BuyOnlineNow's Back to School Sale is on! Now thru August 31st, save up to 10% on thousands of essentials, notebooks, calculators, art paper, folders & lots more.

Visit BuyOnlineNow's School Supplies page to start saving!

3M Keyboard Trays

You've heard about keyboard trays, but how to choose the right one? Here's some helpful information from 3M

Easily adjust your keyboard and mouse to your correct ergonomic position and work in comfort with the help of a 3M™ keyboard tray.

There are many Adjustable Keyboard Tray (AKT) options to choose from today, making it difficult to determine which is the best solution for your situation. This quick guide will help explain the features that end users and specialists in the field find most important.

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Stability

Stability, or rather instability - the degree of "bounciness" or "slop" in an AKT - impacts typing and mousing comfort. Minimizing this instability is essential for workplace productivity and is driven by the quality of the keyboard tray's construction.

All Adjustable Keyboard Trays from 3M™ meet the ANSI/BIFMA x 5.5 - 1998 standard for stability and safety.

Ease of Adjustability

AKT height and tilt adjustability is essential for workstation ergonomics. Generally it is more advantageous for the height and tilt control mechanisms to be independent of each other. This way, the height of the keyboard can be adjusted without losing the tilt angle, and vice versa.

There are typically three types of height adjustment systems:

Mousepad Adjustability

Mousepads on AKTs are generally available in two forms:

• Not adjustable - integrated as part of the keyboard platform
• Adjustable - mouse platform is separate from the keyboard platform and has varying degrees of adjustability

Range of Adjustability

Adjustable Keyboard Trays feature many degrees of adjustability, including height, tilt, lateral sliding and swivel.

Height -

While seated at a standard 29" high desktop, AKT height will rarely need to go above the desktop. Many ergonomists recommend sit/stand capable workstations in which the worker can alternate throughout the day between sitting and standing at the workstation. This is beneficial because it varies the muscle groups used, increases blood flow and reduces the risk of repetitive stress injuries. AKTs with sit/stand capability enable this behavior and will typically rise several inches above the desktop.

Tilt -

Keyboard platforms should offer tilt adjustment in order to keep one's wrists in a neutral position. The greater the degree of negative tilt, or forward tilt, the more ergonomic the AKT is.

Lateral Sliding -

This feature enables users to adjust the left/right position of the keyboard to fit exact workstation configurations. Swivel. A common feature that enables users to adjust the position of their keyboard relative to the workstation.

Track & Arm Length

AKTs generally feature either a short (less than 17") or long (more than 21") track and arm length, each with unique benefits.

• Long tracks and arms are compatible with corner workstations where the keyboard must extend beyond the edges of the desk. They will also work on regular straight-on workstations providing there is ample depth underneath the work surface.
• Short tracks and arms are generally less expensive and perfect for regular straight-on and especially shallow workstations. They are not suitable, however, for corner workstations where a longer length is required.

Wrist Rest Construction

Wrist Rests for both keyboard and mouse are essential to encouraging a neutral, ergonomic wrist position. Wrist Rests are made out of many materials including gel, foam and hard plastic. Gel-filled wrist rests provide the maximum comfort level, and all 3M™ AKTs feature gel-filled wrist rests for both keyboard and mouse.

For more information visit 3M Workspace Solutions or BuyOnlineNow's 3M Keyboard Trays page.

WEBWIRE – Monday, April 20, 2009

April 22nd is Earth Day. Earth Day is a day in which people are encouraged to become more aware of our environmental impact, and to learn new ways to help prolong the life of our planet. At BuyOnlineNow.com, it is also a day you can save 20% on all environmentally friendly office supplies.

Earth Day was started in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and is celebrated in many different countries worldwide. In America during the mid and late 1960s, there was an awakening among many people that coincided with the hippie movement, which resulted in a stronger appreciation for the earth that left many people asking what they could do to help protect the planet from destructive practices such as pollution and deforestation. April 22nd, 1970, the first official Earth Day, marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement.

