Clear Acrylic Office Supplies

Just last week I took notice of the clear acrylic stapler from Kantek and thought it was the bees knees. Shortly after that one of my coworkers let me know that Kantek has a whole line of clear acrylic office Supplies. Most of them aren't very interesting but I'm pulling out all the stops here with my list of the top ten clear acrylic office supplies.

#10. Paper Towel Dispenser

I'll admit a paper towel dispenser isn't very glamorous, but hey it is number 10 right?  It'll only get better from here.  There aren't going to be many people who need this, but those who do appreciate it.  Because the towel holder is clear you can easily see, from any angle how many paper towels you have.  You can also easily see if the dispenser is starting to gather dust and gunk at the bottom that you'll need to clean out.  A black dispenser would hide all the dirt.

#9 Glove Box Holder

This product earns its place on the list just for being a product with good reviews.  A box that holds boxes.  Seems obtuse?  Well it is, but people who need it, need it.

#8 Letter/Paper Sorter

Ever thought you lost some paperwork because it was hidden by the large opaque potions of plastic on your sorter?  Well lose them no more.  If you happen to attach a Post-It note to a Quarterly Report you'll be able to see it slightly better than if it was hidden behind a black or brown chunk of plastic.

#7 Double Letter Tray

File this under useful!  So far the products here have not been universally usable.  I'd consider them niche products, but the standard In/Out paper file is a universal necessity.  When crafted from clear acrylic it is a universal nicety as well.

#6 Paperclip Holder

Okay, so I know this is a pretty terrible photo.  The manufacturer removed the background of the photo without replacing it with something realistic.  But everybody needs a paper clip holder, and most of the paper clip holders just look like little cups.  This is a cool looking object, but the lack of magnet means it has to be dropped down at #7.  Without a magnet in your paperclip holder it means you'll be throwing paperclips around like a chimpanzee throws you-know-what.

#5 Business Card Holder

So in all fairness the Paperclip holder should be above this business card holder because I don't actually know anybody who keeps a stash of their own business cards on their desk.  I wanted to punish the paperclip holder so that maybe next time it would include a magnet.  I don't like this business card holder very much, but it does match the set.

#4 Monitor Stand

What is there to say about the functionality and design of a monitor stand?  Not much.  It raises your monitor to a level that is more ergonomic so you don't have to use your neck if you don't want to.  The real feat here is that it's a wide stance monitor stand with only supports on the left and right.  Acrylic can do amazing things when used in a thick slice.  One reviewer of this product noted that it can hold much larger and heavier things than listed, but that kind of activity is a at-your-own-risk kind of thing.

#3 Tape Dispenser

This is the product that launched a thousand ships... or at least inspired one blog posting. What is there to say about this except that is is a near perfect application of acrylic in office supplies?

#2 Stapler

The clear acrylic stapler earns its position as the second greatest clear acrylic product not because it is a great product or because it is better than all the other products but because it is a true oddity.  I imagine a trust of marketing gurus crowded around a drafting table brainstorming about what product they could possibly sell to go along their other clear acrylic office accessories.  All the important bits of the stapler are still metal, but they are wrapped in clear acrylic.  A perfect shoehorning of materials onto an object.

#1 AcryLight Letter Tray System

Up to this point all the acrylic products have just been straight bits that have been cut, glued, and occasionally ground into shapes that just work.  The folks at AcryLight have taken it one step further.  In order to create the letter tray pictured above you'll need to purchase two AcryLight Letter Trays and one set of AcryLight Connectors (yes everything is sold separately). As I was saying these are just straight slabs of acrylic glued together, they have actually molded the acrylic so that your papers sit on a concave shelf so they aren't going to just fly out.  You'll still be able to remove them, but a slight incline of your desk isn't going to dump all your paperwork about.  Sure the AcryLight system might be a little on the pricey side, but can you really put a price on style?

Modernize Your Office

Let's face it, your office is pretty boring. You've got your affordable but well-meaning office chair (probably fake leather) sitting behind your desk of ugly but utilitarian office supplies perched atop your extremely durable, neutral colored, easily maintained carpet. BORING!

Here's three quick products that will give your office a quick makeover and wow your coworkers.

Bamboo Chair Mat

Unless you own your business you are at the mercy of whatever flooring is installed in your building. You aren't going to get away with ripping up the carpet in your office and replacing it all, but you can put down a great looking chair mat. You can buy a couple and really spruce things up. Anji Mountain Bamboo Mats come in a variety of shapes and shades. They are made of bamboo, so you know you aren't deforesting South America to make them either.

