The keyboard it quite literally the most important part of your computer system. Without it your computer is of no use at all! But then this could be another case of the chicken or the egg? Regardless, it is poignantly clear that the QWERTY keyboard is an essential for your computer use and without it; you’ll be in big trouble!

The trouble is, the keyboard is so easily damaged and often the most commonly replaced piece of computer hardware! Have you spilled one too many crumbs over your keyboard? Worse still did you spill your morning coffee over it and now the keys keep getting stuck? Keyboard failure is a common complaint and you can be sure that 99% of the time the keyboards lack of response will be due to your own misuse! They say live and learn, well maybe it’s high time you learn and maybe it’s also time I stop being hypocritical and learn for myself! Invest in a new keyboard and treat it right!

Top Tips

You’ll wear the keys out faster if you hit them hard; don’t keep pressing a key over and over if it’s not working, this will simply make it worse. The chances are the key has something lodged underneath. Poise yourself and take a look; it could be repairable!

Keep all food and drinks away from your computer! If you accidentally spill your drink, it could cause your keyboard to fail which is more often than not, irreparable! Worse still and much more costly, it could ruin your entire computer. When it comes to food, this is simply a no go I’m afraid! Crumbs from your food could fall into the keyboard and cause your keys to jam and get stuck, this is unbelievably common. Either eat somewhere else, or cover over your keyboard!

Consider the germs and bacterial that builds up from constant use! Use keyboard cleaning cloths to keep the keys clean, and ensure that you use an air duster to get between the keys. Please note, always switch of your computer at the mains prior to cleaning!

Now that you know how to maintain your keyboard, you can allow yourself to invest in a decent one! How’s about this Logitech MK520 Cordless Keyboard & Mouse featured.

• Full-size keyboard with concave keys and contoured laser mouse
• Palm rest for resting hands when not typing
• Keyboard stores upright when not in use, freeing up valuable desk space
• Full-size mouse for either left hand or right hand use
• Laser precision provides smoother tracking
• Just £50.76 inc VAT!

Just what you need to make typing a more pleasurable experience, plus you’ll even enjoy a brand new mouse for free! For quotes on bulk orders, please feel free to call us on 0870 766 1624.

It comes as no surprise to me that nearly a third of all Europeans who work at a desk within an office, suffer neck ache associated with an inappropriate workstation environment. I work for many hours a day writing articles and content, however my home does not have the proper facilities for me to work comfortably as many people will find regardless of where they work. Because of this I frequently experience neck and shoulder pain which can sometimes last for days on end.

If you must move your head to view your screen or to read documents continuously throughout the day, then your neck and upper back are being tilted and turned. The improper positioning of your screen or documents will place serious strain on your neck, back and shoulders triggering pain, stiffness and fatigue.

I have been on the lookout for a well thought-out solution to this problem for some time and understand that I will need something to proper position my screen and documents at a comfortable viewing angle. If the position and angle of these items is correct, it will reduce the strain to the neck and upper back. It is suggested that the top of your screen should be at eye level or just below and that is should be set at about an arm’s length away.

I have finally found just the thing! Our Fellowes Compact TFT/LCD Monitor Riser featured provides the perfect accompaniment to every desk and the ideal solution to neck and back strain!

• Modern design complements any flat screen TFT LCD monitor style
• Adjusts from 76mm to 114mm, enabling the choice of three comfortable viewing positions for the user
• Space underneath the monitor platform provides paper storage
• Platform rotates 45 degrees, enables easily shared viewing
• Supports up to 14kg in weight (17 inch monitor)
• WxDxH: 426 x 289 x 121mm
• Enjoy 3 FOR THE PRICE OF 2 while stocks last!
• Just £62 for two inc VAT!

By using a monitor or laptop riser you can feel confident that the optimal viewing range is achieved! What’s more, the featured riser comes with additional benefits for you and your desk, like the handy paper storage space which saves plenty of room at your workstation! For more information about office ergonomics, to discuss bulk orders or to speak to a member of our team, simply call on 0870 766 1624. Alternatively, you can simply order the item on our website by following the direct links!

Many people who work with computers everyday find they need to take regular breaks to prevent headaches and fatigue. The glare of a computer screen can put a real strain on the eyes which inevitably causes all kinds of complaints. If your computer is near a window or light sauce it is more likely to cause irritation such as eye strain, burning, sore eyes, blurred vision, and tired eyes due to the additional focus required to see the images on the monitor.

