Within the last few months we have added a new line of money counters. These money counters are from Semacon, who is well known throughout the industry for their quality machines. In total, we will be adding five new machines.

Unlike many comparable money counters that are made in China, Semacon bill counters are made in Japan under the strictest quality control measures. Semacon has built a name for itself for its durable money handling equipment capable of taking a beating and lasting for years.

New Semacon products include bill counters, coin counters, coin sorters and coin crimpers. These new Semacon products are great for use in a retail store, bank, church or other organization. Having personally used these new products, I can vouch for their reliability. They are also very easy to set up, which is a big plus for me.

Many of the Semacon bill counters we have added to our site feature counterfeit detection measures, capable of detecting the most complex counterfeited money. The Semacon S-1400 even includes an air filter designed to filter out dust and particles found in dirty bills. This is ideal considering how dirty many bills can be, especially since many bills contain traces of narcotics.

Our most recent addition is Semacon’s new S-520 coin counter. The new S-520 coin counter sorts and counts coins with great accuracy. It also includes the ability to batch count and has an easy-to-use interface. It is capable of counting up to 450 coins per minute and can be used by banks.

Stop by ABC Office and take a look at our new Semacon money counters now!

Foil fusers, in a nutshell, make text and images look metallic and shiny. They help lay down a thin layer of colored foil onto documents, business cards, awards, certificates and more. This is all done with heat. The roll of foil used in a foil fuser is designed to bond with toner when heat is applied.

The special foil used in a foil fuser allows you to print an image or text on a toner-based printer for foil fusing. Once printed, the document is run through the machine where the foil is neatly applied to the toner. The end result looks great. Many of our customers like to use foil fusers for awards and certificates. They are also popular for use with business cards.

What if you don’t want the entire document foil fused? You have a couple of options. You can print and foil fuse everything you want foiled and then run the document through a printer a second time to print additional “non-foiled” text.

Another option is to print the document on a toner-based printer and then on an ink-based printer. When the document is run through the foil fuser, the toner will only stick to the toner. The ink-based print is left alone.

Many people ask what the difference is between a foil fuser and a foil stamper (aka hot stamper). A foil stamper does not use toner for foiling. With a foil stamper, the foil is applied directly to the object by use of aluminum letter dies that literally stamp the foil onto the surface. Foil stampers are more commonly used for applying text to photographs, leather, books, pencils, napkins and other “non-paper” objects.

You can see a detailed review and demonstration of the Model 1200 foil fuser by going here.

You may be most familiar with PVC shrink wrap film. This is because most DVDs, CDs and software boxes are packaged with PVC film. PVC film is typically a little less expensive than Polyolefin.

PVC film is more brittle, making it easier to break open. This is nice for opening packaging, but is a disadvantage if you are shrink wrapping multiple products together. Why would that be? This is because the brittle properties of the PVC film could cause packaging of multiple items to rupture more easily than Polyolefin.

PVC film emits an odor that some people may not appreciate. It is recommended to use PVC film in a well-ventilated room. PVC film is not safe to use with food.

Polyolefin film is growing in popularity, especially because it is safe to use with food. The stretchy properties of Polyolefin film also make it ideal for group packaging of products. Polyolefin emits little to no odor.

Both types of film can be used with most shrink wrap machines, whether they be I-bar or L-bar systems. Both heat shrink guns and heat tunnels can shrink these types of film.

At ABC Office we sell both types of film in various lengths and thicknesses. Take a look at our selection of shrink wrap film here.

There are a lot of office equipment dealers out there trying to get your hard-earned cash. Good for them, but there is one problem. Many dealers of office equipment are unable to service their own products. If a gear gets broken, a manual needs to be replaced or some other problem occurs, you’re out of luck.

What surprises me is that many Internet dealers have an “all sales are final” policy. This means if your equipment is faulty or you need to return something, you’re out of luck. Because this is typically in their Terms & Conditions, they have washed their hands free of responsibility.

ABC Office has its own service department with a full-time staff. We are able to repair our entire selection of equipment, order you parts and offer technical support over the phone. We back our products and know exactly how they work. You can rest assured that ABC Office has your back.

If you don’t want to bother sending your equipment into ABC Office for repair, we have a national network of repair departments capable of fixing your equipment on site. Just give us a call and we can hook you up.

You can visit our service department page online by going here.

We also have an accumulation of returns that can no longer be sold as new. This means a customer purchased the product and either didn’t want it anymore or exchanged it for an upgrade. This equipment is often never used or has only been pulled out of the box a couple of times. We have a star rating system, from one to five, that lets you know how good a condition it is in.

