Last year we recommended to you our faithful and loyal customers, a fantastic Christmas gift idea; the Christmas Hamper. However we ended up inundated with people looking for Christmas Hamsters! So today we yet again bring you the announcement that Office 365 sell gorgeous Christmas Hampers, the perfect gift for staff, clients and customers with plenty of different options to choose from. But please, if you’re looking for the perfect Christmas Hamster, you’ll need to go to your local pet shop! I really don’t think you’re child would be particularly pleased with a basket filled with nice grub instead of their new squeaky friend, just as Vice Versa, I’m not sure what your clients would think if you bought them a hamster?  We are Office 365 for a reason, buy your animals elsewhere!

This year instead of offering you ready made hampers, we’re giving you the chance to create your own! All you need to do is find the box or basket that you’d like to present the goodies in and we’ll do the rest. Take your pick from a large variety of different goodies and treats that would put a smile o the face of any recipient. But what’s more, it doesn’t even have to be a food hamper, take a look at your options;

• Food – Choose from items such as Cadbury’s chocolate fingers, Cadbury’s biscuit selection, Crawford’s biscuits, Fox’s biscuits, Fair-trade biscuits and many more from Maryland, McVities, Oreo, Go-Ahead and Traidcraft. We also have various different chocolates and sweets available from Cadbury’s, Divine, Fox’s, Mars, Mentos, Nestle and Twix. Finally select from various different hot and cold beverages and you have the perfect hamper selection!
• Stationery – Why not create the perfect hamper for your child starting school, college or university, or indeed the ideal hamper selection for your friend or loved one starting their new job? Select from a wide variety of pens, paper, rulers, ink, pads, envelopes, labels, files, pockets, diaries and calendars. With a great selection of all these bits and pieces, your child, friend or loved one can be all prepared for the year ahead!
• The Clean Freak – Do you have a Mr Muscle in the family, or maybe a washer woman? Do you know someone close to you who just loves to clean? Then why not buy them their dream cleaning hamper collection? Choose from various kitchen and bathroom cleaning products, towels, polishes, bin liners and so much more, what a treat!..

You get the idea; at Office 365 you can tailor the hamper to the individual, you just need a touch of imagination and a box or basket. If you’d like some help choosing or are in need of more information, please get in touch, we’re always happy to help! – 0870 766 1624

With Christmas looming scarily soon, it really is time you pull your socks up‼ Organise your gifts, food, booze, music, fun and games now and you can actually enjoy this festive period. On the other hand, you could leave it all to the last minute and then PANIC! But this option is by far the more stressful one and will only detract from the merry cheer you could otherwise be enjoying!

Office 365 has a selection of products which can certainly help you this Christmas. We have a surprising range of gift ideas and stocking fillers, considering we’re a ‘stationery supplier’! With a variety of posh Porter and Woodman hampers, luxury and stylish pens, a beautiful array of artists supplies, a smart selection of desk lamps, various collections of picture frames, beautiful desk diaries, Christmassy nibbles for the office, branded printers, high quality monitors, high tech scanners, digital dictionaries and much more, our products are sure to bring a smile!

A popular choice for stocking fillers and token office Christmas gestures are Heart Post-It Notes. An unbelievably simple item which has quite a profound affect! These shaped Post-It notes really give a sense of fun; used in homes and offices across the globe, these repositionable notes are ideal for various different applications. For example, use these notes to write messages for colleagues or family members, as bookmarks, to mark pages for reference, to jot down telephone messages, to doodle on, for taking notes during calls and enquiries, the list is endless.

Take a look at these vibrant heart shaped Post-it notes featured to the right.

• Heart Shaped Post-it Note pad
• This fun heart shape helps get your messages noticed
• Add personality to your messages
• Pink tones
• 225 sheets per pad
• 70mm x 70mm
• 23% off – Just £3.58

What’s more, as these are part of our Breast Cancer Awareness range, Office 365 will donate money from the sale of each one sold! Alternatively feast your eyes on our Arrow Post-It Notes to your left.

