Paper shredders, by nature, can be messy machines. Two of the most common errors people make, that contributes to the mess, is either not using a shredder bag or an incorrectly sized shredder bag. Many people attempt, usually unsuccessfully, to use a garbage bag with their shredder. A correctly fitting shredder bag can make all the difference in the world.

The right shredder bag will help cut down on paper trapping gaps, will improve bag change cleanliness and speed and should help cut down on dusting and particles floating around in the air. If a shredder bag isn’t available for your model of shredder, any bag is better than nothing.

At ABC Office we carry shredder bags for all major office paper shredder manufactures. Here is a list of our shredder bags sorted by brand:

• Dahle Shredder Bags
• Destroyit Shredder Bags
• Fellowes Shredder Bags
• Formax Shredder Bags
• HSM Shredder Bags
• Intimus Shredder Bags
• Kobra Shredder Bags
• Rexel Shredder Bags

If you don’t see bags listed for your model of shredder, chances are pretty good that we can still get them for you. Simply call one of our paper shredder experts at 1-800-658-8788 and they should be able to help. You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

The subject line of this article was taken directly from someone experiencing problems with their shredder. In fact, there are literally dozens of people every day complaining online that their shredders are overheating. Here are just a few comments taken directly from Twitter over the last few days:

• Darn paper shredder keeps overheating… >=(
• Shredder overheated forgot to bring my programming book to study
• shredder finally overheated
• Too much shredding happening. Overheated the shredder. Half a bag of items still to go. Already filled half a yard trash bag!
• i overheated the shredder whoopsie
• The shredder over heated so im just laying on my bed as it cools down.
• The shredder over heated.
• The paper shredder keeps over-heating.
• Shredding 13 years worth of stuff is a daunting job for a little shredder. Poor thing keeps overheating on me.

So what exactly causes a paper shredder to overheat? The culprit is the motor and a safety sensor. As a shredder is used, the motor begins to generate a lot of heat. As a fail-safe, many cheaper shredders will shut the motor off after it gets too hot. This is done to prevent permanent damage to the shredder (such as melting plastic, etc). Most shredders will let you know that the shredder is in “overheated” mode.

Overheating is typically an issue that only occurs with “cheap” department store shredders. Most of these shredders are designed for light use, and when used for more, begin to overheat. I have read many manuals for “cheap” shredder that mention the shredder should be left off for 30 minutes after 30 minutes of use.

If you work in an office, or do serious shredding on a regular basis, an overheating shredder simply does not cut it (pardon the pun). Business operations simply cannot wait 30 minutes to begin shredding again. Most businesses need a shredder that can be used continuously.

Most business shredders use what’s known a continuous-duty motor. The motors used in these shredders are thermally protected, designed to quickly dissipate heat and keep on shredding. A continuous duty shredder doesn’t need to be turned off for cooling down.

Over 90% of the paper shredders we offer feature continuous duty motors. Brands such as Destroyit, Formax, Intimus, Dahle and Kobra all utilize continuous duty motors. You can find our entire selection of continuous duty paper shredders here.

Are you having a bad experience with your shredder or simply have a question about continuous duty motors? Post your questions in a comment! I would love to hear from you.

You are also more than welcome to call one of our paper shredder specialists at 1-800-658-8788 with any paper shredder questions.

VeloBind, made by GBC, is one of the most popular book binding formats used today. It is right up their with coil, comb and wire binding. There are currently 3 main VeloBind machines people use today. These are the System One, System Two and System Three Pro. I will explain the differences between the three and why you may want to consider one over another.

First off, modern-day VeloBind machines use a hot-knife process for binding books, presentations and reports. All three of the GBC VeloBind models I listed use 11-prong binding strips. Once holes have been punched in paper, a top strip is inserted through the holes and a back strip is placed on the back of the book. The machine then cuts off the excess prongs and seals the front strip to the back using heat. The process is extremely solid.

Most people like VeloBind because it is sturdy, tamper proof and ideal for binding large volumes of paper. I have seen lawyer firms, construction companies, universities and many others use VeloBind to bind just about anything you can imagine. These machines are generally considered to be reliable and usually hold up for years.

Here are the biggest differences between the VeloBind System One, System Two and System Three.

GBC VeloBind System One – This machine is designed to bind up to 1″ of paper. It features a manual punch with an electric “hot knife” system that finishes the job. This particular system is ideal for low to medium-volume book binding. If you need to bind more than 1 book every 3-5 minutes, you may want to consider upgrading to a faster machine like the VeloBind System Two.

