Sales and Coupons to Help You Get Organized

Everybody can stand to be more organized. Knowing where things are and where things go is an easy way to be more productive and maintain a less cluttered work space. Without a comfortable system, you can end up wasting time looking for things, missing important memos and deadlines, and feeling trapped by all the paperwork. This month we have several sales, coupons and rebates on products designed to help you sort everything out.

Post-It Flags

Let’s start with loose papers. If there are random sheets of paper around the desk, you can’t tell at first glance whether they require action or provide information or can be archived or tossed. Post-It flags are an easy way to at least spell that out. With a color-coded system, all you need to do is stick the right color flag on each paper as you see it and you’ll at least have a sense of what everything is, even if you aren’t able to get to it right away.

Smead Expanding File Box

The ultimate objective, of course, is to clear your desk of papers. Once the work is done and papers are no longer needed, it’s easy enough to stash them in a file cabinet or toss them completely. When paperwork still needs to be done or may need to be recalled quickly, to the point where you’re tempted to keep them on the desk, try a file box. Similar to an expanding file, file boxes have plenty of compartments for organizing and archiving papers. These, however, have an overhead flap and sit upright, so you can keep it on your desk and open it easily for quick retrieval of any files you may need. You can put all your to-do work in the front pocket and it’ll be just as accessible as anything on your desk. It’s even portable for working on the go.

Check out our page to see all of our organization deals. Right now, find a coupon for a free Stow Away Crate with an order of $150!

Free Laminator Rebate From 3M

It’s hard to appreciate how useful a laminator is until you have one and start using it. Until you’ve got the tool at your disposal, you may not think about how many papers around your desk or posted around the office carry important information that should be preserved in case they’re damaged or accidentally discarded. Laminating is easy and not only protects sheets of paper, but makes them feel significant. Now, you have an opportunity to get a Scotch laminator free!

Scotch Pro TL-906 Laminator

The TL-906 laminator has a short warm-up time, is easy to use, and has a feed mechanism designed to prevent jamming. It offers professional quality lamination in a small package. To claim a free one, all you need to do is buy five packs of laminating pouches, which are required to use the product anyway! This will qualify you for a rebate to get the laminator at no charge!

Rose Gold Scotch Tape and Post-It Dispensers

Two other rebates from 3M work much the same- buy the product to get the free dispenser! These dispensers go hand-in-hand with a sleek design and a fine rose gold color, and available with the purchase of one qualifying Post-It Note or Scotch Tape product. All three rebates run until June 30.

Buy One Item, Get Cool Post-It or Tape Dispenser Free

We're always impressed with the latest dispensers 3M rolls out for its Post-It Notes and Scotch Tape. From fashion to sports to a simple aesthetic, there's something there for every taste. Two new dispensers are out now, and easy to get for free thanks to new rebates that do away with the amount you need to spend. Instead, you only need to purchase one qualifying product to get your hands on these:

3M Post-It Pop-Up Note Dispenser

This retro camera pop-up dispenser is the newest option and thanks to this rebate, yours with the purchase of just one pack of qualifying Post-It Note products. Qualifying products range from colorful 10 packs to cabinet packs that include a handy box for easy storage.

3M Scotch Tape Dispenser

Make your desk feel a little more scholarly with this globe tape dispenser. It holds standard 3/4” Scotch Tape rolls, and again only requires the purchase of one item to claim. Items are a range of Scotch Tape multi-packs from the standard Magic tape to glossy Transparent tape to Greener tape made of 65% recycled materials.

These rebates are available through the end of the year!

Savings on Handy Post-It Note Products

It's no secret that we love Post-It Notes around here. Given how useful they are for work, school or the home, that's no surprise. Seems like nobody can have enough of them, and now's a great time to stock up in the middle of our massive sale on Post-It products.

Post-It 3" x 3" Super Sticky Pads

From now through the end of the month, this page will have an assortment of Post-It products featured and marked down. This includes your basic 3x3 pads in both regular and Super Sticky versions. The Super Sticky notes use a strong adhesive to cling to more surfaces longer and more reliably. Color sets range from standard canary to the more vibrant palettes offered in their World of Color series. Pads are also available in a variety of shapes such as stars and functions such as arrow flags for signatures.