• Arrow Shape die cut pad
• This fun arrow shape helps get your messages noticed
• Neon Orange and Green tones
• 225 sheets per pad
• 70mm x 70mm
• 23% off – Just £3.58

The Green Bit

3M, the makers of Post-it, is a company committed to sustainability. This isn’t a new initiative or a recently introduced strategy. For more than 30 years, it’s the way they’ve done business. All Post-it notes and easel pads are made with paper from well managed forests where trees are re-planted, plus recycled Post-it notes and easel pads are made from 100% recycled paper and contains 30% postconsumer content. Post-it promise to;

• Solve their own environmental pollution and conservation problems
• Prevent pollution at the source, whenever and wherever possible
• Develop products that will have a minimum effect on the environment
• Conserve natural resources through the use of reclamation and other useful methods
• Assure that their facilities and products meet and sustain the regulations of all federal, state and local environmental agencies
• Assist wherever possible, governmental agencies and other official organisations engaged in environmental activities

3M have conducted recycling trials on Post-it® Notes at recycled paper mills. The adhesive on the paper does not interfere with paper recycling because the adhesive is substantially removed in the paper deinking process. The dyes in the paper are removed in the deinking process. The 100% recycled content notes contains 70% preconsumer and 30% postconsumer fiber. Post-it® Easel Pads are also available with 30% postconsumer content paper.

As a student the amount of paper you can go through in a term is really quite astonishing! For every subject you learn you will have a separate ring binder or lever arch file fully loaded with ruled paper for making notes, writing coursework and completing essays. In fact I remember it well; almost weekly I’d be buying more ruled refill pads, it was simply ridiculous! It seems that it’s no different in the office either. Ruled paper is used is every area of the office, normally with a pad per desk for note taking during telephone calls, for bullet points during meetings, for jotting down relevant information when dealing with customer and client relations, queries and complaints; the list is endless! So what we all seem to be looking for is a cheap supplier who can keep our cupboards laden with luscious lined A4 refill pads and at a cost which will make this endless demand less of a ‘pinch’ pocket wise.

Here at Office 365, if you’re looking for value, there’s no brand better than 5 Star, and we have plenty of different 5 Star products to offer! Let’s face it; if you’re looking for lined paper it will be for the general uses mentions above, or similar, so why opt for the more expensive brands? 5 Star ruled refill pads like the one featured, will do all that is required of a note ‘taking paper’ and will stand up to the test for students work too! This particular pad boasts;

• Refill pads in a headbound format with a durable cloth binding
• Backboard provides additional rigidity and support
• 60gsm white paper
• Four-hole punched
• 160 pages per pad
• Feint ruled with margin
• Size: A4 (297 x 210mm)
• Packed 10
• 81% off – Now just £7.49! (while stocks last)

5 Star products are now firmly established as one of the best-known office products brands in the UK and with 15 years experience behind them, 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. With over 22,000 products on offer, our customers are always happy with the selection as well as the value of the items they are ordering.

Each 5 Star product now has attractively designed packaging for clearer product display and product information, plus they also have a fantastic choice of ‘Green’ options for those who are economically aware.

Most people are able to say that they have gathered a large collection of business cards over the years, however if you work in business your collection will be rather substantial! For every potential client you meet, every supplier and every partner in business or associate, you will acquire a card. These are not disposable items, in fact they are quite the opposite proving extremely useful when you least expect it! The problem is, as we all have so many of them, we tend to lose them or find it difficult to find the one we’re looking for among the mounds that we have. Many people have ‘rotary files’ which are useful desktop wheels featuring many pockets for your business cards. These are great for some, but others find it easier when all their cards are laid out in front of them, clear to see.

Business card books hold large quantities of cards in a normal book or album format. They contain sleeves which each have numerous pockets to store your collection of card so that all you have to do is turn the pages to find the contact you’re after. Many people use their business card books to store their cards alphabetically making the search easier again.

A fantastic example of a useful business card book is the Concord CD5 PVC Business Card Book featured below. With 27% off (as of the 07/10/2011) you can grab yourself a real bargain which boasts many useful additions;

• Black padded PVC loose-leaf business card book
• White A-Z index with clear Mylar reinforced tabs and punch holes for durability and clear plastic card holder sheets
• Index can be used for recording written details of contacts where business card is not available
• Additional card holders available
• Capacity: 224 cards
• Black
• Size: 292 x 279mm
• Just £35.22!

Thanks to its binder mechanism, pages can be added to the binder easily should it become full, and likewise should it look a little empty and sorry for its self, you can also remove sheets. The A-Z index completes this useful book making it the optimum organisational business card book on the market.

The Green Bit

Concords policy is, as far as is reasonably practical,

• To promote the use of “environmentally friendly” materials
• To use only registered waste specialists to collect and process wastes
• To promote the recycling of wastes
• To purchase paper from mills that:
  • Use wood pulp from a renewable source
  • Recycle internal waste materials
  • Remove all effluent from water before discharge and
  • Do not use chlorine in the paper production process
  • To review this policy, and the way in which it is operated, every year and to keep it up to date, particularly as the business changes in nature and size.