The issue of screen glare proves true with both computers and laptops, and is often overlooked. Many people instead try to learn to live with the problem by taking tea breaks and finding work away from the computer. However this isn’t always possible as some are confined to work that can only be completed by using the computer and must meet tight deadlines so therefore cannot take regular breaks, or breaks at all for that matter! For those who find themselves in this category, you can eliminate screen glare and block harmful radiation with our range of screen filters.

Our anti-glare screen filters are treated so that they reduce dazzle from monitors and laptops, which in turn will prevent eye strain and the complaints which inevitably follow. The other benefit of using an anti-glare filter is that it prevents others around you from seeing what is on your monitor. In today’s world, much information we process at work is protected by the Data Protection Act (1998). Employees often work with individual customer accounts and become the sole manager of that account; in this instance, it may be essential that their information is protected from ‘public’ display with the use of a filter. When viewing from the side your monitor will appear blurred to prevent others from reading sensitive information. Many customers find screen filters useful in schools so that students can be prevented from ‘copying’ each other’s work and also when working to produce something unique.

We have an extensive variety of different screen filters here at Office 365 which have been designed to fit a wide choice of screen sizes. With brands such as 3M, 5 Star, Compucessory and Fellowes as well as framed and frameless options, you’re sure to find the perfect screen for your environment. For help or information, please feel free to speak to a member of our team on 0870 766 1624.

At Office 365 we pride ourselves on our many services we offer making the complete ordering process easy, fast and stress free with us. We have a huge variety of stationery and office supplies available to both businesses and individuals alike with products such as office electronics and their consumables, furniture, desktop accessories, stationery as well as cleaning and catering supplies. We offer a price match guarantee which means if you find any of our products elsewhere for cheaper, we will match that price! Many of our customers are schools, NHS trusts, GP’s, government departments and locals government organisations, and we understand that when ordering for a company such as this, different procedures must be complied with, which is why we allow for purchase orders to be faxed over where necessary!

Many of our customers find that we offer an unbeatable service in terms of delivery and price and so prefer to order their item in bulk so that it lasts the entire office for a year. We take great pleasure in offering a bulk order service where we are able to give you a quote where products are ordered in larger volumes. Here you can either add the item to your basket and then select ‘get a quote’, or you can call our team on 0870 766 1624 where a member of our team will be more than happy to help.

We offer the secure Mastercard Worldwide payment service which is unbeatable in terms of security and peace of mind and accepts cards such as Visa, Visa Electron, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express and Solo. However if you prefer, we even offer the ability to pay via PayPal now! We prefer you to place orders online, however if for whatever reason you need to speak to our team, our lines are open from 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday, or alternatively you can contact us via our email address info@office365.co.uk where we will also be able to help you.

If you order before 4pm, thanks to our dedicated ordering process, you will receive your items for next day delivery! The process is carried out in a fully automated pick and pack warehouse to ensure that we can deliver your most popular items within 24 hours, however if your item is urgent, we do suggest that you call to check stock!

Finally, we pride ourselves on being an environmentally aware company and offer our customers a great variety of Green Products which are recycled and recyclable! We also offer a variety of Breast Cancer Awareness products which when purchased donates money directly to Breast Cancer research! Our entire order process has been designed to have as minimal affect as possible on the environment from efficient logistics and packaging solutions to electronic invoicing to our ability to source the best environmentally friendly products for our customers. You will find that our Blog features various environmentally friendly articles offering advice on our green products and how your office can be green. However if you can help us be more eco friendly, we’d love to hear from you, so please do get in touch!

For many, working with computers for multiple hours a day can cause various eye problems leading to headache and often lasting damage! Effectively preventing strain on the eyes as well as dry, sore eyes, a screen filter is often the way forward. When you work in a busy office you’ll find there are many light sources; multiple windows, ceiling lights, desk lamps, floor lamps – all these light sources can be a burden and often reflect off your screen! A screen filter directs the monitor image toward your eyes through a series of micro-louvers, which are essentially minuscule Venetian blinds; these louvers have the benefit of filtering out reflected light, and therefore reducing glare in bright areas. So when working with computers, if you experience eye strain, burning, sore eyes, blurred vision, & tired eyes as you strain to see images on the monitor, a filter may be just what you need!

Also blocking harmful radiation, our screen filters are treated to reduce glare from light sources. However their other very useful benefit is their ability to restore privacy when in use. Using a filter means that when a nosey colleague attempts to view your screen from the side the appearance of the monitor is blurred and distorted. In effect, this prevents others from reading your sensitive, confidential information. Available from brands including Compucessory, 3M and Fellowes, our range is catered to fit a wide selection of different screen sizes.

