"Office Supplies - More Interesting Facts"

Just thought I would brighten up your Monday with some more fun facts about Office Supplies - I promise you this is the last in the series.

We all use Office Supplies and most of us take them for granted, we use the same pens, same paper, same ink cartridges etc. and we often just re-order them without thinking.

Last week I went into a well known office supplies company to pick up an ink cartridge and was shocked when I went to pay for it. The price had gone up by 40% since I bought the last one early in the year, and they are not cheap in the first place. Such an increase will certainly make me look elsewhere.

Did You Know?

1. The world’s first printer was invented in 1440. Okay, officially this refers to the world’s first printing press, which was invented around 1440 by Gutenberg for the Holy Roman Empire. Nonetheless, the same press-type technique is still evident in many of today’s office toner printers, which press ink onto paper from a roller rather than a flat surface.

2. The world’s first stapler was created for King Louis XIV. The first stapler known to man was created for the king of France during the 18th Century. Not only that, but according to records, each staple was inscribed with an insignia of the royal court – which is all very fancy, even by the opulent standards set by France’s royal families.

3. In the UK, 45 million ink cartridges are sent to land-fill sites a year. To help you visualise this fact, that is enough ink cartridges to stretch the length of Hadrian’s Wall (73 miles) 15 times. Or, alternatively, to cover the football pitch at Manchester United’s ground, Old Trafford, 17 times.

4. The world’s most expensive pen sold for $8 million. The Fulgor Nocturnus, manufactured by the famous Florence pen makers Tibaldi, sold for $8million dollars at a Shanghai auction in 2010. Are you asking yourself how? Well, the pen is decorated with 945 black diamonds, 123 rubies and, quite frankly, some people are just crazy.

5. If everyone in UK offices saved one staple a day, it would equate to 72 tonnes of metal each year! 72 tonnes in metal weighs more than two and a bit train carriages, which is a lot of metal.

6. There is now an Office Supplies Franchise. Yes, there is a great opportunity to run your own business, share in the success of an established company and have fun at the same time.

If you have experienced a rise in prices for your office supplies, or poor service, or you would like to run your own business have a look at Crane Business Solutions who have been supplying companies for over 15 years and have an enviable reputation in the industry. www.cranebusinesssolutions.com or www.cranefranchise.co.uk.

Enjoy Your Week,

Len

Len Rainford The Franchise Specialist [email protected] www.thefranchisespecialist.co.uk

07795 960320