We’ve all used the ever famous Post It notes throughout our lives at some stage, in fact many of us use them every single day, but is it any wonder with their many different uses and their unique properties? What makes a Post-it note so useful is its alternative adhesive which is strangely like no other! The Post-it note cane stick to any surface and remain there for numerous years, never leaving any residue once removed. What’s more, when you do remove it, you can re-apply it somewhere else as the non residue adhesive is also repositionable! So what are the different things we can use a Post It note for?

1. Many people have learned that a Post-it note will make an excellent book mark all out losing your place and it will not damage the book either. Having said this, please make sure that you do not apply it to damaged or very weak pages.
2. If you’ve been given an assignment to do it can help to mark the beginning and ending points for reading/studying.
3. Another fantastic implement when studying, you can mark the notes or glossary at the back of a book for easy repeated access.
4. You can store s few notes inside you diary or planner so that whenever you need to leave a note or a message, their right there.
5. Before you begin your day, make a ‘To Do List’ on a Post-it note so that you can refer to it in the morning and get a more rested sleep!
6. Use notes around the house as reminders.
7. When you’re all out of tape, worry not, you can always cut the sticky part off a Post-it note and use that as a temporary measure.
8. Cut the sticky part off the note and use it as an identity tag on food bags and cables; tape cannot be written on, sticky notes can!
9. Use a Post-it note to make a shopping list or even a weekly menu and then stick it to your fridge. You can then stick this note to your purse at the supermarket for reference during shopping – hands free shopping!
10. Ever seen one of those funky flip pads? Many people use Post-it notes to make their own…beats doodling!!
11. Pull a prank on your big brother, sister or even your boss and cover the entire room with Post-its!
12. For quick, cheap and convenient business cards carry around some Post-it notes and a pen in your bag or pocket so that you can write out your info when needed. This is great for exchanging details at the school gates when your children go to play at their friend homes!
13. Use Post-it notes for teaching languages. Stick notes on objects with the objects name written on the note, i.e. stick a Post-it note on a cup reading “cup”.

Our Chartwell survey books are becoming increasingly popular by the day and with supplies diminishing so rapidly, we thought we’d bring the prices down that little bit more for you. Our Chartwell survey books are now available with at least 25% off! But remember, this is while stocks last!

Our Chartwell survey books are the perfect compliment for the environmental, geology, drilling, engineering or any other field professional using a log book in the field. A surveyor or other technician or scientist writes down measurements and other technical notes taken in the field and then archives their survey books on a shelf. A surveyor will normally have an enormous collection of these books with a vast knowledge recorded after many years of land surveying or engineering.

Chartwell is a Tollit & Harvey brand who were founded in 1897 by Charles Clifton Tollit and John Harvey. Tollit and Harvey is a privately owned and operated family business based in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, manufacturing and distributing a broad range of stationery and art & craft products to trade customers. With ISO9001:2000 accreditation, their products and service are continually monitored through their Quality Management System giving us and you the customer full peace of mind. Tollit & Harvey are a manufacturing division of the Exacompta Clairefontaine organisation, manufacturing and distributing a wide range of stationery, art and craft products to resellers mainly in the UK but also in to Europe and elsewhere.

Our Chartwell Survey books and pads are produced to the highest specification and contain 50% rag bond paper which has high cotton linters content giving excellent tear resistance and strength when wet. It retains this strength and its writing surface when dried after being subjected to adverse site or weather conditions, plus their range of waterproof books come in handy pocket sized notebooks designed for the most demanding environments. 

The Green Bit

Tollit & Harvey are a brand involved in the manufacture and distribution of office products and art and craft materials. They have an established reputation for quality products and service and affirms that they are committed to continually improving and monitoring environmental performance and will endeavour to prevent pollution as far as possible. They ensure that they shall control and minimise waste through reducing, reusing and recycling where possible and are committed to managing environmental matters as an integral part of the business by complying with any environmental legislation or regulations and other requirements relevant to the business. They have a strong framework for identifying environmental aspects, determining those which can be controlled or influenced and setting realistic objectives and targets. These will be considered and discussed at management reviews, and will be communicated throughout the business. Tollit and Harvey communicate this policy to staff and other persons working for or on behalf of the organisation, suppliers and other interested parties including their customers and any members of the public who request a copy.

