On February 14th, we sent a paper shredder survey to our customers to inquire about paper shredder use, identity theft and shredder trends. As a result of the survey, we received over 200 responses. The results of the survey are very interesting, showing what people think about identity theft and the importance of paper shredders.

Identity theft is an ever-increasing problem in the United States. The ability to create alternate identities, sign up for credit cards and abuse individuals’ identities is easier than ever for criminals. Receipts, mail and personal information are just some of the methods used to steal one’s identity. Out of 211 respondents,
22 people had been the victim of identity theft. That is over 10 percent of those interviewed.

This coming June, a new law will go into effect that will require anyone who has one or more employees to destroy their personal information. It surprised us to see that only 13 percent of those surveyed were aware of this new regulation.

Not surprising, over 70 percent of those surveyed feel that it is definitely important to destroy personal information. Because dumpster diving is perfectly legal, anything thrown in the garbage is fair game. Seventy-eight percent of those interviewed own a paper shredder. Fifty-one percent say they use their
shredder on a daily basis. Paper shredders help destroy sensitive information. When dumpster diving, criminals tend to go for the easy find. If paper is shredded, the difficulty of putting the pieces back together is enough of a deterrent to make shredding worthwhile.

Strip-cut shredders are still the preferred method of shredding, but cross-cut shredders are quickly growing in popularity. This is due, in part, to the fact that strip-cut shredders have been around longer. Forty-eight percent of those surveyed own a cross cut shredder. Strip cut shredders, especially over-the-can shredders, typically shred paper into ¼-inch strips. These strips, although hard to decipher, can still be reassembled. Cross-cut, or confetti-cut, shredders make it next to impossible to reassemble shredded documents.

The entire ABC Office paper shredder survey can be viewed by going here.

You can learn more about paper shredders, the different types and what they do by reading our paper shredder guide.

We have found that several of our customers have no prior knowledge of a product, yet are expected to find the right product for their needs. Without speaking to a sales associate, this can be difficult. We sell thousands of products and each product has loads of information listed with the page. Deciphering this information is sometimes difficult. We have created a new “Help Me Choose” button to help out.

The “Help Me Choose” button is designed to help you find the right product. It will ask you a series of questions. Once you have finished answering the questions, it will determine, from your answers, which product will work best for you. We understand that it can be difficult to do this without prior knowledge of a product.

Come take a look at the new “Help Me Choose” feature. We have set it up to work with paper shredders and several other product categories. We will be moving this feature to even more product categories over the next few months. Try it out and enjoy!

Did you know that you are caught on camera about seven times a day? Security and hidden cameras are growing in popularity and it doesn’t appear that the demand will die down any time soon. Security cameras have been used to put criminals to jail for shoplifting, selling illegal narcotics, abuse and more.

Demand for surveillance cameras is especially growing in the baby sitter and nanny field of work. Concerned parents are purchasing cameras to keep an eye on those who are watching their kids. Parents who want to keep an eye on a small child or baby also use these cameras.

Security cameras can be placed in a wide variety of places. ABC Office sells several types of security cameras. Security cameras are usually either hardwired directly to a video recorder or the signal can be wirelessly transmitted to a video recorder. You can see our entire selection of security cameras by going here.

In an effort to sell you the best office products available today, ABC Office is introducing a new product review feature. With your product reviews, we can continue to offer the best office products online. If you see a product on our site that you already own, you can now review it.

The review process is simple. We require a model or make for the product you are reviewing. We also require a name. If you wish, we can post your name and/or business name along with the review.

You will need to provide a brief description of the machine and your experience with it. Let us know what you like and dislike about the machine. You can then rate the product on a five-star scale.

If you’ve had a good experience with a product, you can also check a box that allows you to be used as a reference for future customers. Ordering over the Internet can be difficult for some people. Being able to talk to somebody who already owns and has used a product can be a big help

Reviews will be posted with products, allowing other customers to see what you think. You can review your office equipment products by going here.

Time clocks are ideal for use with employee time attendance. Unfortunately employers cannot always rely on their employees to be honest. The “honor system” and hand written time cards can be easily manipulated and employers can be cheated out of thousands of dollars. It is also legally wise to use a time clock, as you can
prove what hours have and have not been worked.