Clear Acrylic Tape Dispenser

Most of the stuff on your desk isn't replaceable. You've got your computer equipment and your phone and various other things. If your office is like mine most of the stuff on your desk wasn't purchased for looks, but for low cost at high quantity. Fortunately, this cool modern tape dispenser is affordable and has looks that kill. The standard tape dispenser hasn't really changed since scotch tape was first introduced.

Red Leather Waiting Room Chair

I can't in good conscience recommend a cool office desk chair because everybody likes a different kind of chair and you'll be sitting in it more than you ever care to truly admit. So comfort is way more important than looks. However, you've got to have a couple chairs when visitors stop by or when people are waiting for you. It doesn't matter much about how comfortable they are. The chairs will be empty most of the time anyway so why not get something that looks cool. These red chairs are the peak of modern design and in red leather you'll know everybody will enjoy looking at them even if they don't enjoy sitting in them.

Toby Keith - Plastics Enthusiast

If you have attended a social gathering where a certain portion of the clientele were of the Country or Western persuasion you probably were privileged enough to have "Red Solo Cup" played on the Jukebox or iPod stereo. Toby Keith has taken a break from his usual patriotic musical stylings to branch off into the highly lucrative market of writing catchy corporate jingles.

Red Solo Cup - I'll Fill You Up

Sure the track "Red Solo Cup" isn't actually brought to you by Solo Cup Company, but the manufacturer certainly didn't attempt to distance itself from the song. Following in their footsteps, I will make sure I don't distance myself from the marketing opportunity either.  Red Solo cups are certainly meant to be filled up, and whether or not you decide to have a party while using them is up to you.  I prefer to bring out the cups when I have a picnic but that's just me.

I didn't take the time to actually listen to the song, but I do recall that it was played once in the background while I was attempting to watch some college football at a local drinking establishment. I had to do a quick Google search of the lyrics and even though Mr. Keith goes out of his way to espouse the many finer points of the Red Solo Cup he also decides to make a wise crack about how the cups do have a tendency to split down the side if not cared for properly. Now I haven't seen his tax returns, but I'm fairly sure that if it was a problem serious enough to merit a line in a song he probably could afford to purchase some another receptacle for his friends and family to drink out of.

But what does this fairly benign tune about friendly gatherings and a country singer's preferred drinking utility have to do with office supplies? First, I would like to point out that you can purchase the Red Solo Cups at a fairly good discount from office supply stores. Second, about two thirds of the way through the song he mentions using a Sharpie to clearly label his cup. He seems to think a clearly labeled cup might lead to getting to know one of the "ladies" a little better. If a clearly written label is important you should probably supply your guests with a white permanent label they can write on and attach to their cups. I happen to believe that the primary purpose of labeling any cup would be to avoid any confusion when 4 or more identical Red Solo Cups are placed on a table.

Sharpies- Important Labeling Tool for Party Goers

Have the Dixie Chicks recorded Blue Solo Cup in response? Are the Dixie Chicks even still around?

Office supplies to unstink your kitchen.

If you like to use sponges in your regular cleaning activities, and I know a lot of people do that you know you are supposed to sanitize them regularly and get rid of them fairly often.  The biggest problem that everybody has with sponges is that they don't take long before they start to seriously stink.  Most of that stink comes from the fact that you lay your sponge down and the bottom never dries properly but instead starts to gather a wonderfully mildew and must smell.  One user on imgur found a novel way to solve the uneven drying problem by using a simple Binder Clip.

Simple Kitchen DIY

Whoever this person is they really have their stuff together.  You can tell by the bright orange color of the sponge that it is clearly an O-Cel-O Sponge by 3M.  They are known as some of the best anti-microbial, anti-bacterial sponges, but as much as you and I both trust all 3M products you'll still need to replace them just as regularly as any other sponge.

Look at that extremely fashionable binder clip.  You can't easily tell exactly what color the clip actually is because the clip it self is reflective and on a reflective sink with a radioactive orange sponge, but you can tell it is red.  Upon a closer inspection you can see that the clips have a rubberized coating on the steel wires so it was easy to track down a reasonable replica.