Post-It Pop Up Dispenser/Adorable Kitty

Of course, if you'll have these on your desk, you'll want a stylish dispenser to hold them. We're featuring the pictured cat this month, but there are several options to choose from. For example, this dispenser holds both standard pads and smaller flag sizes, and even has a built in photo frame!

3M is also currently running a rebate where a $300 purchase of Post-It Brand products will net you a nice Vera Bradley duffel bag! This rebate runs through the end of the year.

Post-It Notes Bring An Office To Life

We've always been big fans of using office supplies for art materials (or as the canvas itself). We're also fans of taking steps to make an office your own. Some people do this with expressive desktop items like staplers or tape dispensers. Some equip their workstations with stylish organizers instead of drab plastic. Some use Post-It Notes. Eight thousand Post-It Notes.

Over one weekend and with the help of 8,024 Post-Its, a San Francisco designer gave his office a complete makeover, turning boring walls into murals of his and his team's favorite superheroes.

It's worth pointing out that this project uses the Super Sticky notes, which has almost the entire back covered in adhesive rather than a small strip. That's necessary for keeping the notes in place, and recommended for anything where the Post-Its are meant to have a mostly permanent home.

Super Sticky Post-It Notes

The designer also emphasizes pulling the sheets from the pad so that they don't curl, as that reduces their ability to stick long term. Sage advice with any adhesive products that should be applied to labels as well.

Taking Post-It Notes Digital with the Post-It Plus App

Post-It Notes have been easy, versatile means of communication for decades. Their small size makes it easy to have some handy, and when they are it allows you to put down your thoughts instantly before they leave your head. Add in the ability to position them anywhere and the bright colors and these thoughts can be transmitted to yourself or anybody who needs to see them. They're sort of a primitive, short-range prototype of Twitter when you think about it.

Celebrity Stalking Not Yet Available

As a collaborative tool, Post-It Notes have incredible value. Imagine brainstorming sessions where every suggestion is written on a Post-It. Imagine a single note representing an individual idea that can be organized with other ideas until a full plan starts to take shape. The applications would be endless if not for one problem: at the end of the day, all these ideas are still stuck on one wall. Nobody outside the room can play with them and nobody can take them with when they go. It's a limitation of putting things on paper. At least it was...

 Post-It Plus App

The Post-It Plus App does more than capture pictures of Post-Its. Any camera will do that, but any camera wouldn't be able to identify what parts of the picture are 3x3 Post-Its, much less realize that the text on them is what's important. The free app does this. Take a wall following a productive, albeit slightly scatterbrained, brainstorming session that might include some actionable items.

Standard iPad Camera Photo

Send a picture of it and people scratch their heads. But one snap of the app returns this:

Same Scan with Post-It Plus App

Clean, enhanced images of all of the Post-Its, which can then be manipulated and grouped.

Post-Its Arranged and Categorized

These can be shared and exported to other formats, allowing access to everybody that needs it. This app is currently available for the iPad and iPhone, and Android support is expected in a couple months.

Writing On The Wall To Improve Efficiency and Promote Collaboration

Outside of technology, two of the most significant innovations to hit the office in the last half-century might have been the Post-It Note and the dry erase marker board. This is evident in the way both have endured through, and integrated with, the wave of technology in the modern office. For all of the e-mail, instant messaging, and remote conferencing that happens, every desk still has a stack of Post-Its and every conference room either has a whiteboard or seriously needs one.

It Just Ties the Room Together

Truth is, whiteboards are useful anywhere. Thanks to Post-It's new Dry Erase Surface, now they can actually be anywhere. On one side is a removable adhesive that can be applied to many surfaces. On the other is a quality dry erase surface that resists ghosting better than a standard melamine board. This allows companies to put the sheet anywhere they want, horizontally or vertically. A wall can become a whiteboard, a table can become a whiteboard... an old chalkboard can become a new whiteboard!

