We use cork boards in so many different environments and no modern invention seems to have come into place that suitably replaces them. It is actually quite staggering that in this day and age, a true technological era, that they still exist let alone that they’re still as popular as they are! But I’m not just talking businesses here, we’re talking people homes, schools (and other educational facilities), public buildings; they’re everywhere! It has been proven that verbal reminders just aren’t effective enough, physical, visual notes, papers, posters and general notices always work best. That’s why the cheap cork noticeboard is such a popular invention.

There are a few different options available and in that way the cork board has advanced. The typical tan cork board is very cheap indeed. Notices can be hug on the board with the use of push pins, the holes will automatically heal when the pins are removed. Fabric boards work much in the same way; they’re simply cork boards with a fabric coating enabling them to look a little more classy is more ‘suave’ areas. You will also find foam options which are lightweight, durable foam that can be cut to size! Finally there are our framed options which can be any of the above (aside from foam), with the difference that they have a choice of different frames. These frames tend to be made of aluminium or wood and give the board added durable making them last for longer periods of time.

In 1890 a German company produced the cork particles which were simply waste materials and together with the use of a clay binder, cork board was produced. It was initially used as a form of insulation however in 1924 the cork noticeboard was patented by George Brooks.

Our favourite board at LA Office is the 5 Star Cork Noticeboard featured.

• Resilient cork pinning surface
• Pine frame
• Supplied with fixing kit
• WxH: 900 x 600mm (3’x2’)
• RRP - £24.10 – Our price just £5.96 inc VAT‼

And as the board is made by 5 Star, you can be sure of its quality, absolute value for money and not to mention is guarantee! So for more information, bookings and bulk orders you can visit our site, or call us on 0870 766 1722.

When it comes to stationery, office supplies and filing accessories, it really isn’t always necessary to purchase the big branded products. There will always be a product or circumstance which requires a little bit of added ‘taste’, for example, it’s a good idea to stock plenty of value envelopes for bulk post, however it is equally as important to have a supply a higher quality envelopes for mailing prospective clients and customers, or for when making a good impression counts. The same can be said for pens; some of us like a quality pen to carry in our personal organisers or diaries, however still require a good stock of cheap biros!

An exception to the rule however are plastic wallets which are commonly used in the home and the office. Available in a variety of sizes, they are ideal for filing many different items separately to your standard filing. So for example use them at home for filing receipts, wage slips, medical NHS cards, birth certificates, driving licence details, passports and so on. They prevent the annoying overflowing paper which jams your filing drawers shut and give a sense of organisation. Use them in the office for filing individual employee records, receipts, training guides and so on. Made using thick and durable plastics and available in sizes, A3, A4, Foolscap, A5 and even DL, there really is no reason to shop for the more expensive brands when it comes to plastic wallets!

5 Star are our value brand who are dedicated to serving our every need at a price we can all really afford. Their 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! Consider swapping your usual brand of stationery, to 5 Star and see for yourself how much money you can save, and with the guarantee, where’s the risk? You can also be sure that their products meet your quality expectations and as a UK based company, you don’t need to worry about carbon footprint or dealing with companies overseas. With over 22,000 products, you’re bound to find your usual items within the 5 Star range.

Take a look at their red plastic wallets, blue plastic wallets and black plastic wallets for example. The stud fastening on the front covers are designed to enable safe storage of your documents plus their wipe clean polypropylene construction means that you can keep them looking smart at all times. These wallets accept up to 200 sheets of A4 paper and come in packs of three. At just £2.76 inc VAT for a 3 pack, you can see why 5 Star are such a popular choice! For quotes on bulk orders, please feel free to call us on 0870 766 1722 where one of our team will be more than happy to help.

There are many tools which we can use at our desks which will make our working lives so, much, easier! There really shouldn’t be any excuse for struggling on unaided, it wastes your time, your employers time and causes general frustration and stress. With the use of simple desktop tools you can work with more ease, you can organise your desktop and you can run more efficiently. The basics which we swear by are of course the letter tray (or filing drawers) for paper work which is to be referred to daily or until the accounts are dealt with, desk tidies for storing all your pens, pencils and pins, the stapler (goes without saying really) and tape dispensers.

Sellotape dispensers are probably the most obvious choice, for good reason. In fact, did you know that Sellotape still come out top on all consumer sticky tape surveys? Proud market leaders since the 1930’s and still going strong over 70 years on, Sellotape have now earned themselves a place as a household name, the only brand of sticky tape to have done so! You may even be surprised to know that they have pride of place in the English dictionary! However the brand are aware they there are many brands competing for the top spot and so they focus complete dedication on developing their ideas and innovations and maintaining an immaculate reputation. To be fair to them, it’s paid off as they’re still head of the leaders board!

