Just £2.91!

An absolute must is the 5 Star 2013 Diary Week to View Full Week on Two Pages featured. There are so many moments in life that we need to note, reminders that are too big for the wall calendar and not appropriate for a post it note.  Those vital appointments, reminders or passing thoughts can easily be accessed or alternatively kept secret in a personal diary. A diary can also be a personal history of our past, and so often they are kept as a keepsake. This particular diary is fully section sewn and shows a full week on two pages. With its colour matching ribbon marker it is easy to separate the 70gsm white wove pages. This handy size A5 (210 x 148mm) will fit in most bags to have it constantly by your side – Just £1.42!

Do you have to ask someone for a pen again?! You obviously don’t have one of these!  This Avery DTR Eco Pen Pot has 10 compartments and is easy on the eye with its stylish leaf design. Rather than turning your desk upside down trying to find a pen, store them in this handy and presentable desk tidy. Small items such as paper clips, pins, erasers and more can also be stored in the pots compartments along with other such as scissors and 30cm rulers! Of course you can put anything in it, handy for those packs of mints and toe nail clippers! This has to be one of the most important desktop products to save our sanity! Just make sure when putting your pens back that you only store the ones that work! This contemporary leaf design is made of 96% post-consumer recycled plastic, and is fully recyclable. Available in blue or black, this product is just £7.38!

Our final office must have is the ultimate of office organisation and has to be a filing cabinet! This fine example comes in a helpful lightweight steel and is made by Trexus Bisley. The SoHo Steel Filing Cabinet is fully lockable and has three, A4 drawers. The unit’s overall measurements are W413 x D400 x H672mm. Without one of these you can be sure of utter chaos; however what makes it better than the rest is its small lightweight nature. Ideal for the home or small office its lightweight manoeuvrability makes it easier to transport around, so you can change your mind as many times as you like! This modern solution to storage offers versatility and is also economical.  Now you can keep safe and accessible all office/home documents and even those irreplaceable drawings your three year old Picasso has lovingly produced.  It comes with 2 shallow drawers and one A4 filing drawer, and is designed to accommodate A4 suspension filing with 330mm centres.  A single action lock on the two bottom drawers, makes everything secure. Our Price – Just £70.29