Since the sheets can be cut to any size, the applications here are endless. Factories and warehouses can use them anywhere for communication and direction. Conference rooms can be outfitted with new dry erase surfaces or have their old ones repurposed. The most exciting prospect is collaborative flexibility. Collaboration happens everywhere at the office; minds do not always meet in meeting rooms. Whether at a desk, a set of cubicles or just the hallway, two or more people can start hammering out ideas anywhere. Having more whiteboard space available in such locations allows employees to write their ideas down, work off each other and come up with solutions and breakthroughs more easily.

Post-it® Dry Erase Surface - IT + Development

Take a look at the linked videos and see how the Post-It Surface can help your company.

Ready For Some Football?

We're about a week away from the start of football season, and fans of every team can't wait for kickoff. Everybody is undefeated, so there's no better time to get excited about waving your team's colors. In the office supply world, we have more products available to celebrate your love for a team. We've talked about 3M's Scotch tape dispensers, and now they're in stock for all 32 teams!

Ready For the Season Opener

These tape dispensers work with standard Scotch tape rolls and add team spirit to any desk. In addition to the helmets, 3M has expanded their NFL offering to include Post-It Note dispensers! 

3M NFL Post-It Dispensers From Three Angles

Once again, all 32 teams are available. The dispensers hold 50 sheets of standard 3x3 Post-It Notes and separate for easy refilling. Check out this page for a full list of dispensers for the entire league!

Post-it Watch

How many times have you ever written a note on your hand because you needed to remember something and you were sure you'd lose any other kind of note you might try to write yourself? Well, a French design firm came up with the perfect way to keep your self-applied notes in a semi-permanent status.

The Officially Licensed Post-it Watch

Yes, it's pretty self explanatory. It is a long watch-shaped Post-it note that you write on and attach to yourself by sticking the two ends of it together. For €9.80 you can get 100 of these Post-its. Google tells me that is equivalent to $13.50 using the current currency conversion. Of course, if you lived in Greece or Italy your Euros might be worth slightly less. If you live in the United States these would probably cost you a pretty penny to ship as well.

Just for the sake of comparison, a standard pack of 1,200 Post-it Notes can be had for less than $6. That is an incredible savings per piece of paper. Granted it won't be as easy to stick these to yourself to create a note to remind yourself you need to buy milk, but you can't have your cake and eat it too.

12,000 Post-it Notes

Anybody who has ever written a note on their own hand knows that you should never use any washable markers as your natural sweat and action can easily erase whatever you are trying to remember. You can always write on yourself with permanent marker, but that's no fun.

Here is what I propose: take 3 or 4 (depending on the size of your wrists) standard Post-its and connect them to each other to create a full wristband of Post-it madness. Wristbands are cooler than wristwatches right? I'm guessing so anyway. So after you make your Post-it wristband you'll have a lot more room to write important notes to yourself. They might fall apart a lot more, but not only will you have more space to write, you'll have a lot more wristbands available. If I assume your wrists are larger than mine and you need 4 Post-its, you'll have 3,000 Post-it wristbands for half the price of 100 Post-it wristwatches.

Post-It Prank

What do you do when you have a some neon yellow Post-it Notes, a Sharpie, some free time and access to a fire alarm?  Why play a prank of course.

Of course, a prank like this is probably against dozens of building and fire codes, but it is amusing none the less.  Of course, no adult would ever actually confuse a fire alarm with a candy dispenser, but it wouldn't stop some buzz-kill from removing the post-its.

If you want to go for a real fire warning prank that is generally harmless, go and buy a half dozen or so Fire Extinguisher signs and mount them around your office (preferably with a permanent adhesive) pointing to places and things that are obviously not Fire Extinguishers.  Point at a plant.  Point at a computer.  Put it above a table where it can point at a glass (half full) of water.  The possibilities are endless and endlessly infuriating for any building manager.  When you can buy a Fire Extinguisher sign for three dollars, why not go hog wild?