GBC VeloBind System Two – The System Two is a VeloBind system capable of binding books, reports and other material up to 2″ thick. This particular machine features an electric punch, which is nice for higher-volume binding and for use by people that don’t like the idea of manually punching paper. This system doesn’t have to bind huge books. It can also be used to bind thinner material (only 2 pages) and can use the System One’s 1″ strips. Backwards compatibility is always nice.

GBC VeloBind System Three Pro – The System Three Pro is the monster of the VeloBind line. This bad boy can bind up to 3″ of paper at a time! I am not aware of any other “element” style book binding machine with this large a capacity. It is also backwards compatible and can use 1 x 11 and 2 x 11 strips from the System One and System Two. Basically you can bind as few pages as 2 or hundreds, it all depends on the project. This machine is great for medium to high-volume binding. It even includes a debinding feature.

Regardless of the machine you need, you should consider ABC Office for your purchase. We offer some of the best prices available online, stock our own products (faster shipping) and have a Service Department that can help you keep your VeloBind machine up and running for years.

You can find our entire selection of GBC VeloBind machines here and our VeloBind supplies here. Good luck and happy binding!

I can’t even begin to tell you how many people have asked me, “Should I use shrink wrap or stretch wrap to package this product?” Many people interchange stretch wrap and shrink wrap not realizing that they are two completely different products. I will help clear up the differences. By then end of this article you will be a stretch wrap and shrink wrap expert!

To begin with, both stretch wrap and shrink wrap are used for packaging purposes. For that reason, I believe a lot of people get confused. Here is my brief explanation of each of these packaging technologies.

Stretch Wrap - Stretch wrap is a type of clear plastic film that has the appearance and consistence of saran wrap. This film is typically designed to bundle multiple items together or provide stability to a package of items. As the film is wrapped around a product, some tension is required to provide stability. Stretch wrap film tends to “cling” together as it is wrapped over itself. Many stretch wrap machines are designed to apply stretch wrap to large pallets of products for stability and shipping purposes. No heat is applied during the stretch wrap process.

Shrink Wrap - Shrink wrap is also a type of clear plastic film, however, it does not have stretchy or clingy “saran wrap” properties. Shrink wrap is typically designed to package an individual product, although it can be used to package multiple items together. Unlike stretch wrap, which is wrapped around a product multiple times, shrink wrap is actually cut around a product using a heat sealer or shrink wrap bar. The shrink film then shrinks (hence the name) around the product as heat is applied. The end result is a professionally packaged product. Shrink wrap provides a tamper proof and protective barrier.

I hope that helped. Let me also demonstrate the differences between stretch wrap and shrink wrap with a few video demonstrations.

This is a video demo of a stretch wrap (pallet wrap) machine:

This is a video demo of a shrink wrap machine:

At ABC Office we offer a great selection of packaging products designed to preserve, protect and package. You can find our entire selection of pallet stretch wrappers here and our entire selection of shrink wrap machines here.

Please feel free to contact one of our packaging specialists at 1-800-658-8788 with any stretch wrap or shrink wrap questions.

If you handle currency on a daily basis, in excess of a few dozen bills, you may need an automatic bill counter. If you’re like most retail businesses, you probably handle well over a few dozen tangible bills per day. Banks, retailers and other businesses often have to count these bills at the end of the day. Manually counting money is not only slow, but also notoriously inaccurate. So are automated bill counters more accurate?

Bill counters use a special photocell to count bills. Paddles and rollers inside the bill counter pull bills into the machine. As the bills pass these photocells, the sensor lets the machine know electronically that a bill has been counted. The entire process takes microseconds, with many bill counters capable of counting thousands of bills per minute.

I have personally used over a dozen different brands, makes and models of bill counters. One thing they all seem to have in common is accuracy. I purposely run bills through currency counters repeatedly over and over to verify the accuracy. I have yet to experience an issue with a currency counter reporting a different number the 2nd or 3rd time running the stack through the machine.

So in answer to the question, “Are Bill Counters 100% Accurate?” I have to answer “yes” with a few stipulations. First off, the bills need to be either new or used bills that are completely in tact. The good news is that most modern bill counters have error detection.

Most modern bill counters will let you know if multiple bills have accidentally been pulled through, if a bill is torn in half or if the bill being counted isn’t the right size. This detection cuts down on pretty much every error out there. Many bill counters now even include counterfeit detection capabilities.

When I answer “yes” to bill counters being 100% accurate, I am also assuming that the bill counter is in 100% working condition. I have to admit though that I have never had a customer call back complaining that their bill counter isn’t accurate. If bill counters weren’t accurate, nobody would use them. It’s that simple.

You can find our entire selection of automated bill counters here, our entire selection of coin counters here and our entire selection of counterfeit bill detectors here.

