Do you use this shop ticket holder in this way? If so, send me a picture to post on the blog!

Or do you use your C-Line products in a different or non-traditional way? Tell about it in the comment section below.

But don’t forget – if you are requiring your employees to do this, make it easy and pass out the plastic holders as they receive their id tags.

The expanding file features 13 pockets to keep all of your important, frequently-accessed documents organized. Plus, the open top and stand-up design of the files allows quick access to those papers. The file expands up to 9 inches wide and holds approximately 900 letter size sheets of paper.

Here is a photo of the plaid expanding file on a coworker’s desk. It is a little touch of fashion to the workplace.

All this and it looks chic sitting atop your desk! What more could you ask for?

Earlier this year, C-Line’s new biodegradable letter size expanding files were nominated in the North American Office Products Awards (NAOPA). Because of their biodegradability, the products received finalist honors in the “Environmentally Friendly Product of the Year” category.

C-Line was selected as a finalist in this category, along with four other products. Unfortunately, C-Line did not take top honors during the awards ceremony, which was organized by OPI and held last month during SP Richards’ annual Advantage Business Conference. Although C-Line did not win the category, it is still an honor to be recognized out of the over 270 products submitted across the eight categories.

Given the set up of the break room, I need away to post this sign where everyone could clearly see it, but that was more permanent than just paper and tape. Enter the adhesive pocket!

The antimicrobial protected peel and stick display pockets were exactly what I was looking for. Since my experiences with an empty coffee pot was a common occurrence, I knew the sign needed to stay on display for more than a few days. But with the way the coffeemaker is in the room, placing the notice on the wall, was just not an option. It offered too many people an out, where they could say “I just didn’t see the sign”.

So, I placed the sign in the plastic pocket and stuck it on the counter, in front of the machine. Now, no more excuses, if you didn’t make that new pot of coffee, you were just being rude! The holder also protected the sign from being torn or ripped off by people making their daily cup of coffee.

Then, last month, someone added a little too much water to the coffeemaker and the pot overflowed during brewing. No problem for the display pocket, though. The paper notice was ruined, as you can see below. But the plastic holder was just fine. I reprinted the notice and put it in the old holder, and we are back in business.

Above is a picture of the adhesive pocket after the spill. The sign is ruined, but the pocket is still holding strong.

Here is a picture of the same pocket, but with a new and clean sign.

And I am happy to say that instead of the empty coffee pot conundrum being a daily occurrence, it now only occurs about once a month!

Not only does the heavy duty sorter help you organize your files, but the durable construction provides long-lasting sort support.

If you are like me, you make several piles all over the room when you need to file. You dread this task because there never seems to be enough room on the desk or the table and you find yourself using the floor. But with a desktop file sorter, you no longer have to make those piles. Here’s how:

1. Determine how you want to file your information. A-Z? Numerically? By month? The sorter comes with five preprinted categories: alphabetical, numerical (0-2,000), monthly, dates (1-31), days of week.
2. Start placing the papers in the corresponding divider leaves.  For instance, if you are sorting alphabetically by customer name, start putting the “A” names under the “A” divider.
3. Once the entire pile of papers are sorted, you can quickly and easily take each separate group to the file cabinet and file it away once and for-all. You shouldn’t have to stop by that “A” drawer several times anymore.

Hope this post helps you keep up with the filing!

It may be mid-year, but I am going to try something new – organizing all our financials in clear sheet protectors and a binder. Here’s the plan of action for this project, which may work for you too:

1. Start with a 2 inch ring binder, 25 standard weight protectors and one red colored edge protector. If you find that you need more holders or a larger binder as the year progresses, add or convert as necessary. The main goal is to keep everything together, in one, convenient place.
2. Convert all statements, bills, invoices, etc. from file folders to clear sheet protectors. Because they are archival sheet protectors,  there is no worry about copy transfer. If an invoice is needed a year or seven from now, the ink will still be on the paper and not on the plastic protector.
3. As new statements arrive, file them in the red colored edge holder. This will be considered the “unpaid” protector.
4. When bills are paid, place those in the front of the appropriate sheet protector. If  I need more room, I can switch to high capacity holders, which accommodates up to 50 pages.
5. Store the binder in a safe location. It may look like something you would use at school or the office, but it still contains account numbers and sensitive information.

ADDED BONUS ALERT - no “bill switching” come January 1, 2011! You all know what I mean, sometime during the first month of every year, you have to take the bills and statements from the file drawer and pack them away to make room for the new year’s records.  But by using this method, I can simply store the entire binder and start from scratch each year. I’m thinking that could easily cut that task down from 1 or 2 hours to 5 minutes!

Remember, this is only a guide and what I plan to do for this organizational project. It can easily be tweaked to suit your needs when it comes to your household’s finances.

At my gym, everyone is required to carry an id tag, that displays our name, picture and is used to scan in at the fitness center everyday. This is done to make sure only members enter the gym. The id is printed on a plastic credit card-size card. It is small, but since my workout gear doesn’t have pockets, a bit inconvenient to carry around. With the plastic holder, I can scan my tag when I arrive, then clip it to my shirt and forget about it.

Here is a picture of my gym id in a clip name badge holder. The plastic holder protects the id and lets me attach to my clothes during my workout and to my gym when not in use.

Using this holder not only makes it easier while working out, but it also protects the bar code from fading or rubbing off. The id lasts longer, which will also save me money. When joining the gym, the first id is free. But, if you lose or damage your id, you have to pay a fee for a replacement card.

After my workout is complete, I clip the holder (and id) to my gym bag and go.

Next time you give a gift card as a present, rather than just throwing it in the card or buying one of those expensive holders, put it in a 2 1/4 x 3 1/2 vinyl envelope.

Also, they are more economical that the fancy plastic or metal gift card holders that some retailers sell. At one local store, they had a miniature toolbox for sale with the gift cards. While it was cute, it was also $5 above the value of the card, and likely to end up in the garbage as soon as the gift card is used. After the gift recipient uses the gift card, they can still hold onto the envelope. I have one in my purse that now holds my store loyalty rewards cards.

A vinyl report cover gives your presentation a touch of polish and professionalism.

The punchless vinyl covers come in a variety of colors to choose from. Want to shock the reader? Pick the red cover.  Looking for something a bit more professional? Choose the blue or smoke options. Think that yellow is the color of the season, use one of those.

Each box of colored covers comes with 1/8″ binding bars, or “bones” as we call them internally.  Bones of this size hold up to 20 sheets of paper.  But what do you do if your report is a bit longer than that? Use a larger bar, that is.  With sizes up to 1/2″, which holds up to 60 pages, you should have no problem fitting your entire report.