BuyOnlineNow has a commitment to providing their customers with environmentally friendly alternatives to many of the popular office supplies they sell. In March of 2007, they opened their “Go Green” option of office supply and office product shopping. By using a strict guideline of listing only products that are made from at least 30% post consumer waste as “green,” or environmentally safe biodegradable material, BuyOnlineNow ensures that their “Go Green” program truly gives their customers the best option to make earth-friendly choices when shopping for office supplies. Ring binders, file folders, Post-it notes, cleaning supplies and calendars are just some of the office supply options available in “green” alternatives. BuyOnlineNow hopes that by offering a one day only discount of 20% on all eco-friendly office products, they can help raise awareness among their customers that there are more responsible options available for those that want to do their part to help the earth.

Since 2000, BuyOnlineNow.com has been selling office supplies and office furniture online. They currently stock over 27,900 different products in 85 distribution centers across America. BuyOnlineNow.ca opened in March 2007, offering more than 9000 products from 5 distribution centers located throughout Canada.

BuyOnlineNow was named to the Inc 500 list of fastest growing companies in America in both 2005 and 2006 and the Inc 5000 list in 2007 and 2008. BuyOnlineNow was also included in Internet Retailer Magazine’s Guide to the top 500 online retailers in 2007 and 2008.

For more information visit our web sites: http://www.buyonlinenow.com and http://www.buyonlinenow.ca.

Sharpie will recently be releasing a brand new product that we here at BuyOnlineNow are really excited about, a stainless steel Sharpie marker.  Sharpie has been very successful with the time-proven design of their sharpie permanent markers, sturdy construction, comfortable grip, smooth and even writing capabilities and a clip to fasten the marker to your pocket.  Now, with a stainless steel cap and body, the sharpie permanent marker has become more, well, permanent.

Not only does the stainless steel enclosure ensure that your marker will last forever, but it really brings the aesthetics to a whole new level.  Seeing it in person, one can really admire the smooth shine of the steel as it twinkles under the fluorescent lighting of the office, much like a movie star’s eyes reflect the hundreds of paparazzi flash bulbs as they walk the red carpet of a big time Hollywood movie premier.  The rich, elegant steel absorbs the ambiance of whatever room you’re in, instantly making you feel like the star of the show, and is sure to give it’s handler an instant and lasting sense of purpose and self-assuredness.  The brushed shaft is deliciously accented by the shininess of the clip and ring, while the understated yet bold Sharpie logo along the side projects a sense of sure-handedness that signifies the heroic personality the marker unflinchingly exhibits.

There are no worries of running out of ink either, as changing the refill is as simple as unscrewing the empty one and screwing in the fresh one.  My initial feeling, is that the marker is sure to cause ripples throughout the industry for quite a while, as putting this much power into peoples hands could reflect incredible, long-lasting changes and shake up the way we look at permanent markers.  I’m excited to see what happens.

Stainless Steel Sharpie permanent markers are available now, so my recommendation is to start mentally and physically preparing yourself so you’ll be ready to not only act, but also react, when this powerful piece of machinery finds it’s way into your hands.

Also, there's a great write up about the new Stainless Steel Sharpies on the OfficeSupplyGeek blog, I highly recommend reading. 

There are many reasons why using a remanufactured printer cartridge can make sense for your particular situation.  I’m going to go over some of these reasons and also try to dispel the myth that remanufactured ink cartridges are of low quality.

First of all, using remanufactured ink cartridges is good for the environment.  This is becoming an increasingly important factor for companies and customers.  Our landfills are filling up very rapidly, and every little thing we can do helps to prolong the lifespan of us and our planet.  Using remanufactured toner cartridges keeps them out of the landfills and puts them back into circulation.

Another great reason for using remanufactured toner cartridges is cost.  This can be very important especially as our economy seems to keep taking turns for the worse.  Ink cartridges are the second most purchased office supply in workplaces across America behind paper.  If companies knew they could be saving as much as 50% a year on ink cartridges by switching to a remanufactured model, they would probably be used quite a bit more.

A big reason why many people and companies aren’t using remanufactured ink cartridges is that they are concerned about the quality.  Up until a few years ago, there were many companies, large and small, remanufacturing ink cartridges with little or no guidelines to follow.  However, now there are strict regulations to follow and a much higher standard of product are being produced.  Companies like Nukote, for example, even offer 100% lifetime guarantees on their remanufactured ink cartridges.  On top of that, they are so confident with their products that they will repair or replace your printer should their cartridge ever fail, and cause any damage.

So, at a time when we are looking for the best way to spend less, remanufactured ink cartridges might just be a great way to start saving you and your company money. Plus it will help you feel good that you are doing something to help save our fragile environment.