With hundreds of different models of paper shredders available, which size width should you use? The width of a paper shredder will ultimately determine what you will be able to shred. So which shredders widths are best for your home, business or organization? I will briefly go over the various widths and their best applications.

To begin with, paper shredders are typically organized into home, small office, departmental, industrial and high security categories. As a general rule, the higher the volume use, the wider the shredding width. Not everyone needs a 20″ wide shredder width.

Here are the most common widths used today:

5″ Wide Paper Shredders – These paper shredders are typically designed for home use and are just wide enough to shred an envelope or a few sheets of paper folded in half. These shredders are typically compact and can often be used on a desk or table. Many of these shredders can also be used to shred floppy disks, credit cards and CDs.
Example: HSM shredstar MultiShred Paper Shredder

9″ to 10″ Wide Paper Shredders - These shredder widths are probably the most common found in deskside shredders and small office paper shredders. A 9″ to 10″ width is just enough room to handle most letter-size and legal-size documents. They can also be used to shred smaller material such as receipts and envelopes.
Example: Intelli-Shred IS120 Micro Cut Paper Shredder

16″ to 18″ Wide Paper Shredders - This width is commonly found in departmental and large office paper shredders. The 16″ width can accommodate letter size paper as well as larger 11″ x 17″, 12″ x 18″ and larger computer forms. The larger 16″ width also allows the operator to shred multiple letter size documents at once without worrying about the paper going in “crooked” and causing a jam. The extra width also helps with speed.
Example: Destroyit 4002 Heavy Duty Paper Shredder

20″ and Wider Shredders – Widths this large are typically reserved for industrial and commercial shredders that are designed to shred just about anything. These wide widths are designed to handle books, paper, magazines, posters, crumpled paper and much more.
Example: Intimus S16.50 Paper Shredder

So there you have it! The most common and popular shredder widths available and their uses. Knowing the purposes of shredder widths should help you choose the right shredder. You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

If you work in an office environment, work in a church or teach at a school, you probably deal with paper on a regular basis. This may involve stapling, paper folding, book binding, paper cutting and much more. One annoying thing about paper is that it gets jumbled quickly, whether from moving around, coming off the copy machine or printer. One tool that WILL make your life easier is a paper jogger.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many time I have had to manually bounce and jog paper on a table prior to inserting it into a folding machine or binding machine. If you don’t get the process done right, you end up with jammed machines or poorly bound documents (misaligned holes). Paper joggers take this paper and square it up for you in just seconds.

Paper joggers are very simple in concept. They typically have some sort of motor inside that vibrates at thousands of vibrations a minute. This motor causes a tray to move around quickly, casing the vibrations (along with gravity) to square up paper.

Here in the office we use the Premier Jog-Fast (Model 400) paper jogger on a regular basis. It literally takes seconds for me to jog an entire ream of paper.

I have also used paper joggers for helping dry ink after printing in a digital duplicator. Some paper joggers utilize air in some format during the jogging process to quicken the drying process even more. Paper joggers are also good for removing static electricity from printed or copied paper.

So which paper joggers do our customers like to use?

These two models are very popular with our customers because the are designed for use with 8 ½” x 11″ paper and the are both affordable. I can vouch, from personal experience, that Martin Yale (Premier), Lassco and Formax all make some of the best paper joggers available on the market.

We also offer multi-bin paper joggers for jogging multiple reams of paper at a time. We also sell paper joggers for large paper, flat bed paper joggers and open paper joggers. You can find our entire selection of paper joggers here.

In conclusion, I have to say that I can’t imagine handling paper on a daily basis without using a paper jogger. If you haven’t considered using one, at least stop by our site and see what we have to offer. Feel free to speak with one of our paper handling specialists by calling 1-800-658-8788.

It has now gone viral, but last week I read an article about Jason West in Vernal, UT, who decided to pay a disputed medical bill with 2,500 pennies ($25). Apparently he felt he had already paid the bill and they felt he hadn’t. We have all been in similar situations. Where it went from there is pretty funny.

After becoming frustrated with the clinic, he decided to go ahead and pay the bill. According to the article, he asked if they accepted cash. The billing clerk answered in the affirmative. He broke out his cash, which ended up being 2,500 pennies.

While it sounds like he was simply making a statement, apparently it made a mess and West was fined $140 for the incident. Interesting.

I enjoyed the Police Captain’s response saying that Jason West “dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they count it. … The pennies were strewn about the counter and the floor.”

I even more enjoyed Jason West’s account regarding the story. He said, “I didn’t at any time yell. … I didn’t go on a rant. I wasn’t irate.” Regarding the coins falling on the floor, West said, “That’s just the nature of pennies. They’re round.”

You can read the entire incident here.