Of course, if you do decide to pull off any of the pranks here, you do so under your own free will.  I won't be held liable in the court of law for anything you do.

Sushi Memo Pads

Here's something novel.  A set of memo pads that look like sushi.  It looks really cool, but beyond that there isn't a whole lot going on.  These are memo pads, not note pads.  Office Supply insiders know that memo pads are just bound with glue on one edge, but note pads are bound with a strip of adhesive along each piece.  So note pads are exactly like 3M's Post-Its while memo pads are those pads of paper that are handed out at conventions and end up in junk drawers.

Designer Sushi Note Pads

The "in action" photo shows exactly who they are trying to sell these memo pads to, people who don't use their desk, but just look at it.  He's got a Rolodex right in front of the keyboard, and there's no way anybody should keep something that size between their body and their keyboard if they are planning on using it regularly.  Who honestly would attempt to keep a phone, hipster camera, expensive pens, and computer remote all perfectly aligned and square.  That just looks foolish.  After you've used the top of the memo pad and gotten down to just pieces of white paper it wouldn't be special any more so you'd have to throw it out.  Notice how approximately 2/3 of the pad is white.  Smart marketing, you would have to buy new paper 3 times as fast as if you had purchased some standard economical memo pads.

Recycled Paper Self Adhesive Notepads

It is earth week though so really I shouldn't be telling you about products that encourage waste just to make more profit.  Here's a great way to save the earth, some cash, and your sanity.  Some great 100% recycled note pads from Sparco.  Sure these aren't Post-it brand recycled notepads, you'd pay a premium for those, I did say I was going to save you some cash didn't I?  As for saving your sanity, well these are adhesive backed notes.  The sushi notes don't have any adhesive so after you write yourself a note and rip it off the block you will promptly lose it.  With some adhesive you've got a better chance that it will stick to something and you'll remember it when you need it.  Some people might prefer the flash of a fancy memo pad, but I'll stick (get it) with a good old reliable note pad.

Post-it Notes Now Part of Political Discourse

It doesn't matter what side of the political spectrum you lean toward, everybody can agree that the most recent goings on at the Wisconsin Capitol are hairy and only going to get worse. After two weeks of protests in and around the Capitol, access to the building has been shut down to the public. So what are a bunch of protesters to do when they can no longer directly access their elected officials? Why, leave a message of course. How would a bunch of peaceful protesters leave messages for those officials when phone calls and emails go unanswered? Why, leave messages on easily removable Post-it notes on the doors of course.

Post-it Notes Cover the WI Capitol Doors

Of course, not everybody inside the building is going to come out and read every message left outside. It is nonetheless a way to leave a non-permanent mark and air their frustrations. Taking a look at the Post-it Notes used, you can easily tell they are all the standard 3x3 square Post-its from the Ultra Color series. Based on a quick guess that the doorways shown are 7 feet tall and 6 feet wide, you would only need 672 Post-it notes to cover one complete doorway. Post-it Ultra Color Notes are available in a 1400-sheet pack, and seeing as how the doors are not completely covered, it's a fair bet that fewer than 1400 notes have been affixed to the doors in the photo taken. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can grab the original photo and probably count the notes and tell me I'm totally wrong, I dare you.

1400 Piece Pack of Ultra Color Post-it Notes

There is one review of these Post-it Notes noting "Such fun -- adds flair to all projects and messages" and I'm sure that the protesters, and not the Capitol custodians, would agree they they not only add flair to messages, but also buildings. I assume they aren't the Super Sticky Post-It's because they have slightly more adhesive and these protesters are not looking to cause any actual damage to the Capitol.

UPDATE:
Now that it has been a few days since the original Tweets with images the bloggers with better cameras have posted images.  From the blog Grinders Island comes a close up high resolution photo of the Post-its and a pulled out high resolution photo of the doors.

Free Girly Office Supplies

A manufacturer's rebate just crossed my desk and I had to get it out to you as soon as I could. 3M is having a promotion to help get out the word about their Tape and Post-it Note Dispensers shaped like a shoe and a purse, respectively. So until March 31st 2011 you can get the dispenser of your choice completely free after mail-in rebate. Yes. Absolutely Free. You'll have to cover any shipping fees you might incur, but you can easily qualify for free shipping.