LA Office have a large selection of Sellotape Holders, our favourite being theSellotape Large Chrome Dispenser featured. Boasting:

• Stylish desktop essential
• Non-slip base
• Mirror chrome finish
• Takes 33m and 66m rolls of tape up to 25mm wide
• Just £7.64 inc VAT!

Not bad considering the price and will bring a sense of style to any office or desk. Using this non slip tape dispenser means that you can take pieces of tape at your desired length with the use of just one hand! Perfect for multi-taskers and means that no longer will you have to tear strips with your teeth and stick them to the desk ready for use!

The Green Bit

At Sellotape, tape is made using the Hot-Melt technique because they believe that this method produces less waste and is more environmentally friendly. Any solvent used to make the release coating is destroyed in a thermal oxidiser which ensures that no dangerous or harmful gases are released into the atmosphere. In the process of converting any harmful gases into clean air, heat is produced from the thermal oxidiser. This heat is used to power the drying oven. This ensures that the process is not only very environmentally friendly but efficient.

If in your line of work, or hobby, you have to cut through large quantities of paper, professionally, then it is well worth your while to consider investing in a guillotine or a trimmer. Not only will either of these methods alleviate the hours spent in the office cutting through vast numbers of sheets, but they will also give a finish which looks as though the paper was purchased that size! A guillotine or trimmer will allow you to effortlessly cut through large volumes ultimately saving you time and effort! Regardless of whether you are cutting through large amounts of paper or just a few sheets, our selection of guillotines and trimmers is sure to include the perfect model for you!.

But what is the difference between the trimmer and the guillotine and which one is best for you? This is a very common question and one which I had to research myself to fully explain it to you. So we’ve made it nice and simple and have listed the most obvious differences below, so that you’re able to make a choice based on what each one can, and cannot do.

• A guillotine is designed to cut through larger stack of paper with accuracy. The paper is placed on the cutter, a clamping mechanism is locked into place and handle is pulled, which then brings the blade down through the paper.
• For smaller amounts or for regular use, try using a trimmer which tends to be more portable and lightweight allowing you to easily move it around the office. A trimmer uses a round blade which is encased in a cutting head that slides along a metal bar. When this cutting head slides across the bar, the blade will cut through the paper.
• Rotary paper trimmers are widely used by photographers and designers as they are perfect for precision cutting individual sheets.
• If you require a tool which will allow you to cut very thick paper, or a great many sheets at once, the guillotine is by far the best option.
• If you’re just trimming the odd single print here and there, a trimmer is best. It would be fair to say that a trimmer is best cutting no more than 20-25 sheets at a time.
• Rotary trimmers are pretty safe to use as the blade is covered by its housing which prevents accidental injury making them ideal for schools.

To summarise, guillotines cut using a shear action and trimmers (or rather rotary trimmers) slice through the paper from the side.

Browse our full trimmers and guillotines range here at LA Office for a great choice of offers and bulk order prices; we have everything you could possibly need for all your paper cutting needs! Order online or call us on 0870 766 1722 for orders and enquiries.

Every single one of us has sat and stared, hopelessly, trying to read a dry wipe board (or whiteboard) which is smeared in the previous 5 years worth of text and illustrations. They tend to come featuring ‘a handy whiteboard cleaner’ however some of the time these simply move the dried ink to another area of the board! In time this can clog to an unbearable level where anything written on the board from that moment is frankly illegible. We need to be considering drywipe board cleaners.

With a little squirt and a rub down, your board can be restored to its former glory meaning that any text written upon it will stand out and will be clearly legible. A messy board only leads to a distracted eye and inevitably wasted time. When the solution is as simple as investing in whiteboard cleaners, why go on attempting to struggle through the mess?

An excellent example of a cleaning solution is the 5 Star Drywipe Wipes featured below.

• Drywipe Wipes
• Pre-moistened biodegradable wipes
• Designed to remove drywipe marker ink and ghosting from all boards
• Non-hazardous
• Non-flammable
• 100 wipes
• Just £3.97 inc VAT

These wipes are not only priced so that anyone with any budget can buy them, but they offer all the features you’d expect from a more highly priced brand. Made by the renowned 5 Star, you can feel assured of their quality too as each of their products come with a 12 months no quibble guarantee! There’s no doubting that you’ll be more than satisfied with the results you see on your whiteboard; if you’d like to purchase a bulk order of these wipes, remember to call us for a quote – 0870 766 1722.  

