My how the weather has turned‼ Now that it’s November, we can look forward to colder conditions, frozen fingers, persistent rain, sleet, frost, hail and of course snow; all the best conditions for when working on site, travelling and in the great outdoors…or not.

If you are one of these poor folk that have to face the harsh weather conditions our British winter likes to throw at us, maybe you’d like to consider equipping yourself this year for better comfort and improved productivity. You can always start with the obvious; warm coat, full gloves, hats (particularly the ones that cover the ears), scarves, warm footwear, hot drinks flask etc. But you will also need to consider the quality of work you will be able to produce in the most testing of weather conditions. Like for example, when your daily duty is to produce reports on site, how do you suppose you’ll be able to complete this task in the pouring rain, or snow?

A tool many people have decided to take advantage of is A4 clipboards. Clipboards are an innovative, yet very simple tool which provides you with an ‘on the move’ rigid surface to write upon, plus due to its purpose, the clipboard is available in water resistant materials. Featuring a useful clip at the top of the board, the clipboard will also secure your papers so that they do not blow away in the wind or move whilst you’re trying to write. However the feature which you will find the most useful at this time of year is the fold over cover which you can often find on clipboards. The weather resistant cover will encase your paper work protecting it from the wind, rain, sleet and snow so that you will have complete peace of mind that your reports and paperwork are safe.

A great example (and an affordable one at that) is the 5 Star Fold-Over Clipboard featured.

• Fold-over front to protect documents
• Internal front cover pocket for storage of loose documents
• Pen holder in clip
• PVC cover for durability
• Size: A4 
• Black
• Just £1.49 inc VAT‼

5 Star is a brand who is now firmly established as one of the best-known office products brands in the UK. With an impressive 15 years experience behind them, they are now experts in their field and even go as far as to offer a 12 month no quibble quality guarantee! So if you’re one of those who think that ‘you get what you pay for’, in this instance you’re wrong. If there is any stationery product you need, consider 5 Star first, you’re sure to find a cheaper alternative in 5 Star’s range and with the guarantee, so there’s no risk involved!

5 Star offer quality products and are based in the UK. With an extensive 22,000 product list, they cover all areas of stationery demand. What’s more, each 5 Star product 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.

We have envelope enquiries coming out of our back teeth here at LA Office which seems a little unusual that they’re all coming at once. They are a ‘trying’ item we appreciate, with so many envelope sizes available, paper thicknesses, quality and colours; which do you go for and why? It seems this one gets our customers knickers in a twist, but there’s no need, really! It very simple once you know and extremely easy to remember (that is if you know your paper sizes!), so it may be worth brushing up on the skills too. If you work in the mailing department at your place of work, I don’t envy you. I can see it now, you’ve been lumbered with the task of ordering in a year’s supply of company envelopes, but you don’t want to look silly by asking “which ones?” and “what does DL stand for?” Its okay, we have all the answers for you here. Take a look at our basic guide bellow:

• C4 Envelopes – Measuring 324 x 229mm, these envelopes are one of the more common sizes and can hold a sheet of A4 paper unfolded (C4 = A4).
• C5 Envelopes – Measuring 229 x 162mm, these envelopes are also relatively common and can hold a piece of A4 paper folded in half once or a piece of unfolded A5 paper (C5 = A5).
• C6 Envelopes – Measuring 114 x 162mm, these envelopes hold a piece of A4 paper folded into quarters, an A5 piece of paper folded in half once or a piece of unfolded A6 paper(C6=A6).
• DL Envelopes – Measuring 110 x 220mm, these are probably the most common office envelope and can hold an A4 piece of paper folded into thirds or an A5 piece of paper folded once.

There are also various different types of envelope to choose from, regardless of their size. A pocket envelope for example has it’s opening flap positioned along the short edge, where as a wallet envelope has it opening flap along the top edge. A banker envelope is the kind that has a triangular flap which we use for occasions cards and personal letters.  

Envelopes come in a variety of different seals too, three to be precise. Gummed envelopes are the sort in which you must moisten the adhesive strip in order to activate the ‘glue’. The Press & Seal variety are exceedingly popular in business as they only require that the two ‘glued’ flaps are applied together, it’s as simple as that. Peel & Seal envelopes are also straight forward and have a glued flap which is protected by a strip of paper. Peel away the strip and the adhesive is exposed ready for sealed shut the envelope.

Equipped with this knowledge you can now safely enter the world of envelopes, however should you need any further advise, please do not hesitate to call on 0870 7661722. More can be found out about the realationship between C4 Size, C5 Size, C6 Size and DL Size envelopes at EnvelopeSizes.info