3M Free-Style Rebate PDF

You might remember I blogged about these items before and they are a popular product. You can view detailed information about the promotion at the Free Dispenser page, or use the PDF above and product links below.

Post-it Note Purse-Shaped Dispenser

When we first got word that this Post-it Dispenser was for sale in Canada and wasn't readily available in the United States some of the ladies around the office were going crazy for it. I don't know why Canada was so special, or if there was just supply issues but the few months before it was publicly and readily available online were tense. Thankfully, now everybody can get their hands on this Purse Post-In Dispenser.

Scotch Tape Shoe-Shaped Dispenser

To be honest I didn't even know this tape dispenser existed until several weeks after we had the Purse Post-It Dispenser and we got a promotional flier from 3M telling us about their line of stylish new products. It does make perfect sense, that if they would take the time to do market testing on office supplies manufactured specifically for women that they would have more than one product available.  These products do seem to be received extremely well so I'm hopeful we'll see more similar products in time.

A Post-It Primer For Future Game Shows

We here at Office Supplies Talk hope your holiday season was a good one. Now that the presents have been opened, the food has been digested and everyone has returned from their family gatherings (unless they live in the Northeast), the nation's attention turns to what truly matters this time of year- the history of the Post-It Note.

America, you're starting to catch on.

The impetus for the new-found interest in removable adhesive technology stemmed from a controversial question on the new Fox game show “Million Dollar Money Drop.” Which came first? The Sony Walkman or the Post-It Note? Let's go to the tape!

Soon, viewers realized that Gabe was mostly right. Okay, 3M actually started in 1902 as the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company and yes, Brittany was right that they started out in other markets: they were first known for sandpaper products. I'd be remiss if I didn't point that out. But everything else he said was generally true, granting certain allowances as he was busy shoveling cash onto a platform.

While the Post-It Note was hardly invented accidentally, the removable adhesive that it uses was indeed a surprise result of random tinkering in the lab. Dr. Spencer Silver developed the formula in 1968, but it took six years before colleague Art Fry figured out the “removable adhesive + notepad = Win” formula. His creation was first sold in 1977, two years before the Sony Walkman.

And Now They're Huge

The show has since realized its mistake and invited Gabe and Brittany to try their luck again. America will surely be monitoring the show's questions carefully. Especially if they concern office supplies.

John Kenn Makes Post-it Art Monsters

While treading through the piles of emails and other digital correspondence that people regularly send me on Office Supply related topics (actually, I made that whole part up), I happened up on some awesome original Post-it art.  I ran across John Kenn's blog/art gallery of monsters called, oddly enough, Don Kenn Gallery.  I assume that he is John Donald Kenn or Don Jonathan Kenn and goes by either name depending on what the situation calls for and just goes with it.  His name doesn't really matter since he's not drawing these monsters to attempt to become the next big meme, but it is a point of curiosity.

Post-it Ghosts with Teeth

Post-it Hill Monster

Of course again with most Office Supply artists, a big part of the work is taking common place items and in this case making a "little window into a different world."  Information on John Kenn is pretty slim and sparse, but I managed to track down an interview with him over at My Modern Metropolis.  It is about as much as you would expect from an art enthusiast blog, all about inspirations and what his current "real" job is.  They wouldn't ask him a hard question like "What brands of adhesive notes are you using?"  If anybody has a way to get in touch with John, I would also like to ask him he uses the ubiquitous BIC Round Stic as well to flush out the using Office Supplies theme.

3x5 Rectangular Post-it Note

It is obvious that he prefers to use the slightly less common rectangular Post-it notes and the blog title does say he uses Post-it notes so we'll assume he uses the proper 3M branded stuff.  He does have some pieces that use a square Post-it note, but the most common stuff now is on a rectangular Post-it note.  If you have a penchant for monsters in your office doodles you'll want to click that ghastly image above and check out his work.  If the monsters were more cartoony and poorly drawn, surrounding notes about synergistic interactions, it would look like something from my regular meeting notes.