Summer is slowly rearing its pretty head and we’re all getting rather excited at the concept of feeling the warmth of the sunshine. It’d be fair to say that we haven’t had much of a summer in the UK for 5 years running now (which is strangely something my brother predicted back in 2006) and so I’m not sure about anyone else, but I’m a tad hopeful for this one! This isn’t just because of what my brother said, but also because last years was by far the worst of them all, surely the odds are that this one will be better, or is this just wishful thinking? Never the less, we need to prepare. If we are going to get a summer, and if it is going to be like the previous 5 years, then we need to prepare for it by April, as sadly it’s all done and dusted by the end of May. Optimist, pessimist, I don’t know!?

At LA Office we supply a large selection of Office Drinks Dispensers, because you don’t want to be caught out not providing your staff with fluids during the ‘hot’ weather. Nowadays you’ll find that most offices are equipped with drinks dispensers around the office in order to comply with welfare provisions laws at work. The law requires that you provide drinking water and ensure that:

• It is free from contamination and is preferably from the public water supply
• Bottled water dispensers are acceptable as a secondary supply
• It is easily accessible by all employees
• There are adequate supplies taking into consideration the temperature of the working environment and types of work activity
• Cups or a drinking fountain are provided.

All this considered, our CPD Water Cooler Dispenser is the ideal choice. Not only can you provide these facilities at various points in the office in order to comply with the rule that states that water should be easily accessible by all employees, but they also provide you with cooled drinking water which means that you are providing the ideal solution for fluids considering the temperatures of the working conditions. These floor standing units tick all the boxes!

Water bottles can be bought separately and the dispensed water is cool and filtered for your staff and visitors at a fraction of the price of bottled water! The tall, floor-standing dispenser will suit general office areas, warehouses and showrooms and what’s more, the water bottles can be recycled when empty! For Just £160.42 inc VAT, that’s not bad going! Simply order online or call us on 0870 766 1722 for more information and orders.

A cash box is an item which is found in most every workplace (normally in the managers drawer)! It is a useful tool which allows you to securely lock away cash until you can get to a bank. Many businesses use a cash box for ‘petty cash’ so that the funds are there and easily accessible whenever you need them (for example on the morning coffee or breakfast rounds).

Cash boxes are designed to be fire resistant so that no matter what happens, when you eventually recover your box, the contents will be as good as new. They are generally used to store money, however other valuable items such as legal documents and jewellery are often stored inside too.

If your business deals with jewellery, cars, antiques or some sort of check cashing service, you will find a cash box is more than beneficial! Jewellery stores for example often sell rather expensive items which the manager would prefer not to keep on display. Often in this type of store when higher purchases are made, the cash needs to be stored somewhere other than the till. In this instance a cash box can be temporarily used to hold large amounts of money until the manager can get to the bank.

Some businesses prefer not to keep all their money in a safe as this is often the first place a burglar would target. Instead they hide their money inside a locked office in cash boxes hidden in various places. This tactic will mean that you do not risk losing everything in the event of a burglary. Obviously this scenario can happen among many different retailers and avenues of business; however the cash box is most commonly used for this purpose among car dealerships, jewellery stores and antique stores. This is generally because they are among the most targetable businesses for thieves.

At LA Office we have various different cash boxes from a number of brands, however we recommend the Helix High Capacity Cash Box thanks to its number of important features. The 300mm security box contains full depth cash tray to provide over 70% greater coin capacity than a conventional cash box. The lock has cleverly been placed on the top face allowing for easy opening when situated in desk drawer, this means that the manager can access the cash box without arousing attention and so the privacy of the boxes whereabouts can remain hidden. With 8 coin compartments and three angled banknote compartments, you can get quick and easy access to your money (so long as you have the key!) Its tough steel construction with attractive titanium finish means that this cash box is simply second to none. Complete with two keys we price this box at just £32.70 inc VAT!

Did you know that the UK produces over 400 million tonnes of waste a year?! A quarter of this comes from households and businesses. So each year, the general public and our very own businesses produce a total of 100,000,000 tonnes of rubbish! That’s quite a staggering figure; where does it all go, it’s no wonder there are now such strict recycling guidelines! The other 300,000,000 tonnes is made up of construction and demolition waste, sewage sludge, farm waste and spoils from mines and dredging of rivers.

