Yamot Articles Directory

There is always a need for office supplies as daily business transactions require the use of paper, pen, pencils, staples, paper clips, tape rolls, fax paper, etc. Millions of office supply items are consumed daily in many offices all over the world. Office supplies are important to keep your office functioning.

Normally, the costs associated with the purchase of office supplies account for about 40% of operational expenses. Companies are failing to realize that they are actually spending more than what they really need to.

Superfluous office supplies expenses are a waste of the company’s hard earned money which in turn can decrease the company’s revenues. For any business, cutting on unnecessary expenses can save a lot of money. There are practical and effective ways to decrease office supplies expense and with each employee in the company contributing in their own little way, it will help reduce operational costs and increase revenues.

You can start by taking an inventory of the office supplies on hand and arranging them accordingly in designated areas for easy search and reach for the people who may be using them. Supplies that are rarely used can be stored in a supplies closet while those that are occasionally used can be stored on shelves.

Old supplies like binders, folders, etc. can be reused. Instead of buying a new set, try to salvage old supplies that could still be recycled.

Discounts and markdowns may be given by supply companies if you purchase supply items in bulk. If possible you can stock on a year’s supply of office supplies. If you cannot afford to purchase in bulk by yourself, you can gather friends and other colleagues’ orders to avail of a bulk order discount.

It is also important you know when to purchase items and when the slow or peak seasons are for such. Sales, discounts and rebates are usually offered by office supply stores during the summer season. It would be wise to stock on items especially when they are on sale.

There are also many online office supply stores that can give you discounts and unparalleled savings. You can always search on the best possible prices online. If you order online you save both money and time. Orders are conveniently delivered.

Maintain a master list of your office supplies and currently review them if certain supplies are running low. Review your office supplies expense monthly if possible and try to determine certain supplies that are unnecessary expenses.

James Brown writes about OfficeDepot.com coupon code, HP Small & Medium Business discount codes and iPrint.com online coupons

Perhaps you have recently purchased a thermal book binding machine or are thinking about experimenting with a thermal book binding machine. Either way, there are a few things that you can do to make thermal book binding a little bit easier and to ensure a better finished product. Here are a couple of things to remember:

1. Make sure that your thermal binding cover is properly sized for your document. If you try to fit too many pages into your cover you will find that the first and last pages will not bind securely. If you don’t have a cover that is the exact size for your proposal, it is best to go a little bit larger and not smaller.

2. Carefully square up your pages in your cover before book binding. Before putting your cover into the binding machine, fan out the pages in your document to be sure that none of the pages are stuck together. Then make sure that your pages are squared up neatly and that the front and back pages come in contact with the glue in the spine. If using a thermal cover with a clear front be especially careful with the front page of your document. Static electricity can sometimes cause the front page of the document to stick to the clear cover preventing it from coming into contact with the glue. Taking an extra moment at this point in the binding process will help to ensure that you have a better finished product.

3. After your book binding machine has finished its cycle take your document out and firmly tap the cover on a hard surface. This action will help to ensure that the pages are securely seated in the hot thermal glue and that the binding will be secure for years to come.

4. Be sure not to open the book until the document has completely cooled and the glue has set. This usually takes between three and five minutes and it is important that the book be given this time for the glue to harden so the binding will be secure.

5. Remember that you are not limited to binding one book at a time. Thermal book binding machines are able to bind multiple books at one time up to total capacity of your book binding machine. Binding multiple books at one time will help to increase productivity and get the job done faster.

6. If you are binding documents with high gloss paper or photo paper it is often best to staple the book block together before binding. If you do not staple the book block these glossy heavy papers can sometimes work themselves out of the binding. Stapling the book block will make it nearly impossible for a page to ever work its way out of your document. If you do not have a stapler that is large enough to staple the book block or don’t want to use staples you can try using a piece of sandpaper to roughen the edge of book block to help it adhere better to the glue.

Following these simple tips will ensure a better finished product and save you time and money. Thermal book binding is the fastest book binding method available and when done right provides a finished product that is professional and will make the impression that you want.

Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding machines, binding covers, 3-ring binders and more.

I often receive calls from customers asking me to help them decide which comb binding machine would best suit their needs. With dozens of combbind machines available from manufacturers such as GBC / Ibico, Akiles, Tamerica, Renz and Rhin-O-Tuff, it can be hard to discern which binding machine will be the best fit for your binding needs. However, it is much easier to understand what machine might must be best once you decide which features might be important to you. Here is a quick rundown of some of the features that you might want to consider when looking for a comb binding machine:

1. Machine construction: One of the most important features to consider involves the construction of the machine. Many of the lower end binding machines are made of plastic. These machines are adequate for lower volume applications but may not hold up as well under heavy use. A Comb-Binding machine made of metal is always a good bet.

2. Electric vs. Manual: When deciding on a comb binding machine it is also important to make a decision between a manual punch vs. an electric punch. This decision will have a huge impact on the price range of the binding machines that you are looking at. However, most electric machines are better suited for higher volume applications and can save a significant amount of time over their manual binding machine counterparts. It is important to note that some smaller electric machines are available that are designed to make the punching process easier and do not increase production speed (the GBC C110e is an example of a lower volume electric punch).

3. Punching Capacity: Another third important feature to consider when choosing a comb binding machine is punching capacity. Some of the smaller comb binders have punching capacities as low as 6 sheets of 20lb bond paper. However, some modular electric binding punches can punch up to 50 sheets of 20lb bond per lift. Depending on the size of your books and the number of books you intend to bind, punching capacity can be very important. However, it is important to note that for the longevity of your machine, it is best not punch the full capacity listed in the manual. Furthermore, we find users are typically faster when punching a consistent number of sheets per punch, usually 15 to 20 sheets for our highest volume users.

4. Disengageable Dies: A fourth factor that is important to consider when choosing a comb machine is whether it includes disengageable dies. Comb binding machines with disengageable dies allow their user to disengage any one of the punching dies on the machine. By disengaging a die, it becomes possible to use your machine to bind documents that are smaller than 11″ in length. If you ever plan on binding documents that are shorter or longer than 11 inches, a machine with disegageable dies is essential.

5. Brand: When choosing a comb binding machine it is also really important to consider the manufacturer. GBC / Ibico is the largest name in the binding machine industry and make excellent binding machines. However, binding machines from Akiles, Tamerica, Renz and Rhin-O-Tuff are also excellent. Although other brands may also warrant consideration, these names are some of the best in the industry and their quality is exceptional.

6. Warranty: The final factor that is important for consideration when choosing a comb binding machine is its warranty. Warranties on binding equipment vary widely. However, if there is a problem with your binding machine it is important to have warranty protection. This is especially true for lower end manual comb machines which are most often more expensive to repair than to replace.

Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding machines, laminators, binding supplies and more.

Using a comb binding machine really isn’t that difficult. Simply, punch your document, open the comb, place the document onto the fingers and close the binding. It is simple. However, whether you have just recently purchased your first binding machine or have been using comb binding for years, there are several simple tricks that can make plastic comb-binding even easier. Here are a few things to remember:

1. Be careful not too punch too many sheets at a time. Although your binding machine may be capable of punching more sheets, you can improve productivity and preserve your machine by punching smaller amounts of paper. If you cannot easily pull the handle on your machine you are probably punching too many sheets. If you have an electric comb binding machine and it makes loud noises when it punches you are also probably punching too much. Finally, it is important that you don’t punch more than 2 clear covers at one time on any binding machine. Clear covers are very hard on binding machines and if you punch too many sheets at one time you can break your machine.

2. Separate your book into sections when inserting it onto your combs. For larger books it is far easier to insert smaller sections onto your plastic combs rather than trying to put the whole document on at once.