Rubber Coated Binder Clips

Comparing the red between the two clips looks like the match is pretty much spot on.  Of course, if this was my kitchen I wouldn't have gone for the red binder clip.  The metallic red binder clip, the toxic orange sponge, the granite counter top, the sea-foam green soap and the chrome sink are just too many colors at once for my puny brain to comprehend.  I probably would have just stuck with the green clip since it kind of matches the soap's green hue.  That's just me though.  I have been accused of being color blind on more than one occasion.

Tape Stop-Motion/Time-Lapse

Before you venture down this path, you must first watch this video...






Each of the big setups easily contains more than 100 full rolls of tape.  With that many rolls of tape in use you know that Johan Rijpma didn't splash out and spend money on the high quality Scotch brand tape, but probably went for something more generic.  Looking at the tape you can see the rolls aren't very transparent at all so he didn't even go for the fully "invisible" tape.

This video did start a bit of an inner office conversation about what is Stop Motion and what is Time Lapse.  Which we basically decided that Time Lapse and Stop Motion are almost identical with the differentiation that that Stop Motion involves an outside force moving or altering the scene that is being filmed.

One could argue that most of the video here is Time Lapse, but the portions starting around 1:30 clearly take place as the base is rotating.  You can notice at those particular times that the tape does seem to stop ascending as well, so not much actual time lapsed.

Highland Transparent Tap is Affordable 3M Tape

If you just need some inexpensive tape and don't need it to be invisible, you don't need to look any further than the Highland Brand Transparent Tape.  It is manufactured by 3M just like Scotch Brand Tapes but it is more utilitarian for offices and times when complete invisibility isn't a necessity.  Judging from the video, the tape used there isn't completely clear, and sometimes even has a yellowish tinge.  Unless you are wrapping Christmas presents or doing scrap-booking a little yellow color in your tape won't hurt anything.

If you've stuck with me this far and Time-Lapse really isn't your thing you deserve a reward.  Here's a bit of Stop Motion for you.

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.

John Gruber's Favorite Pen

If you don't know John Gruber, you aren't missing a whole lot.  He's a minor Internet celebrity.  He is not on the level of Wil Wheaton or Felicia Day, but he is kind of like a less creepy Richard Stallman.  A lot of people turn to Mr. Gruber to learn why the Yankees are awesome or why WordPress sucks.  He is generally regarded as a person who does take time to make well reasoned analysis on all things Apple from time to time, but that's all boring mish-mash when you are visiting a blog about Office Supplies.

On October 11th he posted to his site, Daring Fireball, about his favorite pen.  Anybody who takes the time to write anything about a pen is okay in my book.  He claims that the Zebra Sarasa 0.4mm Push Clip is his favorite pen and anybody who is not buying pens imported from Japan is not using a very good pen. While I agree with him on many things I have to disagree on this particular issue. There is no reason to waste money buying pens imported from Japan for $2.20 when an almost identical pen, for the average user, is available for less than $1 (when bought in a box of 12).

0.5mm Zebra Sarasa Gel

I would like to first go on the record as officially stating that I have never used the particular pen that Mr. Gruber is referring to, but that I have use many pens, and many are similar in style to his favorite pen.

First, I agree that no pen, dollar for dollar, beats a Zebra Sarasa.  I accidentally took the last Zebra Sarasa that I had at the office home and gave it to my waitress that evening.  The next day I tried to just use a Pilot G2, but it didn't take long before it put a nice big blob on my paper that I stuck my hand in and smeared all over.  In a fit of rage I threw the pen (lightly) to the carpet on the other side of my office and went scavenging for a replacement Sarasa.  Luckily, I found a few sitting unused in my neighbors drawers that they'll never miss (shhhh).  Coincidentally, when I came into work the next day there was a Zebra Sarasa multi-pack waiting for me.

The extra big clip on the imported Sarasa is kind of cool, but is it really worth it?  How often do you actually clip you pen to a small book?  The standard single plastic clip piece works for me just fine.  With a 0.4mm tip is the imported pen's tip really that much different from the 0.5mm version?  Not enough to convince me to pay double.

Everybody gets to have their own favorite pen, but the important thing is to make sure that if you lose your pen you won't feel like your world will come to an end.  So when you accidentally give your pen to the tow truck driver do you want to be out $2.20 or $0.89.  I'll gladly take two of the 0.5mm standard Zebra Sarasa pens over one 0.4mm fancy Zebra Sarasa any day.