Paper shredder

To maintain a clean and efficient environment in your office, you should plan your waste disposal facilities for paper and other rubbish carefully. Even a single employee uses a huge amount of paper, so any system that enables you to recycle paper will be of great benefit.

Part of your paper-recycling system must include a good paper shredder.

Paper shredder disposes office clutter and classified info

A paper shredder is not only a great way to get rid of the office’s clutter, but it also help destroy documents that contain your personal and your business confidential information. Hence, you should not allow your office to be without at least one paper shredder. A paper shredder should not cost that much to your business because prices have dramatically decreased in recent years. You can buy adequate paper shredders ranging from 25 dollars to a hundred dollars. But a paper shredder with better quality will cost you a few hundred dollars.

Before you shop for a paper shredder, you should take into account the average bulk of papers that you will have to shred. This should give you an idea of the capacity and the shredding speed of the paper shredder that you need in your office. You should also determine the types of papers that you are going to shred, and the privacy level of your company.

There are basically two types of paper shredders: strip-cut paper shredder and cross-cut paper shredder.

Strip-cut Shredders

Strip-cut paper shredders can cut up papers into long (similar to the length of the original paper), thin strips. Generally, these paper shredders which employ rotating knives can shred more paper than other types and have only low maintenance requirements.

Strip-cut paper shredders produce a shred size from 1/8- to 1/2-inch. Because of its shredded size that does not compress well, shredded documents passing through a strip-cut paper shredder can be easily reassembled by the crooks for the purpose of getting hold of your confidential information. You may want to choose the other type of paper shredder.

Cross-cut Shredders

Cross-cut paper shredders are more secure because they cut paper both horizontally and vertically which produces confetti-like pieces. This makes the shredded paper very difficult to reconstruct. On the downside, cross-cut paper shredders are more expensive than strip-cut paper shredders. Cross-cut paper shredders also have a slower shredding speed.

Aside from the paper shredder itself, you should also choose the right size of container for the shredded papers. Most paper shredders are fitted with their trash receptacle. Some paper shredders include wheeled cabinets, which make them easy to move around. Remember that the most common cause of paper jams is that the shredded papers have overflowed from the bags. You may want to buy a paper shredder with an indicator that gives an alert when it is time to remove accumulated shreds and empty the bag.

To keep your paper shredder (especially the cross-cut type) working properly, don’t forget to oil the cutters as often as possible. Make sure to clean the cutting head of the paper shredder at least once each year. Because its cutter does more work, a cross-cut paper shredder may not last that long if you do not maintain it properly.

To troubleshoot a paper shredder that does not stop to run, you should check if the photo eye located in the middle of the feed chute does not have any obstruction. A possible cause of the malfunction of the paper shredder is the accumulated paper dust and oil. You should disconnect the paper shredder, and wipe this photo-electric eye clean, using a soft rag or cotton swab. For further troubleshooting tips of your paper shedder, you must consult the owner’s manual.