Girly Office Supplies

I've been married long enough to know that I don't know a whole lot about what kind of things the fairer sex are interested in.  Sex and the City?  Sex and the City The Movie?  Sex and the City The Movie Part 2?  I'll never understand the appeal.  I tried to watch part of an episode once, to try to keep up with the pop culture and see what the kids were watching.  After a couple minutes of them making baby noises at shoes and talking about something else boring I changed the channel to watch some robots kill people.  I accept that my tastes are not universal (see Lifetime Movie Network as evidence) and in the interest of fairness I present these Office Supplies for people like Sex and the City.

Tape Dispenser Shaped Like High Heeled Shoe

If you watch Sex and the City you might know enough about shoes to say that this was styled after such and such a shoe from such and such a season, but the only thing I know about high heeled shoes is they come with in varieties, expensive and uncomfortable (sometimes both).  This shoe shaped tape dispenser is made by 3M and since they are the Scotch tape people you know that they make a good dispenser.  It comes with one roll, and of course tape refills are easy to come by.

Post-it Dispenser Shaped Like Purse

Those marketing geniuses know that females are tempted by more than just shoes, some of them love purses too.  So they have created a Post-it dispenser that is shaped like a purse complete with pseudo-crocodile-skin-textured plastic.  It  comes with a special pad of Pop-Up Post-it Pads that are unavailable anywhere else (they alternate between hot-pink and bright-green).  You can buy plain-Jane pop-up refill pads, but if you want the special ones you can just buy another purse shaped dispenser.

Pink Stapler for Breast Cancer

Sadly, 3M stopped innovating on their Sex in the City themed office supplies and doesn't have a lipstick shaped pencil sharpener for us, but those guys over at PaperPro have created a great pink stapler that will look great on your desk next to your shoe and purse shaped dispensers.  This stapler does more than just proclaim to the world that you are a proud carrier of two X chromosomes, it helps raise some funds for Cancer research.

It's Like a Giant Post-it Note

A fairly common situation has been playing out in board rooms across the globe.  People are sitting down for an important meeting, writing important things on their high-quality whiteboard with their high-quality whiteboard markers when they suddenly find themselves running out of room.  At this point the options are fairly limited, but if they had thought ahead they wouldn't be in this predicament.  If there was some extra cash in the department they could have bought a fancy electronic whiteboard that would allow them to print or email the current contents of the whiteboard, then erase it and continue writing.  If a lower-tech solution is preferred they could just purchase an easel pad that would allow them the ability to write on multiple pages, but force them to flip between pages when referencing previous materials.

MMM559 is Like a Giant Post-it Note

Closer to the easel pad on the technology scale, but using some kind of space-age technology developed by 3M, the Post-it Self-Stick Easel Pad is like the common every day ordinary easel pad, but it each page has an adhesive back allowing it to be removed and affixed to walls, tables, or any other flat surface.  So when the first page of important bullet points is full, tear it off and stick it on the wall and continue writing.  Certain amounts of care should be taken so the adhesive doesn't peel paint off from conference room walls or priceless antiques when the meeting is adjourned, but the product description does say "most walls" won't be damaged during this process.  Universal does sell a more affordable alternative to the Post-it Self-Stick Easel Pad, the Universal Self-Stick Easel Pad.  With the same number of sheets and the same sheet size the only difference is price... and the keen product images.

Self-Stick Easel Pads Make Every Meeting a Party

Just look at those people having a meeting with a Self-Stick Easel Pad, nobody couldn't have a better time.  See how the guy leading the meeting was able to remove the pages for "Agenda" and "Growth Opportunities" and stick them on the wall?  He essentially has an infinite surface area to cover with his ideas and other non-sequitur buzz-words.  The people at the meeting room table are so confident in his presentation skills that they haven't written anything down in their legal pads because they know they can reference those adhesive backed pages at any time.  They probably should have put their coffee cups on coasters of some kind.