There are a wide variety of time clocks to choose from. Over the years, time clocks have been designed so they can be placed on a countertop or mounted to a wall. Many time clocks even add the time worked,
making payroll calculations easier. A new addition to the time clock family is time recording software that can be installed on a personal computer. Time recording software allows your employees to clock in through a computer. The time is automatically added up and it is easy for employees to clock in and out.

Digital electronic time clocks are the newest style of time clock available on the market. These time clocks are slowly replacing the traditional punch-style time clock. Digital time clocks store clock in and out times electronically, in the machine. Many digital clocks keep a running total of time worked and help calculate hours worked for payroll. Some have a touch pad device that allows you to punch in a code and clock in or out. Other digital time clocks can be interfaced with a computer or a printer for larger organizations.

Some newer time systems also have the ability to use a magnetic stripe, like you see on a credit card. Many employers will put this magnetic strip directly onto a photo ID card that can be used to clock in and out. This data is stored in the device and can provide you with exact details on time worked. Some of these devices can be interfaced with a computer or printer. Security features built into digital time clocks prevent any kid of manipulation or abuse of time worked.

Dumpster diving is considered a legal practice and opens the door to identity fraud and corporate espionage. CDs, floppy disks and paper documents are just a few of the items typically found in garbage cans and dumpsters. A thief can take this information and use it for creating fake identities. Businesses have been known to sift through competitors’ garbage for information that will give them a competitive edge. Unfortunately for these victims, proper protection would have been simple and relatively inexpensive.

Paper shredders have been around for a while, yet you would be surprised how many people have yet to purchase one. These devices effectively destroy paper documents. Shredders are also manufactured that will destroy CDs and floppy disks. A CD/floppy disk combination shredder can be purchased for as little as 614 dollars. Inexpensive strip cut shredders do not always do the job. Data cut into one-quarter-inch strips can often still be deciphered and pieced back together. For this reason, cross-cut shredders have become increasingly popular. Documents fed through a cross-cut shredder are unreadable and provide maximum security.

Placing a paper shredder in every department, although ideal, is not always possible. For this reason, secure document containers are available. Secure document containers are a large container, often in the shape of a
shredder, that have a small slit used for depositing paper. Paper fed through the document container opening cannot be retrieved without a key. Once the secure document container is full, an authorized person with a key can empty the container. Discarded paper can then be taken to a centralized shredder for
proper disposal.

Finding a paper shredder is easy. Finding a high-quality shredder that won’t burn out after a few hours of use is sometimes difficult. Purchasing a shredder that can meet your business needs is vital. ABC Office specializes in paper shredder technology, and can help you on your way to finding paper shredder solutions.

You’ve probably seen it before. A metallic, shiny logo or name that appears on books, photographs and other products. How is it done? Is the process complicated? The process is called foil stamping. You will be surprised how easy it is and who actually uses it.

Foil stamping is very easy to use, and looks clean and professional. Foil stamping involves a thin layer of metallic foil that is pressed, with the use of a die, into a product. By use of heat, any foil that touches a surface is fused to it. Because the die presses into the surface, the foil fuses everywhere pressure is applied.

What are foil stampers usually used for? Foil stampers are most commonly used to stamp a name into a book. You will often see books with an individual’s name in metallic lettering at the base. Foil stampers are
also commonly used for photographs. Usually photographers will stamp their company name or the individual’s name into the photograph. This will usually be seen diagonally on a corner. Foil stampers are also used for weddings to stamp the name of the couple into a napkin or an announcement.

Foil stamping machines come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Desktop units are lightweight and are manually operated. These stampers are nice for low-volume jobs. Desktop foil stampers can be easily transported and setup.

Larger machines are available for high-volume foil stamping. Some foil stampers are available in a pneumatic (air-powered) design. Pneumatic foil stampers operate very quickly and eliminate a lot of manual work.

Foil stamping foil is usually sold in rolls. These rolls are available in different lengths, colors and styles. Some foils stick better to leather, wood, paper, vinyl or plastic. Always be sure you know what you are going to be stamping before purchasing a foil stamping achine or supplies.

Counterfeit money is a growing problem that continues to grow with technology. Color copiers, printers,
scanners and high-tech software make counterfeiting money easier than ever before. Criminals can use a personal computer to quickly create a counterfeit bill that can pass by the naked eye as legal tender. This growing problem is costing businesses around the world thousands of dollars in lost revenue

Although many counterfeit bills may pass the naked-eye check, many additional features are put into a bill for easy authentication. Many counterfeit detectors are now available to help thwart counterfeiting efforts using several methods to detect fake bills.

