A teacher without a whiteboard pen is like a doctor without a stethoscope. The same could be said for those holding meetings and running a business. Most businesses wait until the New Year before they replenish their stocks, finding it an unnecessary chore before Christmas. Up until this time companies can find themselves running on air, beading their last pens, markers, tea supplies and paper supplies dry so that they can have the luxury of a holiday from making new orders. Well give yourselves a pat on the pack for seeing your company through it, however now you’ve used every last morsel, you’ll need to stock up for the year ahead, plus you’ll need it fast seeing as you’re all out. Thankfully Office 365 offer generous savings on bulk orders, free delivery on orders over £30, plus super fast next day delivery!

Take our Pentel EasyFlo Whiteboard Pens and Eraser Kit featured to your right.

• Liquid ink marker with unique ‘tip and go’ mechanism
• Point nib downwards for quick ink reviving action
• 800m writing distance
• Refillable ink for economical use
• Ink colours black, red, blue and green
• For white or porcelain boards
• Visible ink reservoir
• Bullet point gives approx 2.0mm line width
• Takes MWR1 refill
• Part of the Recycology range
• Made from 81% recycled content
• Eraser Kit
• Markers fit neatly onto eraser
• Supplied complete with one black and one blue marker

Whether you’re an office worker, a school teacher or a hitchhiker, our range of whiteboard pens are suitable for use by everyone and at an affordable price too. The above pens now have 22% off making them just £3.94! Plus being refillable means that it’s an expense you won’t have to think about again. By the way; when your pens do run out, don’t panic. You’ll have a couple of days to organise their refill if you give them a temporary boost. Just dip them in nail varnish remover and pop the cap back on for a few minutes. You should have a wonderfully vibrant marker in no time. Alternatively, if their water based, dip the tip in water instead. Another tip we’ve been given by our blog fans is to pop them in the fridge, this too should revive them.

Just 10 days to go until Christmas and our little monkeys are expecting the magic of Santa! It’s not easy coming up with so many little stocking fillers year after year, making sure that they are unique, magical and suitable.  That’s why this week  we’re bringing you ‘Santa’s Useful Ideas’ where we find you a new little item you’re children would love to get their hands on, everyday.  Today’s item is highlighters for kids, an educational and exciting little stocking filler which they can actually get some use out of! Giving your child a highlighter allows them to ‘highlight’ text from their school work and studies that is important. It works in a kind of ‘bullet point’ way accept quicker! One educational idea which I remember doing myself is a kind of Sight word practice. Take a piece of text, this could be anything really, text from a book, their own school work etc, and using the highlighter, ask them to search for small words within the words in the text. For example, in the word ‘educational’ you can find ‘cat’, ‘on’ and ‘at’ hiding. They can highlight these small words using the highlighter pen.

Our Stabilo Swing Cool Highlighters are a fantastic idea for a stocking filler. Bright and cheerful, useful and educational, these assorted waterbased pens are the perfect treasure and don’t have to break the bank!

• Fluorescent marker for colouring, highlighting, marking
• Pocket clip
• Water-based ink
• Line width: 1-4mm
• Wallet of 6 – blue, green, yellow, royal blue, orange and lilac
• 22% off

Highlighters are an essential item in most school and educational situations. Students and pupils are occasionally required to use highlighters to mark references or important information on school work or papers used in the research and preparation of tests. Put a smile on your little ones faces and hide a little fluorescent treasure in their stockings this year.

STABILO GREEN

Stabilo want to preserve nature and the environment for subsequent generations. That’s why they continually optimise their production and working conditions. Stabilo pencils are continually adapted to the latest product requirements and are often pioneering for the entire industry. As a logical consequence of their environmentally aware approach, Stabilo have developed a dedicated product line: STABILO GREEN pencils are made from renewable woods, obtained from controlled, environmentally responsible forestry operations. By introducing their own range of sustainable, high-quality pencils made from renewable woods they are making an important step towards increasing environmental protection. In this, Stabilo works closely together with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies the pencils in the STABILO GREEN line.