Whatever your business, you will need to keep accounts for tax purposes and to keep on top of your company’s expenditures, losses and profits. The only way to do this is to use an account book, and according to the Business Dictionary, account books are just another name for book of accounts, which are simply ledgers, journals and other records which record a company’s accounts. Without the use of accounts books, a company will not be able to operate smoothly or be successful in their profits.  Some would say that using an accounts book is one of the most important parts of running a business; however it is simply useless unless it is maintained and referred to regularly. In order to expand and be profitable a business must understand the effects that each transaction has on the company and so balancing the books will accurately measure the financial health of the company.

A bookkeeper will record a company’s financial transaction, including sales, purchases, income and payments. An accountant will then create a report from the recorded financial transactions recorded by the bookkeeper. Here at Office 365, we have a range of single and double entry account books made by a range of brands such as 5 Star, Black and Red, Challenge, Collins and Guildhall. The most common bookkeeping systems used by businesses and other organizations are firstly single-entry bookkeeping systems where only income and expense accounts are recorded primarily in a revenue and expense journal which is normally adequate for many small businesses and secondly double-entry bookkeeping which requires the recording of each transaction twice, using debits and credits.

Our Collins D540 Account Book (featured to your right) is a double cash book which features 192 A4 pages.

• 192 pages
• 34 lines per page
• Fully casebound and printed on high quality plain azure paper
• A4 – 297 x 210mm
• Double Cash Book (D540-2-6C)
• 25% off – Now just £19.93!

Collins has an unrivalled reputation for quality, style and innovation within the UK; in fact the Collins brand brings with it so much more than just a name on a diary or an account book. It provides their customers with the assurance of top quality, great value for money, wide choice and innovation that exceeds all others.

The Green Bit

One of the great things about Collins is that they will only order raw materials from reputable, well established companies who are compliant with environmental legislation and procedures. The Collins policy is to source their paper based products only from reputable mills which commit to implementing sustainable forest management to supply the need for wood as raw material for pulp making. They specifically require all supplier’s to pursue continual improvement in environmental performance by way of the following:

• Conducting environmental protection by complying to existing environmental legislation and regulations, and other regulations.
• Carrying out monitoring of environmental performance continuously.
• Improving efficiency of resource consumption.
• Improving environmental awareness to all employees through education and training on a continuous basis and providing environmental information to the wider society and government.
• Maintaining preparedness and response to emergency situations.
• Enhancement of participation and contribution to local community welfare through Forest Community Development Programmes.

Some say that the prestigious Post-it Note was a ‘god send’, but they don’t know how right they are. Back in the early 70’s Art Fry, an employee or 3M was on a mission to find a bookmark for his church hymnal that wouldn’t fall out yet would also not damage the pages. A colleague of Fry’s, Dr Spencer Silver, had already developed an adhesive in 1968 which was strong enough to stick to surfaces, however didn’t leave any nasty residue once removed. This adhesive was also capable of being re-positioned time and time again. Mr Fry decided to apply the adhesive to the edge of a piece of paper and use this for his church hymnal bookmark. His problem was solved and he later went on to develop the idea further in the form of what we now know as Post-it notes.

And oh have times changed; today we have an even better invention! Our Post It Notes are now available in the super sticky variety!! Feast your eyes on the Post-It Super Sticky Removable Notes featured to your right. These really are Post-it Notes with a twist! The premium Super Sticky adhesive on the reverse of these notes means that your messages are never lost from vertical or hard-to-stick-to surfaces.

• Now you can stick your notes practically anywhere!
• Post-it Super Sticky Notes have an enhanced adhesive which holds stronger and longer to vertical and difficult surfaces, removing cleanly after use.
• Ideal for brainstorming and process mapping on meeting room walls and meeting charts
• The Neon Rainbow Pack consists of 5 packs in 4 attention grabbing colours, 2 Neon Pink, 1 Limeade, 1 Ultra Yellow and 1 Neon Orange.
• 90 sheets per pad, 5 pads per pack
• 76mm x 127mm
• 31% off!

The Green Bit

3M have conducted recycling trials on Post-it® Notes at recycled paper mills. The adhesive on the paper does not interfere with paper recycling because the adhesive is substantially removed in the paper deinking process. The dyes in the paper are removed in the deinking process. The 100% recycled content notes contains 70% pre consumer and 30% postconsumer fibre. Post-it® Easel Pads are also available with 30% postconsumer content paper.

It’s not easy to keep your staff happy and working to the best of their ability. As an employer you must not only manage your staff and be an excellent communicator, but you must also be able to keep your team driven and feeling valued. One of the best ways to keep your office motivated is to take part in seasonal celebrations. Let’s face it; it’s not easy going into work over the Christmas season and as Christmas day draws nearer and nearer, we all tend to want to be with our families and friends celebrating. However if you bring a little Christmas into the office, your staff we feel as though they are celebrating the moment too. Have you ever worked in an office where the decorations where adequate for such an occasion? More often than not, offices are decorated with very little in the way of holiday decorations; however we can help you make a tree which will be sure to impress even the most demanding of Christmas enthusiasts.