3. Remember to use your margin control. Most comb binding machines have a margin control on the side of them. Use this margin control to set how far from the edge of the page the holes will be. For very small plastic combs (3/16″ or 1/4″) you might want to adjust the margin so the holes are closer to the edge of the paper. This will help to ensure that your pages turn freely. For large sized plastic combs you might want to adjust the margin so that the holes are further from the edge of the paper to prevent pages from easily ripping out of your documents.

4. Be careful not to open your comb binding too far with your comb opener. If you really open your plastic comb binding too far you will send it flying across the room. However, many people open their combs just a little bit too far making it more difficult than necessary to insert their documents.

5. Regularly empty your chip tray. If you let the chip tray back up on your comb binding machine, punching may become difficult and eventually you can actually break the dies or the pressure bar on your comb binding machine

Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding machines, laminators, binding supplies and more.

Whether operating a restaurant under a large umbrella franchise, or running a small, independent concession stand, the rules of business remain the same: Buy low, sell high, and reduce costs wherever and whenever you can. Online shopping is truly here to stay, with many online wholesalers and retail outlets conducting most of their business over the web. Large restaurant equipment takes up a lot of space, so stocking inventory and maintaining full shopfront facilities introduces overheads that are simply unnecessary for modern business.

Online business reduces costs for everyone. Retailers can save on inventory and shop floor costs, and accordingly, they are also able to offer more competitive pricing on kitchen equipment for their customers like you. While credit card fraud and scams are plaguing smaller inexperienced retailers who conduct business only online, more experienced online vendors are typically able to offer you better pricing and a more trustworthy exchange. These more knowledgable merchants offer the confidence you expect in a company before making any big purchases.

Concession equipment and restaurant equipment are pretty diverse areas of business, with the product range available to you from professional online retailers including crockery and cookware, cutlery, air purifiers and extractors, barbecues and stove tops, bar accessories, bus and service carts, coffee machines and espresso makers, dishwashers, display cases, drink dispensers, display refrigerators, walk-in and chest freezers, ovens, ice-makers, meat cutters, fruit juicers and shelving, to name just a few. The good online retailers have access to the full range of kitchen equipment that any other seller does, and with their limited requirement for warehousing and inventory space, they are often able to supply you with a much wider product selection than the competition.

Good sellers have access to a wider range of manufacturers also, and as there is no shortage of specialized articles of kitchen equipment, there are hundreds of respected brands to supply good quality equipment for your restaurant or concession stand. With such a wide variety to choose from, competition allows you to make the best selection according to your needs while being guaranteed a cost-effective price-point. Sellers who have access to a wide range of manufacturers evidently have built up a degree of credibility in the business.

As mentioned, one of the ways online retailers of concession equipment cut costs is to reduce or eliminate storage costs. The best retailers do maintain some warehouse facilities by shipping orders first to their own building before moving purchases onto customers. This allows you an extra level of quality assurance from manufactured defects. Some sellers elect to include shipping costs in their list price, ensuring that you pay nothing above the advertised price, even for postage and handling within the US.

Despite the many perils of conducting business online, there are respectable kitchen equipment retailers online who maintain the same shipping, returns, and warranty policies as competing wholesalers who operate conventionally, allowing you restitution in the event of concealed damage during shipping, or premature equipment breakdown. Dealing with a reasonable company who can offer some recourse is always preferable to forcing a point in a dispute by going through credit card companies or the courts, as may be required when dealing with amateur online retailers on fraud-ridden auction sites.

Doing business online can be affordable, be safe, and offer the widest product selection when dealing with good retailers. The best sellers are able to ship products anywhere within the contiguous 48 States, and offer the same reasonable returns and warranties required by consumer affairs laws.

Concession equipment and restaurant equipment are diverse areas of business with numerous brands and product lines available. Visit Select Appliance Sales, Inc. at http://www.selectappliance.com when making your next purchase. We have a wide variety of products to choose from, and the competitive pricing to help you save money.

Every week it seems that customers ask me what the difference is between the GBC CombBind C150 Plastic Comb Binding Machine (formerly the Ibico Ibimatic) and the GBC CombBind C250 (formerly the Ibico Kombo). Many of these customers are confused by the fact that the two machines look nearly identical and the GBC C250 is often priced less than the GBC C150 binding machine. Here is a quick overview of the differences between the two machines.

