Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Organize your Workspace

A couple hours spent organizing documents now, can save you days of searching and prevent the loss of irreplaceable items. Whether you need storage for maps, blueprints, plans, or paper document organization is important in every office.

  • Keep everyday documents accessible. Safco Hanging File Centers sort documents with hanging clamps (holding up to 100 pages). Clamps can be labeled and easily accessed. The whole drawing stand can be relocated without disturbing your documents.
  • Make the most of your space. Limited work areas make every inch count. Consider using Safco’s Cubicle Wall Blueprint Rack to free floor and desk space. For discreet storage Safco offers a Rolling Project File cart which can slide under a desk. This cart will hold letter and legal size folders or 12 Hanging Clamps which are sold separately. Both compact items will both hold up 600 documents each!
  • Store long term items in a safe place. Don’t let valuable documents be exposed to everyday hazards like dirty hands and sunlight. Place them in a storage room where they won’t be disturbed but are accessible. Two popular options are The Vfile for flat storage and The Manager for rolled drawing storage. They are stackable and have front, side, and top labeling for drawing identification from any viewing angle. For a more permanent solution consider a steel file cabinet for storing your drawings, art, and blueprints. Safco features a stackable five drawer flat file and a Deep Steel Drawing Roll File.
  • Keep your documents protected. Documents can be fragile and are often irreplaceable. Don’t wait till a disaster occurs to protect against it. Consider securing them from common risks.
    • Fire and Water –Safco Ultima File System has fire-resistant double steel walls and a water resistant apron.
      • A less expensive way to protecting against water damage is with Alvin’s Clear Vinyl Cover or a plastic blueprint bag.
    • Security- The Safco Ultima File System includes a lock. If a more economical option is needed consider Safco’s Lock Kit for use with their 5-Drawer Cabinets.

Once you have an organization system in place, don’t let it fall by the way side! Put things away as they come in or sort them into piles to file at the end of the day. Try to pick a day every week to sort documents that might have been forgotten. Friday might be the perfect day. When Monday comes, you are greeted with a clean and organized workspace, ready to start your week off in the right direction.

Don’t Forget… These small items can save even more time and money!

Rollabels: Tired of counting the label grid? Label the documents directly! With Rollabels you can even color code your documents.

Binding: This is a great to keep a set of blueprints together. Paper Blueprints bindings are available in multiple colors and two different sizes.

Blueprint Covers: Don’t let one rainy day out on the job ruin your blueprint. Consider Alvin Clear Vinyl sleeves for storage and field work.

Portfolios: Need to have a transportable storage option? Try a water-resistant expandable portfolio. It can fit framed artwork, print boxes, bulky samples, blueprints and more.

Mailing: Make sure they get to where they’re going in good condition with rolled blueprint mailer boxes and blueprint shipping bags.