According to the Data Protection Act (1998), it is essential that you do not disclose customer information and details to third parties. Much of their information will be confidential and therefore protecting it should be of the upmost concern. Here at Office 365 we have many screen filters which comfortably fit to various screens and screen sizes all at prices greatly reduced putting us ahead of the game in terms of quality, and affordability.

Take a look at our 3M Gold Privacy Laptop Filter featured to your right for example.

• Greater on-screen security and privacy
• Works from the side and the top
• Narrower visible viewing angles
• Provides twice as effective privacy as 3M black filters
• Mirror-like reflective effect provides obvious privacy warning
• Enhanced on-screen clarity, 14% more than the standard black privacy filter
• Size: 338mm (13.3 inch)
• Suitable for widescreens – 16-10 13.3in
• Our price – £52.19 inc VAT! (RRP £62.21!)

A fantastic deterrent, this screen filter will ensure that whatever you are looking at remains viewed by you and you only; if anyone else tries to sneak a peak, the mirror like reflective screen will give them away! The new gold mirror concept provides twice as effective privacy then the standard black filters plus enhances on-screen clarity by 14% more than the standard black option! Available in various sizes to suit a number of different screen sizes and shapes, this filter comes highly approved of and recommended by all of us at Office 365!

Deep in the depths of the dark store-room a box began to stir. What a strange occurrence for such a place which has been still and silent on every other day passed. Piled high, from floor to ceiling, boxes are stacked filled with business and office stationery and supplies, eager and waiting to be found new homes, patiently holding on, hoping their good behaviour will be rewarded. But each evening only a select few are chosen from this place they call ‘Store Room’. The door bursts open and light floods into the room, in through the cracks of the boxes filling the little stationery orphans with hope and anticipation. And each day, at 4pm this being they call ‘Keighley’ will choose but a few; they say these few are chosen based on good behaviour and darn good looks, but no one will ever know, because no one ever returns…

On this day there was one who refused to wait patiently any longer, who began to believe all this talk was just myth, simply urban legend; this ‘one’ was named ‘Kensington Ci65 Notebook Mouse’. He’s had enough of waiting quietly, he’d tried so hard to impress both left and right-handed users, tempting them with his 27MHz – a range up to 2 metres, his sleep mode for power saving, his 1 year battery life together with his other fancy features. But time and time again, his peers were chosen, peers that didn’t even have sleep mode, all they had to say for themselves was that they came cheap, but they certainly couldn’t guarantee complete satisfaction, not like he could.

Kensington Ci65 had his own ideas; he knew he was a mouse, he wasn’t stupid, but the idea of having his buttons pressed by dirty fingers no longer pleased him. He wanted to become a REAL mouse and he knew the only way he could ever have this was if he found himself a loving owner – and that wasn’t going to happen whilst sat in a box in the land of ‘Store Room’ now was it? No, it was time Ci65 found his own way in life; he needed to escape Store Room and he needed to do this without this ‘Keighley’ being noticing. Drawing attention to himself when it’s not required could get him in real trouble. The talk of Store Room was that anyone found out of their packaging was then taken and used by the people of a place called ‘Office 365’. Goodness knows what that would entail, but he wasn’t going to stick around to find out!

Ci65 had watched for days, studying the process this Keighley performed each day when packaging his little friends up to get them out of the office. She used boxes, freshly opened cardboard cartons and lots of bubble wrap. All he had to do was willingly pack himself into one of these out-going boxes, then when it reached its destination, he could make his escape; no one said they had to have any loyalty to their new owners…he’d simply slip away and start his new free life! He’d find his own buyer who would take him home, love him, polish him and turn him on, then in time, with enough love he’d become real, a real life mouse!

Regular as clock work, at 4pm on this day Keighley came into Store Room. She set out a few boxes and began picking items to be packed; Rapid Duax HD170 (the bully of the stapler breed – they all breathed a sigh of relief when he was packed away!), packs of sticky tape and gel pens, she packed away a couple of large white boards and then boxed a large quantity of ring binders (rumour has it they were sold real cheap because of their quantity – still, at least they got to stick together!). As soon as Keighley left to find the packing tape (she never did remember to bring it with her!) Ci65 took his chance and leapt into a little gap left in one of the boxes. With the use of his ‘sleep mode’ facility, Ci65 shut down and was still; he knew that if his plan was to work, next time he awoke he’d be seeing a whole new world!