These are some of the methods currently available:

Currency created by a color copier or printer produces an image that rests on the surface of paper that can
easily be seen when UV light is placed over it. Tiny particles of toner outside the image can also be easily seen with a UV light. Bill counters and counterfeit detectors have a UV light built into the machine. If a counterfeit bill is run through the machine, an alarm or light will alert you that the banknote is counterfeit.

U.S. banknotes are made with magnetic components. Several foreign currencies and travelers’ checks are also made with magnetic components. MG detectors are capable of detecting the magnetic components in money. When a detector does not find the presence of the magnetic components, an alarm or light will sound letting you know the money is counterfeit.

U.S. and other foreign currencies are printed with special marks and symbols that cannot be seen without the use of a magnifier. By using a magnifier, and knowing what to look for, you can see if the bill is counterfeit. This process takes longer and is not built into automatic bill counters or counterfeit detectors.

Watermarks are marks that are specially embossed into U.S. and other foreign currencies. These watermarks can be easily seen when held up to fluorescent light. Watermarks are hard to duplicate and when fake, are easily detectable.

Some U.S. and foreign currencies have a metallic, color-changing emblem stamped into the banknote. An example is the U.S $100 bill that has a stamp in the lower right hand corner that will change from black to green. This is easily detected by the naked eye. Light reflection stamps are not detected by automatic bill counters and counterfeit detectors.

To learn more about the history of counterfeit money, please take a look at our counterfeit prevention guide.

Many bill counters are also built with counterfeit detection in them. One of the more popular bill counters on the market is the ABC V-10. This bill counter is compact, portable and can count up to 600 bills a
minute.

The need for signature pads is growing. It is no longer a matter of saving paper and getting rid of clutter. Digital signature pads make signing documents easy by allowing patients, clients or customers to sign their signature electronically. The pad sends the signature to a computer in the form of an image.

Electronic signatures can be placed in Excel, Word and other documents. The signature pads can also be interfaced with other software programs. Pharmacies will often use the signature pads to get a signature from a customer who is getting a prescription. Signature pads are also used to get signatures for credit card transactions. A signature capture pad can be used in almost any location a signature is needed. Some signature tablets can even be used for note taking and filling forms. The notes and forms are electronically
captured and saved on a computer.

Hard-wired pen tablets are good for use in close proximity to a computer. One problem discovered is that signatures are not always gathered near a computer. Due to this inconvenience, wireless pen tablets have been growing in popularity. Many wireless pads have a working distance of 500 feet within line-of-site and 50 feet in non line-of-site locations.

Some of the more unique capture devices include the IDGem 4000 fingerprint sensor. This standalone fingerprint scanner uses a standard USB connection to provide you with valuable fingerprint data and help you secure your transactions.

ABC Office has continued increasing its inventory of signature pen tables due to the in increasing popularity.  ABC Office has dozens of different models of signature capture devices
available.

At first they may look like pizza cutters fixed to metal bars, but the Rotatrim rotary paper cutters have moved up the line as the preferred method for precisely cutting paper. The idea is simple; a circular blade slides back and forth along a supporting rail. The result is paper that is precisely cut. You no longer have to worry about crooked cuts and ruined photos.

Rotary cutters first gained their popularity by scrapbookers who used them to cut photographs for albums. Photographers soon caught on, and rather than use a ruler and an exacto knife, now use rotary cutters as well. Rotary paper trimmers are now used by graphic arts departments, advertising agencies, print shops, universities, architects, drafters and more.

Mid-level Rotatrim rotary cutters are inexpensive and can precisely cut up to three millimeters of paper at once.

Rotatrim has taken these trimmers to the next level, creating industrial versions of this reliable paper cutter.

Industrial rotary cutters can cut up to four millimeters (5/32-inch) of paper at once and sheets of paper up to 99-inches in length. Industrial cutters are not only capable of cutting through paper, but can also cut through hardboard, rubber and shim steel

Motor powered Rotatrim rotary cutters can be operated with the push of a foot petal.

Jeremy Mayfield, a sales associate with ABCOffice.com, says that he always recommends the Rotatrim Cutters. “Customers are happy to hear that they don’t have to rely on traditional arm cutters that are unreliable and can cut at an angle”, says Mr. Mayfield. He has never had a complaint from a customer, and uses the cutters himself for occasional jobs.