Blogs - The Office Machines Supermarkethttp://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/en-gbCopyright: (C) The Office Machines Supermarket, see http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/privacy.aspx for terms and conditions of reusehttp://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/images/theofficemachine_web_logo.jpghttp://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_do_you_suffer_from_the_side_effects_of_pollution_229.aspxWith allergies to dust, pollen and other microscopic irritants then you need to find out how air purification and conditioning can significantly improve the quality of the air we breathe just click here to take a look at our helpful guide.http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_gold_award_for_vivitek_d511_207.aspxIt’s always nice when you read good things about the products you stock … and that happened to us just the other day.  The Vivitek D511 Projector came in for some high praise indeed from ‘What Laptop’ magazine, click here to see the article …  and for any other office machines you are looking for check out www.theofficemachinessupermarket.comhttp://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_make_sure_you_laptop_doesn’t_go_walkabout!_197.aspxWhen writing an article recently about laptop theft (click here), the most evident observation in the article seemed to be that prevention is better than cure… Buying a lock for your laptop is far cheaper than having to buy a new laptop and a lock is far easier to ask your manager for than admitting that your laptop has gone walkabout!   For all your office machines check out: www.theofficemachinessupermarket.comhttp://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_cleaning_a_laser_printer_…_go_back_to_basics_with_a_flour_sack!_179.aspxFor those of you with an Inkjet printer, regular cleaning can be done at the click of a button, however with a laser printer the job can be a little more laborious. We’ve put together an article detailing the steps in order to keep your printer clean on a day-to-day basis (click here). Best tip we found when researching this topic? A flour sack is the best material you can use to clean your machine with!We have some great products from Durable to help you with your cleaning, screenclean, laptop clean, telephoneclean, keyboard wipes and lots, lots more just take a look.http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_the_good_ole’_days_…_159.aspxI read an article recently that suggested that the life expectancy of a printer is declining and we can now expect our printers to last around 4 years before looking to replace them.  Although there have been many changes (and indeed improvements) to how machines are built in comparison with earlier models – for example the weight of a machine is dramatically less than it was 10 years ago – this doesn’t necessarily mean there has been any sacrifice!  In fact, we can all do our bit to help our machines lead a longer life, and it’s quite simple – regular maintenance and cleaning!  Please see this link for really easy tips on how to keep your machine in tip top condition. For all our office machines take at look on our website: www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com  http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_brother_hl_5340d_one_of_the_‘top_5_best_printers_for_sale_today_in_the_uk’_according_to_pc_advisor_150.aspxBrother HL-5340D While they're hardly glamorous, affordable mono lasers such as this Brother HL-5340D form the printing backbone of businesses up and down the country. The lack of network support is a problem, although the HL-5340DN rectifies this. The automatic duplexing is fantastic though, and toner costs are fairly low. The Brother offers great value for money. Check out the Brother HL-5340D     Full review of the Brother HL-5340D    http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_cash_back!_137.aspxCheck out promotions during 1st April - 30th June 2010 on Brother printer machines. Cashback offers from £20 up to £100 depending on the type of printer you are looking to purchase;  Colour laser, LED and Mono laser printers.  If you're looking to buy a printer then now is the time to get your order placed!  Click here to see the Brother range of printers on our site    To claim simply visit www.brother.co.uk to register your details and then enter your serail number of the item purchased to claim your cashback.http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_brother_have_come_up_trumps_again_as_no_1_ethical_brand_for_the_fifth_year_in_a_row!_133.aspxBrother have been awarded a 100/100 rating for its environmental, animal welfare and human rights’ credentials in a leading independent audit. They are the only company within its sector to do so. Recording an excellent score in every category, as measured by the UK’s Ethical Company Organisation, publishers of The Good Shopping Guide, Brother are extremely happy with its impressive performance which means that they qualify as an accredited ‘Ethical company.. The award demonstrates how Brother are leading in the printing solutions industry with rival manufacturers all scoring less in the report. Check out Brother machineshttp://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_even_more_secure_site_to_buy_office_machines__printers_copiers_and_loads_of_labour_saving_office_devices_118.aspxSymantec have just audited our web site and certified www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com as safe and secure with their Norton SafeWeb certificate.  Click the link to read more about our Internet Security.http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_dont_forget_to_join_in_earth_hour_this_weekend__switch_off_your_office_equipment_108.aspxAcross the world on Saturday 27th March 2010 at 8.30pm companies and consumers will be turning off their electrical appliances to urge global leaders to tackle climate change. Head of campaigns at the World Wildlife Fund said: "A billion people across the globe turning off their lights sends a loud and clear message to politicians."  Latest news is that Big Ben will be switched off . . . so join in and switch off your office equipment this weekend: photocopiers, printers, computers, lights, TV's and show that you care about the climate!http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_payment_options_now_include_purchasing_and_procurement_cards_for_police_government_and_healthcare_98.aspxWe have now increased the number of payment options available at checkout to include purchasing and procurement cards in addition to all debit cards and credit cards including American Express (Amex). Specifically the payment options have been extended to include : Police Purchasing Cards Police Procurement Cards Government Purchasing Cards Government Procurement Cards Civil Service Purchasing Cards Civil Service Procurement Cards Healthcare Purchasing Cards Healthcare Procurement Cards If there are queries on any payment option please contact us on 0113 391 1107.http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_discounted_products_here_and_on_wwwtheprinterinksupermarketcom_88.aspxWe've just passed through 230 price reductions on computer consumables after receiving beneficial costs from our suppliers.  