LIVING RESPONSIBLY

Every company bears a heavy responsibility – towards people and the environment. Because modern production processes use precious resources. That’s why Stabilo converted early on to environmentally friendly solutions. And they’re proud of the figures and results. At their international production sites, Stabilo pay painstaking attention to ensuring that they handle natural resources such as water and wood in a responsible way, save energy or consistently increase their recycling rates. They employ state-of-the-art technology to minimise the effects on the environment.

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!

The permanent marker, invented in 1953 by Sidney Rosenthal, is a useful piece of equipment for many different applications. An invention that nowadays, we just couldn’t be without, the permanent marker generally adheres to all types of surfaces including plastic, wood, metal and paper. The clever permanent ink has meant that you can now label surfaces that before no ink would adhere to, permanently. Most commonly used for labelling toys and clothes, sign making and labelling food for the freezer; permanent markers come in many different colours, so labelling and colour-coding items is quick and easy.

But What Makes Permanent Markers Permanent?

Permanent markers have been specifically designed to leave permanent marks on most types of surface. The ink is intentionally almost impossible to remove which is perfect for when a lasting mark is required. What defines the ink as permanent is when it bonds to most surfaces, repels water, or uses dyes or pigments. A permanent marker typically contains three crucial ingredients; a colorant, a carrier and a resin. The colorant is used for durability and colour. The solvent, which is usually alcohol, is used as the carrier and lastly, the resin is a polymer which encourages permanence by allowing adherence to most surfaces by causing the pigment to attach to them.

Permanent Marker Safety

It must be stressed that when using permanent markers, great care should be taken. Permanent ink leaves marks that are almost impossible to erase so make sure to always protect your surfaces before using one. Not only this, but you should always go careful not to mark the skin. As permanent marker manufacturers state that you should always use in a well ventilated area, this implies that there are harmful substances contained within the inks ingredients. It is said that these chemicals can lead to liver damage, kidney damage, brain damage and birth defects. We’d recommend that you do a little research before you decide to draw all over your skin!

Actual Permanence

The durability and actual length of permanence of a permanent marker can vary depending on how exposed and porous the surface used is. If your surface is exposed to the elements and various weather conditions frequently, marks can fade in as little as three to four months. On the flip side, if a porous surface such as paper is used and is not exposed frequently to the elements, these marks will probably last several years, or more!

Permanent Ink Removal

A frequently asked question is how to remove the stains made by a permanent marker; this can be very difficult! The best advice firstly would be speed. The faster you tackle the problem, the better the results. This is because when the ink is left un attended, it is allowed to travel further into the surface, penetrating it more deeply, causing a more permanent and resistant stain. A good tip is to always work from the back of the stain, using a stain remover. If all else fails, take your item to a professional cleaner. If you are removing permanent marker from the skin, two recommendations which come up time and time again are Clearasil and baby oil.

Map pins are a common tool which can be used to identify points and places on maps. Traditionally, they have a hexagonal head and are available in a variety of sizes including 15mm and 20mm. What makes these pins stand out and more useful than others like them, is the white panel that can be located in the top centre of the pin. This white panel can be written on which is useful when separate colours just isn’t enough.

To get the best out of your map, why not create some individual indicator pins yourself by following these simple steps.

Things You’ll Need

• Map pins (Take a look at our choice from the number one budget brand 5 Star)
• Pencil, pen, dry wipe marker or permanent marker
• Paper (optional)

1. You can use a pencil or dry erase marker to write on epoxy-coated map pins. Any marks that you make can later be erased leaving the pins as good as new ready to be reused.
2. Alternatively, use a permanent marker or pen to write on the flat head of a map pin.
3. When using map pins with a small window on the head, use a pen, pencil or marker to write on the paper insert. If you’d like to re-use your map pins at a later date for alternative groupings; use a pencil, then you can later erase the mark and reuse the paper insert.

Tips & Warnings

You will find that map pins with round heads impossible to write on directly. However, with the use of a small piece of paper, you can change your pin entirely to create an alternative indicator pin. Fold the paper over the pin and glue it to itself to create a flag. This can also be done by inserting the pin through the top and bottom of the left side of a small piece of paper. Your new flag can then be written on to label the pin. Alternatively, we do have readymade flag pins available at Office 365.