Why do I bring up this story, especially considering I work for an office equipment business? Coin counters of course! We sell coin counters that can easily handle 2,500 pennies in just minutes. Our cheapest coin counter (the ABC110 coin counter), rings in at $151 (or 15,100 pennies) and can count coins at a speed of 270 coins per minute. That means the poor clerk could have quickly counted those coins in 9 minutes.

Coins, in mass, are bulky, heavy and unwieldy. Retail businesses, however, have to deal with coins on a daily basis. Save time, eliminate human errors and use a coin counter. We offer several affordable models of coin counters found here.

Do you use, own or want a paper shredder but don’t want to hassle with jogging paper together to try and fit it all through a tiny slot on the top of a shredder? If this scenario sounds familiar to you, you may need what’s known as a hopper fed  paper shredder. These shredders are versatile and often ideal for office environments.

Hopper fed paper shredders are commonly used for office and departmental use as they are designed to be used by multiple people throughout they day. These types of paper shredders essentially feature a top loading feed hopper that sits above the paper shredders blades. They are typically designed for high-volume / continuous use.

The top loading feed hopper allows you to empty jumbled, disorganized and crumpled paper into the shredder. Some of these shredders allow you to dump an entire stack of paper, while other feed hopper shredders have a separate slot for stacks of paper. The hopper is often assisted by paddles that help pull paper into the shredder blades.

Shredders with feed hoppers are typically ideal for high-volume paper shredding and are known for their convenience. Because the hopper can take crumpled and jumbled paper, there is no need to tray and straighten or align paper prior to being fed into the shredder.

At ABC Office we offer a few different hopper-style shredders. Here are the four most popular models we offer:

1. HSM 412.2 Office Hopper Fed Shredder
2. Destroyit 4605 High-Volume Top Loading Feed Hopper Shredder
3. Dahle 20452 and 20453 Strip and Cross Cut Hopper Shredders
4. Intimus 852CC Industrial Top Loading Hopper Style Paper Shredder

Hopper fed shredders often accept entire magazines, newspaper and other paper. Some, like the Intimus 852CC industrial shredder, have hoppers that can even accept CDs, DVDs, credit cards, 3.5″ disks, passports, ID cards, Microfiche, audio cassettes and more.

This is a demo of the Destroyit 4605 high-volume hopper fed shredder.

I hope this helps you understand exactly what a top loading hopper fed paper shredder is. These shredders are convenient, great for high-volume shredding and are typically extremely fast. You can find our entire selection of paper shredders here.

If you package food on a regular basis, cook food via sous vide, freeze food or sell food in a store, you probably need a solid vacuum food sealer. Finding the best vacuum sealer isn’t always easy. Having used many machines myself, I can vouch for the fact that quality varies as much with vacuum sealers as it does with cars. I have compiled a list of the best vacuum food sealers available for 2011.

To begin with, my list focuses primarily on chamber vacuum food sealers, which are ideal for commercial, industrial and long-lasting vacuum food packaging. This list is based on customer feedback, track records and overall reliability.

The vacuum food sealers listed bellow are commonly used to package fish, poultry, beef, pork, fruits and vegetables. Some of them can even package an entire chicken. Because these are chamber style sealers, they can also be used to package powders and liquids.

Top 5 Best Vacuum Food Sealers 2011

1. Minipack MVS 31 X Chamber-Style Sealer
2. Minipack MVS 45 X Food Packaging Sealer
3. Minipack MVS 35 X Vacuum Food Sealer
4. Minipack MVS 20 Chamber Food Sealer
5. Minipack MVS 26 X Chamber Vacuum Sealer

Let me point out a few things you should keep an eye on when shopping for a vacuum food sealer:

Where is your vacuum sealer made? Our Minipack line, considered to be one of the most reliable brands around, is made in Italy.

Is the metal used in construction heavy gauge? Many “cheap” vacuum food sealers use flimsy sheet metal in construction that can lead to easy denting and even dangerous metal edge cuts. Minipack vacuum food sealers use tough heavy gauge stainless steel.

Is the basin seamless? When packaging food, you don’t want food getting trapped in creases, cracks and seams. This isn’t only gross, it’s also unhealthy. Our Minipack vacuum food sealers utilize a seamless design.

Hopefully these tips and suggestions help you with your vacuum food sealer shopping. Be aware that many of the models listed are on equal ground when it comes to quality, with the only difference being the size of the chamber. As with any domed chamber vacuum sealer, you often end up with an extra 2-4″ in height due to the curvature of the dome.

Please feel free to contact one of our food packaging specialists at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

You can find our entire selection of vacuum food sealers here and chamber vacuum sealing bags here. Our line of vacuum sealers includes industrial chamber sealers designed for high-volume food packaging.