Regardless of the role, you play in your business, being organized is the key to being efficient. The poor organization will cost you a great deal in terms of time and money. One of the keys to keeping your office running efficiently is your file cabinet. Research shows that this piece of office furniture can keep you from wasting time on locating documents, so you have more time to focus on the work at hand.
What to Consider When Buying a File Cabinet
When you look at this office furniture, you’ll see that there are plenty of different varieties to choose from. It’s important to think about these things before you head out to purchase your new file cabinet.
Size
This is probably the most important factor in your decision. To begin with, you need to consider what size documents you’ll be storing in its drawers. With these dimensions in mind, your next consideration is how much storage space you need. You also need to consider the structure’s overall size, which will depend on the size and shape of your office.
Type
The most common types of filing cabinets are lateral, mobile, vertical, flat, and open shelves. We’ll go into more detail on the pros and cons of each below. There are several different types of office furniture to choose from here. There isn’t one type that’s better than another, so here’s what you’ll find:
- Lateral filing cabinets are typically seen in large offices because they have multiple drawers for holding a lot of paperwork. They allow you to file from side-to-side using both letter- and legal-size hanging folders.
- Vertical file cabinets are better in tighter offices because they don’t take up as much wall space. While they have a lot of drawers, they don’t hold as much as lateral filing cabinets because these drawers are narrower, and paperwork fits in them from front to back.
- Mobile cabinets are easily moved throughout your office. While this is great, this office furniture is typically small enough to beneath a desk.
- Open shelf cabinets look like a bookshelf, so you’ll use folders and binders here. These are nice if you have excess space, don’t expect your business to grow significantly, and don’t need to “hide” confidential information.
Flat file cabinets aren’t very common, but they’re useful when you need something to hold items (e.g., blueprints, oddly shaped or sized files) that don’t fit neatly into regular files. These don’t hold as much paperwork, though.
Fire safety
Consider how sensitive or valuable the paperwork you’re storing in your file cabinet will be. If it’s important and irreplaceable, you’ll want to spend a little extra money to purchase a fireproof cabinet. Typically, these are also water and theft resistant as well.
Aesthetics
The way this office furniture looks may not matter all that much if you just want something functional. However, when it takes up a significant part of your office, appearance matters. Fortunately, there are several different materials to choose from, including:
- Laminate or wood veneer will give you a traditional look without costing too much.
- Wood office furniture looks beautiful, but it can be costly. It also isn’t as durable as metal.
Metal is designed for hard work because it’s both solid and durable.
Plastic is both lightweight and affordable, but it doesn’t have a secure locking mechanism and may not hold up well over time.
Now that you have all these tips to use when buying your file cabinet, you may be considering buying some new office furniture. If that is the case, let us know! At Quality Installers in Cincinnati, OH, we’ll be there to help you set up your new office so that it’s the epitome of success. Contact us today.
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