When you actually look at the statistics you can begin to get an idea of how each of us can do our bit to save our planet from becoming one giant landfill. For example, nearly 50% of household waste could be diverted from landfill by simply turning it into compost from kitchen and garden waste! Another worrying statistic tells us that each year the average UK family throws away six trees worth of paper. This paper could be recycled and used to make more paper; by throwing it away we are consenting to the harvesting of more and more tree’s, needlessly. With so many shocking waste statistics out there, there isn’t the space or time here to quote them all, so I shall pick just one more which is quite poignant during these times we’re in; If UK domestic waste recycling was increased to 40%, up to 10,000 new jobs would be created.

At LA Office we can get you started on your way to changing the way you dispose of your waste, whether this be in the office or in the home. We have a large variety of waste bins which can be used for any number of different types of waste. An idea which has been popular with our customers so far is to colour code your waste. For example our Addis range comes in 4 different colours; red, yellow, green and blue. All you need to do is decide which colour will represent which waste type, you could even label them for additional direction. Your home or office can them very easily and efficiently recycling and dispose of waste accordingly. In our office we use the green bin for plastics, foil and tin, the blue bin for paper and card, the yellow bin compostable items such as fruit and vegetable peel and tea bags and finally the red bin for food scraps which cannot be composted. However we do advise that food scraps are wrapped in newspaper prior to disposal!

It’s up to you how you choose to recycle, we simply advise that you take the simplest course so that you are able to stick to your new regime without any additional time and effort. Why not take a look through our selection of waste bins and see if we have something suitable for your new eco friendly household or workplace?

At LA Office we have a remarkable range of clipboards for all walks of life. People come to us for their office clipboard supplies, school clipboard supplies, and even on site clipboard supplies for outdoor work. Regardless of what you do for a living, whether you’re home based, office based, a door to door sales person or even a student; our selection will have a product ideal for your individual needs.

As you’re probably already aware, a clipboard is simply a flat piece of rigid material, normally card, plastic or hardboard with a clip at one end used to hold papers in place against the board. This clip also prevents the paper from slipping whilst writing, and from blowing away in the wind! However they’re not quote as straight forward as that here! At LA Office we have sizes from A3, A4 to Foolscap and options such as pen loops so you’re never without your pen, horizontal and vertical clip positioning, fold over covers to keep your paperwork confidential and protected from the elements, internal pockets to separately keep other paperwork and receipts, built in calculators for instant sums and figures, waterproof varieties and even shatterproof ones!

The rigidity of a clipboard means that it is perfect for working on-the-go as they provide a surface to write on wherever you are and whatever you are doing and thanks to their sleek shape, they can simply be popped inside your laptop bag without consuming too much space. A4 clipboards measure 210 × 297mm or 8.27 × 11.69”, the closest size to this in the US would be their Letter size (216 x 279mm or 8.5 x 11”). LA Office has a variety of brands including 5 Star, Avery and Repesco, plus a further selection from the likes of Stewart.

The process of sorting through mail is not as simple and straightforward as we may think. In every business (but of course in particular the post office) there is a vast amount of mail coming in and going out which needs to be transported and sorted through. In a post office, mail handlers must unload post boxes into large sacks and transport them to the sorting office. There they must be unloaded into mail sack trolleys so that they can easily be taken inside. Each letter and parcel must them be organised by weight and address and then distributed again to relevant departments. Most post offices have sack trolleys positioned behind the customer services staff so that they can simply reach over and place each customer’s letter and parcel straight into the sack reading for transportation.

You’ll find that in order to hand out mail easily in the work place, post room staff will use mail trolley’s when to take the post around the building. A mail sack trolley has wheels and so can easily be manoeuvred, and prevents the need to lift heavy sacks of post. A trolley can hold a large volume of letters for distribution without causing any stress or strain to the person using it. Many mail trolley for the workplace have various compartments in order to sort mail into departments etc. Some even have wheels which have been adapted to go up and down the stairs.

At LA Office we have a HUGE variety of mail trolleys for you to choose from. Not only do you have the choice of brands, but you can also choose it’s size, number of compartments, wheel options, angle and so on. With platform trucks and stair climbers, shelf trolleys and sack trucks, the choice is ultimately yours.

However we feel that the mail trolley to tick all the boxes has to be the Versapak Major Mail Trolley featured.

• Constructed from strong tubular steel
• With two large plastic-coated wire baskets
• Fixed 200mm wheels fitted within the framework help prevent damage to furniture and doorways
• Suspension files and runners available
• WxDxH: 555 x 735 x 940mm
• Basket size: 457 x 356 x 279mm
• Blue and Grey
• Just £214.58 inc VAT

With its two larger rubber back wheels, this trolley wouldn’t be too difficult to get up and down stairs either! However you will of course want to make your own choice and so we suggest you take a look at the site where there are plenty of options available to you. Happy shopping!