Whiteboard pens are frustratingly one of those items which often need replacing, yet you cannot live without. They have brought us into the 21st century, eradicating the chalk board and making education simpler, clearer and more up-to-date.  However they come with their problems.

Unlike chalk, the whiteboard pen consists of ink and so it is essential that the lid is replaced when not in use. A dried up whiteboard pen is not uncommon and plays the biggest part in whiteboard pen death across the globe. Well it doesn’t have to be the end; at Office 365 we have found some useful remedies to this widespread pandemic, have a read and safe yourself time, money and heartache!

1. A Tip For Our More Sensible Customers - Revive dried-up whiteboard pens by dipping the tip briefly in nail polish remover, then put the cap back on for a few minutes. Test in a corner of the whiteboard to make sure it doesn’t damage the surface. If you have a water-based, low odour, whiteboard marker, this can just be dipped in water like a regular marker. Make sure you check which kind you have!
2. A Tip For The Extrovert - Attach a piece of string to the end of the marker, you may need to tape a knotted string to your pen for extra security and then spin the marker over your head several times. Centrifugal force will allow any remaining ink to flow to the marker tip. Make sure you secure the cap tightly first! When removing the cap, do it over a sink or a wad of paper towels as ink can pool up in the cap.

We’ve chosen a whiteboard marker from our range which in our opinion meets the needs of those who are environmentally conscious, economical and have high expectations. Take a look to your right at our Pentel Easyflo Whiteboard Eraser Kit.

• Liquid ink marker with unique ‘tip and go’ mechanism
• Point nib downwards for quick ink reviving action
• 800m writing distance
• Refillable ink for economical use
• Ink colours black, red, blue and green
• For white or porcelain boards
• Visible ink reservoir
• Bullet point gives approx 2.0mm line width
• Takes MWR1 refill
• Part of the Recycology range
• Made from 81% recycled content
• Eraser Kit
• Markers fit neatly onto eraser
• Supplied complete with one black and one blue marker

Now you know how to take care of your whiteboard pen, all you need to do is invest in the right ones and they will really last! The featured pens have everything you could possibly need and with proper care, should last you a very long time! Give it a try and take advantage of the tasty 22% off making this set just £3.94!

Do you work in graphic design, maybe in brand design, art graphics, or even in fashion? If the answers yes, then you’ve come to the right place for all your supplies. Whether it cutting mats, blades, drawing boards or drawing aids, cutters, trimmers, fine art pencils or technical pens, you’ll find it all and more here.

You’ll find that the best brand however, for most of these supplies is Rotring, the leading name in technical drawing. With all our many sales, we have not once received a Rotring product complaint; we couldn’t recommend them more highly. They are the brand used by people who value the power of ideas and visions and who strive to give these the highest form of expression. Rotring provide you with the best possible product solutions for every situation and each product bearing the red ring is a perfect marriage of ergonomics and design, enabling you to work with precision and inspiring you to create your visionary ideas. Take the Rotring Isograph College Set featured below for example. The set comprises of;

• Three Isograph pens (0.25/0.35/0.5mm)
• Tikky fine lead mechanical 0.5mm pencil and leads
• Ink/pencil eraser
• 3.5/4mm compass attachment
• 23ml drawing ink

This would be any designers dream, an excellent gift, or an investment to your career as Rotring Pens have long been recognised as some of the best in the business. These Rotring pens are refillable and are included with bottled ink, the preferred choice. The nibs have a special easy clean system to prevent ink clogging and blotting and are ideal for both black and coloured inks. They produce precise line widths in accordance with ISO Standard 128 & 3098/1 for drawing and lettering respectively. When considering pens the nib size and the line size are important especially for detailed work, the Rotring range starts at 0.1mm tip, with other nib sizes 0.13mm, 0.18mm, 0.25mm, 0.30mm, 0.35mm and the largest sizes 0.5mm and 0.7mm nibs. If you damage the nib of your Rotring pen, worry not. Unlike other cheaper brands, you can purchase replacements nibs from us and this can save money when compared with those other brands. This set is available for just £36.02, making a saving of 25% on the RRP.