1. Disengageable Dies: All of the punching pins on the GBC C250 are fully disengageable. This allows you to bind books that are shorter than 11″ long using the GBC C250. The GBC C150 binding machine does not have any disengageable dies. This means that the GBC C150 is only designed for use with 11″ letter sized documents. Since the GBC C250 also has an open throat it is possible to use it to punch document longer than 11″ such as legal sized documents or even 11″ x 17″ presentations.

2. Adjustable Depth of Punch Control: The GBC C250 includes an adjustable depth of punch Margin control. This control allows you to select how far from the edge of the page the binding holes are placed. This is important when binding very small documents or very large documents. If the holes are too far away from the edge of the page for small documents the pages will not turn and if they are too close for larger documents the pages can sometimes tear out. The GBC CombBind C150 does not include an adjustable depth of punch control making it more difficult to use with some sizes of plastic comb binding supplies. This means that the GBC Combbind C150 is not compatible with the smallest or largest plastic combs that are available on the market.

3. Price: The GBC C250 plastic comb binding machine is the most popular manual comb binding machine available on the market. It is found in many schools and businesses across the country, and is therefore able to be bought from companies in bulk, which allows it to often be priced cheaper than the C150.

Truthfully, both the GBC CombBind C150 and the GBC CombBind C250 are extremely well built manual plastic comb binding machines. However, given the fact that the C250 offers a more complete selection of features for a lower price the GBC C250 plastic comb binding machine seems to be the logical choice.

Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written several articles on plastic comb binding machines, twin loop wire and many other binding supplies.

Color coil binding (also known as Spiral coil binding) is a bright, trendy binding element, that has excellent bounce back memory. This makes it an attractive method for those looking for something new and exciting, as well as something that can be mailed and stand up under adverse conditions.

Here are some key points to remember about Coil binding :

There are three primary hole patterns used for coil binding.
-The GBC 4:1 pattern utilizes holes that are 0.2475″ center to center with 44 holes on an 11″ binding edge.
-The industry standard pattern for color coil utilizes holes that are 0.250″ center to center with 43 holes on an 11″ binding edge.
-The 5:1 pattern for coil binding utilizes holes that are 0.200″ center to center with 55 holes on an 11″ binding edge.

GBC 4:1 vs. Industry 4:1 — Documents punched using the 44 hole GBC pattern and the Industry 4:1 pattern both use the same binding elements. There is no need to use special binding elements with either pattern. So, why use the 44 hole pattern? Simple… with Industry 4:1, many people were understandably upset with the frequency of paper that had holes punched off the top and bottom of the binding edges. This was caused by the holes being spaced further apart (.250″ center to center). The 44 hole pattern has the holes slightly closer together, .2475″ center to center. This pattern has solved the problem, and has become the lead pattern for most Coil Binding users.

4:1 Pitch vs. 5:1 Pitch - 5:1 Pitch, with 55 holes to the 11″ binding edge created the same challenge as Industry 4:1 - PLUS, the number of pages in a 5:1 document are substantially less than in 4:1 since color coil spines are only available in sizes up to 25mm in 5:1 pitch while 4:1 pitch coil is available in sizes up to 50mm.

Length - In the office environment, most coil that is used is 12″ in length; which, when cut and crimped, become 11″ for the 11″ binding edge. However, some users do use 36″ lengths of coil. These longer pieces of coil are more often used with AFD equipment and by print shops looking to bind documents in irregular sizes.

Crimping - Coil elements must have the top and bottom ends of the element crimped, to prevent the coil from slipping through the holes of the document. This procedure can be accomplished either manually, with coil crimping pliers or with a semi automatic crimper.

Millimeters vs. Inches - All color coil is sized by millimeters - ranging from 6mm through 50mm in 4:1 pitch. To determine the size of a coil, measure the inside diameter.

Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding supplies, binding covers, 3-ring binders and more.