You Will Need

• Christmas tree – artificial is best
• Paper clips
• Various other office supplies
• CD’s
• Shredded Paper

Firstly you will need to put together your tree using the instructions provided. Remember, the best time to add lights on any Christmas tree is now. It is pretty much impossible to add lights in an effective way when you have already loaded the tree with decorations.

Next you will need to decide on an object to go on top of the tree which is symbolic to your office, some kind of mascot maybe. This would have been hopeless in the case of one of my previous jobs; our office mascot was my 2 year old daughter! Take a look around the office, maybe there’s a teddy that you all believe brings you luck, a stapler which has been lost and found a ridiculous amount of times and has become some kind of a joke, or maybe there’s a giant rubber band ball which everyone has been adding too. Whatever seems appropriate for your office, use it. You may need to use paper clips to help secure your object to the top of the tree.

Your next stage would be to decorate your tree with a tinsel substitute, remember, this is an office Christmas tree. You could link paper clips to make shiny silver chains or join CD’s using rubber bands to make a giant shiny length of tinsel. Alternatively, cut sticky strips from Post-it Notes to make paper chains (this works best with various different coloured Post-it Notes). Drape your tinsel substitutes around the tree making sure to evenly cover the tree.

Using paper clips or tape, hang various office products from your tree as bauble substitutes. Use items such as staple removers, pens, staple strips, rubber stamps, glue sticks, you get the idea. You could even go all out there and throw on some shredded paper or hole punch confetti as artificial snow.

Last but not least stick some pressies under the tree. Maybe you could organise some kind of secret Santa where everyone picks a name out of a hat and buys a present (up to a certain value) for that person. Your tree is now complete – enjoy!

I have just seen possibly the best desk organisational tool ever! It is such a great idea and kicks the old desk cup into touch! This ingenious, space saving and dividing tool will safely store all your desktop accessories close to hand, while keeping them within arm’s reach and organising them into their individual categories. But what makes it so fun is it’s unique Post-it note dispenser facility AND it’s Scotch Tape dispenser! I’m really liking this, I just need to come up with a way to re-organise my office so that I can have an under desk pedestal with drawers. Hmmm…

So with great excitement and pleasure I’d like to introduce you to the 3M C71 Post-it Drawer Tray featured below. Convenience reaches a new level with this clutter reducing organiser! Dispensing Post-it® Notes, Post-it® Flags and Scotch® tape, this tray will enable you to keep your office essentials within easy reach in a very funky way!

• Adjusts to fit most standard desk drawers
• Dispenses Post-it notes 655, Z-notes R330, Index (two colours) and Scotch Magic tape 19mm x 33m (all supplied)
• WxDxH: 253-405 x 297 x 40mm
• Black

It really is the ideal solution for drawer organisation and can hold a variety of office supplies, even expanding to fit most standard drawers. How accommodating! What’s more, the tray is made using 100% pre-consumer recycled content. Keep on top of your desk tidy drawer supplies with our product refill finder here;

• Post-it Notes Refills
• Post-it Z Notes Refills
• Post-it Index Notes Refills
• Scotch Magic Tape Refills

The Green Bit

3M, the makers of Post-it, is a company committed to sustainability. This isn’t a new initiative or a recently introduced strategy. For more than 30 years, it’s the way they’ve done business. All Post-it notes and easel pads are made with paper from well managed forests where trees are re-planted, plus recycled Post-it notes and easel pads are made from 100% recycled paper and contains 30% postconsumer content. Post-it promise to;

• Solve their own environmental pollution and conservation problems
• Prevent pollution at the source, whenever and wherever possible
• Develop products that will have a minimum effect on the environment
• Conserve natural resources through the use of reclamation and other useful methods
• Assure that their facilities and products meet and sustain the regulations of all federal, state and local environmental agencies
• Assist wherever possible, governmental agencies and other official organisations engaged in environmental activities

3M have conducted recycling trials on Post-it® Notes at recycled paper mills. The adhesive on the paper does not interfere with paper recycling because the adhesive is substantially removed in the paper deinking process. The dyes in the paper are removed in the deinking process. The 100% recycled content notes contains 70% preconsumer and 30% postconsumer fiber. Post-it® Easel Pads are also available with 30% postconsumer content paper.