If you have electronic equipment (and who doesn't?), you need to protect it from damage.  There are a couple ways to do this - one of which is to use surge protectors.  There are lots of variables to choosing a good surge protector and I may bore some of you if I were to discuss all of them, so I'm going to try to narrow it down to the most important points.

Here are a few interesting facts that I'll bet you don't know about office supplies:

Yellow fluorescent highlighter ink accounts for approximately 85% of all highlighter sales.  This is because yellow is the middle spectrum of visible light and works well for people who are color blind.

I don't know about where you are, but here in Michigan we've had a pretty toasty summer so far.   Summer..........one of my favorite times of the year.  The time when I can go to Erma's and get frozen custard!  I LOVE frozen custard - but it has to be Erma's.  Seriously, if it's not Erma's, it's not real frozen custard.

Oh, sorry, I'm getting off track.  Well, not really.  Our topic today is:

Summer Trivia

Charging and storing multiple mobile devices can be a challenge.  In recent years, schools have begun to purchase and pass out iPads to the students.  Hospitals use tablets for portable medical records; factories or warehouses may use them for inventory, and office settings can have multiple uses for the staff.  These are expensive investments and you need to not only charge them conveniently, but also keep them safe in a secure location.

Enter tablet charging stations - offering high speed charging and syncing, while keeping them safe from theft and tampering.

Today is my father's 79th birthday.  He's an amazing man, father and husband.  He's also a mechanic, a do-it-yourselfer, a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician - you name it, he can do it.  Doing all those projects and odd jobs requires a lot of tools - and believe me, he has a lot of tools!

Why am I telling you all this?

We've all listened to songs on the radio (or TV theme songs) and couldn't understand the lyrics.  Some of the most hilarious things come from what we think they said!  Today I will test your skills with the topic:

Unintelligible Song Lyrics

Probably the main concern when purchasing casters is making sure you get the right kind for the type of surface the chair is being used on.  If it's being used on hard floors, you need soft casters and if it's being used on carpeting or chair mats you need hard casters.  The other concern is getting the correct stem length and diameter.  Match your caster stem to the diagram below for the proper size and length.

A great graphic designer can take your outline or idea and turn it into an amazing piece.  Creativity is their job - and their passion.  If you submit a file that just needs a few tweaks, they can do that as well.  A little work or a lot - they can fix it for you and make it something you are really proud of.

But design work isn't free - which leads me to today's "Do."

This week we celebrated our country's independence, so it is only fitting that our trivia topic be:

Patriotic Trivia

All of us at Office Express would like to wish you a happy and safe 4th of July holiday!

We all have struggles in our lives - at school, at work, at home.  Maybe you're having personality issues with a coworker or feel that you're not getting the recognition you deserve or you feel that your significant other isn't helping enough with the housework.  I ran across this quote a few days ago and I think it offers some very wise advise, so I thought I'd share it with you.

My son graduated from high school a couple weeks ago and now we are getting ready to send him off to college.  So, in his honor, this week's topic is:

University Trivia

The Air Mouse GO Plus isn't new on the market, but it is new to our product assortment.  It's a mouse that can eliminate the need for multiple presentation devices.  With this mouse, you can control your desktop from up to 100 feet away, use it as a laser pointer, onscreen pen, highlighter or remote.  It's really pretty cool.  Take a look:

Here's a quick one that I want to pass along to all the schools.  Yes, I know - school just got out, but I also know that this is the time that schools start putting in their supply requisitions for the next school year.

Xyron is offering either a $10 or $25 gift card as a rebate for purchases of their XRN624672 or PRO XM1255 cold laminators.  These are perfect for schools - cold lamination means no heat or electricity required.  Click on the image below to be taken to a printable copy of the rebate form.

Well, well well......................you really liked last week's question, didn't you?  I had a record number of replies to that one.  Let's see how you do with this week's topic:

Famous Firsts

Whiteboards are a common office element.  Or should I say "necessity?"  Just about every office has one.  Or more than one.  

If you find that you run out of space to write during meetings and conferences, you may want to consider the MasterVision Tile Whiteboard Wall System.  This system allows you to create any size writing surface or posting surface.

Today I have a product from Smead to share with you.  As you know, Smead is one of the big manufacturers of filing and organizational office products and is known for its innovation.  (Plus, it is a women-owned company.)

The new Corner Organizer File is a way to maximize the corner space on your desk.  

Here we are again - it's Trivia Day!  What shall I test you on today?  

(Hmmm................Thinking.............................)

I've got it!  Today's topic is:

Famous Hoaxes

When evaluating a workspace for ergonomic correctness, remember to consider the keyboard.  Many people can work just fine with the keyboard on top of the desk, but frequently the desk isn't the right height and the user can't be positioned correctly.  Ergonomics are a critical component of an office - a space that isn't ergonomically correct can cause multiple health issues.

Over the time I've been writing this blog, I've reviewed a couple of different staplers - and I'm about to do it again.  Why?  Because the stapler that is my topic today comes from a company whose products I have not liked.   I tried PaperPro staplers when they first hit the market years ago and they were touting their products as the greatest new invention since sliced bread.  I had continuing problems with them jamming - and jam-free stapling was one of their marketing points in their ad campaign back then!  I finally gave up and threw the stapler in the trash.  So, when the manufacturer rep gave me samples to try recently, I was intrigued to see if the newest model was an improvement over my last experience.  

This is my first "team" review.  I was given several samples of the PaperPro inPOWER+ staplers, so I distributed them to my coworkers and we've all been testing them for several weeks now.  There are several different models - we tested both the 28 sheet capacity and the 20 sheet capacity and today we are pleased to present our findings to you.