The new deals are available here and on our sister sites www.theprinterinksupermarket.com and www.theofficesuppliessupermarket.com The best saving in the reductions today is on 5 Star HP Toner Cartridge Black Q5945A which are now £64.99 saving over 60% on the RRP! There's lots of great offers on www.theofficesuppliessupermarket.com with special offers added every week - so keep checking back to make the most of the savings!    http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_new_lower_prices_83.aspxWe've just lowered the prices of 69 products on the website - the biggest saving being on the Rexel Mercury RDX1850 Shredder which is now just £449 with a FREE home shredder available until the end of March!http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_label_printers_and_oaps!_60.aspxLets face it, a few labels on things can help you out no end. Whether you need to label your toolbox drawers or and office locker a labelling machine comes in really handy.  Dymo who produce some of the world best and most reliable examples of label makers think so too. Below is a funny advert of theirs to highlight an area for label making you might not have considered.http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_still_need_a_typewriter_49.aspxWho’d have thought in today’s modern world that anyone would still want to use a typewriter for their day to day writing needs – personally, I’m a bit lazy and I like the idea of being able to nip in and change stuff instantly and also copy and paste things. It makes you wonder, who’d put up with a manual old thing on the desk? Turns out they’re still necessary in many works of life and one of the most common is where NCR stationary is needed. For those struggling with that, NCR is ‘no carbon required’ a type of multi-part stationary that when you impact on the front sheet, the back sheets are automatically inked too. I realise I’m probably being read by a whole host of people who haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about, so before you switch off, let me explain.  Before the printer was such a common piece of home and office equipment, people still wanted to write things and official documents still had to be sent and so the typewriter was the only way of doing this whilst ending up with a half-decent document. But, photocopiers were expensive and so if you wanted two copies, you had to type it twice.  Then along came ‘carbon’ paper. This was a sheet of usually blue paper that sat between your top sheet (that you typed on) and the bottom sheet. When you typed, the hammer of the typewriter would hit down and the pressure meant that the text appeared on the back piece of paper too.  OK, nearly there, still reading at the back? Good…  This was OK for many applications but it was sometimes a bit fiddly and it also didn’t work very well for filling out forms. You’d end up with letters missing out of boxes and all sorts of things would look terrible. NCR was the answer. They usually came in books of documents – you’d have seen one if taking out a hire purchase agreement probably. What you write and what you sign is copied to the back sheet for legal reasons. With the advent of the printer and the ability to copy things on the cheap, you’d have thought that this type of thing would have been consigned to the landfill of history, but no, they’re still used all over the place. So this, then, is why we still need to old-fashioned electronic typewriter. http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_printer_revenge_46.aspxThe classic scene from Mike Judges fabulous film "Office Space" where the group of office colleagues take revenge on a problematic printer which has caused them hours of heartache with its error messages and lost print outs.  If your printer in causing you to tear your hair out don't forget we offer a full range of the most up to date and more importantly, user friendly printers in the UK. http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_office_party_time__time_to_lock_up_the_photocopier_38.aspxIt's absolutely not the idea of this blog to suggest that you become a party-pooper, let's just make that absolutely clear, but it is my intention to impart a little bit of common sense for those of you that have office photocopiers that may be accessible at the office party. I don't think you need too much imagination to understand where I'm coming from, but just in case you haven't sussed it yet, sometimes there are those people who like to, ahem, photocopy parts of their bodies when a little drunk? Yeah. Well, get this. It happened years ago now, but we had a copier room with a nice new copier and a chair that you could sit on while you were busy copying five hundred management reports. Anyway, one of the 'larger' members of staff who was normally very quite got a bit drunk at the party (free beer - another thing you might like to reconsider) and thought it would be great to liven up the party a bit. She headed off to the copier room, got leverage by standing on the chair and sat on the copier ready to press 'Go'. Unfortunately the copier glass wasn't meant to carry such weight and she ended up in hospital with many, many stitches. I'll let you work out the rest. Funnily enough, she handed in her resignation and move on to another company. These were in the days before Facebook, luckily for her!http://www.theofficemachinessupermarket.com/blogs/blog_the_small_things_in_the_office_that_you_can’t_do_without_35.aspxIf you asked someone what they bought from ‘office supplies’ companies, they’d probably reel off things like ‘paper’, ‘pens’ and maybe ‘printers’ if they were thinking big. But there are so many things that you have lying around the office that are the staple of the office supplies industry and nobody ever considers where they were even bought from. On a recent tour of our office, we found a labelling machine that we can’t do without. It’s absolutely essential to our job and yet where do you buy these things? Online, obviously (we’re that type of business!), but what kind of online store? It was an office supplies company. Office supplies is pretty much anything deemed as ‘useful’ or something that makes your day to day life a lot easier to bear (let’s face it, we need that) and you can get all sorts from companies these days from air conditioning to presentation supplies. Obviously we do them too now, we offer a great range of office supplies for all sorts of people and organisations, but we’d really love to hear what you find the most useful in your office.