Sure enough, the very next day (thanks to the super fast delivery of Office 365) Ci65 did awake, and he did find himself in a whole new world! He here’d the noise of lots of ‘beings’, small being’s, all running and shouting and making a mess. He was soon to learn that he’d found his place in a school, a school full of dirty fingers; dirty fingers who’d press his buttons all day long, who’s drop him and bang him on the table tops. He was soon to learn that not even his sleep mode could save him here; he was soon to plan his next great escape.

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!

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.

Thanks to the new music copying laws, soon the UK can look forward to a relax in the rules in terms of copying music and film. This is a fantastic advance in government legislation and will allow the UK to keep up with technology trends. The result of the change is the Hargreaves Review, which states that the government should make it legal to move digital files you own from one device or format to another. It was an obvious and vital move as more and more people are storing music and film digitally, and the technology for doing so is continuously advancing. If the law’s hadn’t been relaxed, we would literally be freezing music and film digital storage technology as it is causing more and more new products to face legal difficulties if they were to attempt to launch in the UK. Now where’s the sense in that? Britain don’t want to be seen as a technologically stunted nation any more than they want to be ridiculed by the nations who are advancing. Happy days!

We can now expect companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple to open up new services allowing us to access our music where ever we are! The laws will be relaxed so much so that it will even be legal to copy music and film for our own and immediate family’s private use on different media! It does state however that the move will only legalise private copying for non-commercial use, it will not allow people to share content over the internet without copyright owners’ permission. So in short, if the plans become law, changing the format of your music and film will be legal, and you will also be able to lawfully burn copies of the music and give them to your family.

With this positive change in the law, we can now all happily stock up on blank CD’s and copy our files from our computers onto disk for family and friends – fantastic! Dawn is the era of legal ‘mix tapes’ or rather mix CD’s, compilations for loved ones of just straight CD copying. Happy times indeed; but why not go the whole hog and make your CD’s look like the real thing? Using CD Labels will enable you to give your disks the replica look of the actual thing that way your copied disks will look far more pleasing to the eye and will leave the recipient feeling as though you’d put your all into the gift. You can save yourself a fortune with just a stack of blank disks, CD labels and time; that’s Christmas’s, birthdays and anniversaries all rolled into one!

Take a look at our variety of Avery CD labels available in clear or glossy options as well as inkjet printable and laser printable varieties. Simply create your label design using software from Avery, then print and apply carefully to the disk. What you will be left with is an impressive high resolution print finish and the imperative ‘wow’ factor.

In our new and ever changing world of technology, computer peripherals have never been more important than now, and we need to look after them! More often than not, our personal and financial information will be stored my means of computer related products and in many instances this is the CD or Optical Disk. Companies store vast amounts of delicate information on optical discs and without giving these discs the proper care, you expose this information to the risk of damage and inevitably becoming lost for good.

At Office 365 you’ll find that we stock many forms of media storage as we understand the importance of disk safety. We have many varieties available, each of which keeps your disks free from dust and away from harm. What’s more, disk storage is an excellent way of keeping all your CD’s in one place so you know where they are when you need them. CD Cases are an excellent option for if you like to keep each disk in a labelled case, rather than in sleeves or CD storage folders. They look neat and tidy lined up on shelves and can be labelled on their spine for quick and easy identification.

A standard jewel CD case is the original compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was first released in 1982. It is a three-piece plastic case, measuring 142 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm. Two opposing transparent halves are hinged together to form the casing, the back half holding a media tray that grips the disc by its hole. All three parts are made of injection-moulded polystyrene. The back media tray snaps into the back cover, and is responsible for securing the disk. In its centre is a circular hub of teeth which grip the disc by its hole. This effectively suspends the disk in the middle of the container, preventing the recording surface from being scratched. Originally, the media tray was constructed of flexible black polystyrene, but many newer trays use a more fragile transparent polystyrene. This allows the reverse of the back card, which is usually used for additional artwork, to be visible.

Our Compucessory Clear CD Cases as featured to your right are a stackable CD storage option which would give a professional and organised finish to any office whether at home or at work. They feature;

• Innovative system allows CDs to be stored in individual cases or clicked together to form a tower
• Simply turn the patented spine to stack
• Each case operates as a drawer
• Packed – 10
• Now featuring 55% off! – Just £2.85!
• Free delivery when you order 15 or more packs!