Monday, March 29, 2004
http://www.officemuseum.com/paper_clips.htm
Today, I am going to discuss the proper use of a paper clip. It's a trivial little piece of office equipment, but it can make your life more or less of a hassle when you know how to use them!
Paper clips were invented by Samuel B. Fay in 1867. They were designed to hold tickets to fabric. Not until 1899 were they advertised and used for keeping papers together.
The good
Here are some proper uses of the paper clip:
• keeping a multi paged document together
• marking pages in a book (if you are out of sticky notes)
• Extra strength for a sticky note (because sometimes they just won’t stick!)
• They don’t tear papers
• They hold a large amount of papers
• They take less space than a binder clip does in a file
• they are easy to use and don’t hurt your hands (I have a dear friend that has a hard time using the binder clips because of carpal tunnel syndrome)
• They are cheap!
The bad
From time to time I see frustrating results from paper clips:
• rust on important papers (this especially occurs in moist climate, like Seattle--known for its mold)
• Important papers that have stuck together, that were not meant to be stuck together (yes, that is right; they cling on to anything in their sight!)
• They catch together when you are trying to get one out of a box
• Dents in important papers or in a valuable book (you may not think this is important, but when you have a resume with dents at the top, people notice)
The bottom line:
Use paper clips for short-term unimportant papers, but not for long-term files or other important papers.
If you feel frustrated like I do from paper clips, I suggest purchasing these from Staples instead of paper clips!
Today, I am going to discuss the proper use of a paper clip. It's a trivial little piece of office equipment, but it can make your life more or less of a hassle when you know how to use them!
Paper clips were invented by Samuel B. Fay in 1867. They were designed to hold tickets to fabric. Not until 1899 were they advertised and used for keeping papers together.
The good
Here are some proper uses of the paper clip:
• keeping a multi paged document together
• marking pages in a book (if you are out of sticky notes)
• Extra strength for a sticky note (because sometimes they just won’t stick!)
• They don’t tear papers
• They hold a large amount of papers
• They take less space than a binder clip does in a file
• they are easy to use and don’t hurt your hands (I have a dear friend that has a hard time using the binder clips because of carpal tunnel syndrome)
• They are cheap!
The bad
From time to time I see frustrating results from paper clips:
• rust on important papers (this especially occurs in moist climate, like Seattle--known for its mold)
• Important papers that have stuck together, that were not meant to be stuck together (yes, that is right; they cling on to anything in their sight!)
• They catch together when you are trying to get one out of a box
• Dents in important papers or in a valuable book (you may not think this is important, but when you have a resume with dents at the top, people notice)
The bottom line:
Use paper clips for short-term unimportant papers, but not for long-term files or other important papers.
If you feel frustrated like I do from paper clips, I suggest purchasing these from Staples instead of paper clips!