We also have plenty of other graphic design supplies, so if you’re looking for individuals, replacements or one thing in particular or maybe you’re looking to get the whole kit and caboodle, Office 365 is the place to come.

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

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

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

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

The Green Bit

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

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

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

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

Stabilo have been around for more than 150 years now and were founded back in 1855. The business is made up of a range of companies who focus on the production and sales of brand-name products for the writing instruments sector, cosmetics products and also for the outdoor sector.

The Stabilo brand represents colourful, ground-breaking products and offers quality, innovation and desirable articles. Writing ergonomics play as important a role as fashion and trends for Stabilo during their products development. Their ranges will always remain attractive and lively due to a strong sense of innovation.

We’d like to bring our Basic Stabilo Boss Highlighters to your attention, take a look to your right. These are the original Stabilo Highlighters with the distinctive shape and high, long lasting fluorescence. These are chisel tipped pens with a line width of between 2-5mm. They come in wallets of 4 with one each of yellow, green, pink and orange. At Office 365, we’re proud of our prices and offer a price match guarantee. We’re so sure you won’t find our products cheaper anywhere else that we’ve offered to match the price if you do. These highlighters should be priced at £5.40, but we’re offering you 44% off. You can get these pens with us for just £3.04!

Alternatively you may be looking for Stabilo Permanent Markers in which case the Write-4-all permanent marker set from Stabilo would be ideal. These permanent pens (featured to your left) have a line width of 0.7mm and will write on any surface; glass, metal, plastic, wood, china, film, card, CD’s/DVD’s etc. The ink is waterproof plus freeze and fade resistant and the pens featured come in an assorted wallet containing one each of black, blue, red and green. Also on a fantastic money saving offer, these pens come with 25% off, so are just £4.18 while stocks last! 

STABILO GREEN

Stabilo want to preserve nature and the environment for subsequent generations. That’s why they continually optimise their production and working conditions. Stabilo pencils are continually adapted to the latest product requirements and are often pioneering for the entire industry. As a logical consequence of their environmentally aware approach, Stabilo have developed a dedicated product line: STABILO GREEN pencils are made from renewable woods, obtained from controlled, environmentally responsible forestry operations. By introducing their own range of sustainable, high-quality pencils made from renewable woods they are making an important step towards increasing environmental protection. In this, Stabilo works closely together with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which certifies the pencils in the STABILO GREEN line.

LIVING RESPONSIBLY

Every company bears a heavy responsibility – towards people and the environment. Because modern production processes use precious resources. That’s why Stabilo converted early on to environmentally friendly solutions. And they’re proud of the figures and results. At their international production sites, Stabilo pay painstaking attention to ensuring that they handle natural resources such as water and wood in a responsible way, save energy or consistently increase their recycling rates. They employ state-of-the-art technology to minimise the effects on the environment.

We have just the thing for those who are frequent users of the trusty highlighter, those who have high demands when it comes to design and brand. Highlighters are an essential item in most school and work situations. Students are required to have highlighters as part of their school supplies because they are used to mark references or important information on school work or papers used in the research preparation tests. Just as in the work place, highlighters are useful for marking information on text, graphs, or charts that are reviewed in one to ones, meetings or to mark text that will be needed as reference for a later project. Highlighters have been proven as an absolute ‘must have’ when editing documents. At Office 365, we’re pretty fond of the Stabilo Boss Luminator Highlighter (Double Capacity) featured below. This highlighter looks better, is more sophisticated and keeps going for longer. Not only this, but it also scooped up a whole load of design awards. This has to be the perfect highlighter for all professionals who value design, comfort and quality.

• Larger liquid ink reservoir than traditional highlighters.
• Uniform ink application right down to the last drop, with no fading.
• Multi-award-winning design.
• Doesn’t leak under pressure e.g. on a plane.
• Ink level indicator for constant control.
• Available in 6 fluorescent colours and 2 line-widths.
• Water-based ink for paper, copy or fax.
• Long cap-off time.
• Lasts considerably longer than regular highlighters.
• Better quality, comfort and design when highlighting.