Last, but not least, we have several closeout items. These are items that have been sitting in our warehouse, but need to be moved to make room for new stock. These products are brand new, but priced to move.

We now have a large online index of all three product categories: used, returns and closeouts. Products can be ordered online, and because they ARE in stock, they will usually ship out same day.

You can see the entire selection of used / closeout office equipment here: http://www.abcoffice.com/overstock-used.htm

Cross cut is a generalized word that can be used to cover all the various shredding terms. Diamond cut paper shredders typically cut paper into very tiny diamond-shaped particles, but this is still referred to as a cross cut paper shredder. The same goes with confetti cut. Confetti cut shredders, which produce very skinny 1 to 2-inch long strips is also a type of cross cut shredder.

Cross cut is even spelled differently, depending on who you talk to. I have seen it spelled both cross cut and crosscut. Ultimately there really is no wrong answer, but you’ll probably confuse fewer people if you stick to using “cross cut” when referring to this type of shredder.

Cross cut shredders cut paper into various sizes and lengths. The different cut patterns are referred to as “security levels,” sometimes referred to as DIN 32757 (the official definitions). The higher the security level, the more secure your shredded information will be.

The highest security level currently available is security level 6, which is almost dust. This security level is used by the military and government for top secret shredding. While most people will not need shredder security level that high, I wouldn’t recommend going with anything under a security level 3 if you can help it.

You can see detailed specifications on all paper shredder security levels by going here: http://www.abcoffice.com/shredder_guide.htm#security

Mil comes from the Latin mille, which means a thousand. One mil, in lamination measurement terms, is a thousandth of an inch. Your standard credit card is 30-mils thick, which equals out to be 0.03-inches thick.

If you like to use pouch laminators, you may think that a 10-mil pouch is 0.010 inches thick. That would be incorrect. It is a bit of a trick question. Lamination pouches, when labeled 3, 5, 7 or 10 mils thick, are actually referring to one side of the lamination pouch (total of two sides). Combining both sides of the lamination pouch, the thickness is doubled. A 10 mil lamination pouch is actually a total of 20 mils thick once laminated, not counting the paper, photograph or card being laminated.

Roll lamination film, on the other hand, is a little less confusing. When you buy a roll of 5-mil film, you get a 5-mil roll. Remember, however, that roll laminators use two rolls of film to laminate a poster, map or whatever you need. Using a 5-mil roll on the top and a 5-mil roll on the bottom would be a total of 10 mils of film. Simple math.

Getting back to pouch laminators, you may have ordered a box of 7-mil lamination pouches and noticed on the box that it says 2/5. Yes, 2+5 does equal 7, but what does it mean? That number is letting you know that the pouch consists of 2 mils laminate glue and 5 mils of hard plastic, giving you the total of 7. This isn’t always labeled on the box, but often is.

You can read more about laminators and lamination by reading our lamination guide here: http://www.abcoffice.com/laminating_guide.htm.

Good luck laminating!

The ABC440 coin counter is a compact and reliable unit. It will count and sort coins. Just dump your unsorted coins into the bin and a few seconds later you will have a total amount tabulated. It is lightweight, making it easy to move from one area to another. It is very popular with our customers and has a high satisfaction rating.

It is easy to apply for the free coin counter. Just fill out this form: http://www.abcoffice.com/contest.htm.  Once we receive the form, your name will be added to the drawing. Want to increase your chances of winning? Refer your friends. Your odds of winning will go up every time you refer a friend to our contest. The contest officially ends June 30, 2008.

Your information will not be sold or given to any third parties. Your personal information is always safe with ABC Office.

I have been asked on several occasions, by customers, family and friends, which paper cutter is the best for scrapbooking. A lot of it depends on what you plan on doing, but I have personally purchased the Carl RT-200 paper cutter for my wife and she loves it. I’ll explain.

The RT-200, although a low-volume cutter, is inexpensive and is packed with features. It uses a rotary blade, which ensures a straight cut every time. Not only that, but about 11 different blades are available depending on the cut you desire. This varies from a perforating blade and a deckle blade to scallop or Victorian blade. It cuts through cardstock and photographs without a problem.

You can find the Carl RT-200 cutter here. For the price you really can’t go wrong, especially considering the cost of ink stamps, thermography powder and other scrapbooking equipment. Good luck with your scrapbooking!

There are many uses of hard foam in construction and other industries: insulation of walls and roofs (such as rigid insulation, Insulated Concrete Forms, Exterior Insulation and