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The office chair you choose plays a big role in your workday. We often give them little thought, until they break. But minute by minute, hour by hour, an office chair can help or hinder your work. Choose one that isn’t right for your particular needs and you will find yourself constantly irritated, even if you’re not fully aware of it.

Physical construction is the most basic level of a good office chair. It needs to be solidly built and the right size for you. It has to have the proper cushioning and good material. But that is only the beginning.

A good chair will adjust easily through a wide range of heights and angles to conform to your body and style. Have you ever seen an office chair where adjusting the height becomes an Olympic sport? Some designs require you to have the strength of an athlete just to raise the level an inch. Others have the opposite problem, popping up or down at the slightest touch of the lever. Avoid them.

Contemporary office chair designs will provide excellent support to the lower back. They’ll allow you to adjust the height and sometimes even the angle of the arm rests. That’s key to ensuring that you get the proper orientation to the desk and keyboard. You can then work in comfort, avoid long term health problems, and get more done in a day.

Depending on the size of your office, though, you may need more than just desk chairs for you and your partner, staff or co-workers. If you have clients or a reception area, good supplemental seating is a must. In Japan or China, what you offer your guests says a lot about how you regard them. Westerners may place less emphasis on it, but the effect is still there, if more subtle. Mesh chairs or bungee chairs are both appreciated by everyone.

The design of the primary office chair or supplemental seating can also say a lot about the business owner. We’ve all seen scenes in films of highly stylish law offices, for example. The seating isn’t just a matter of impressing clients, as important as that may be. A good design presents an image that goes beyond vanity. It establishes an air of competence, good design sense and more that can mean the difference between getting the contract or not.

Fortunately, there are hundreds of models on the market that fulfill both roles - beauty and function - very nicely. A leather-covered office chair with a cherry wood base is stylish. Wheels that never wear out with easy to reach controls make it highly utilitarian. An ergonomic chair with a rachet back adjustment puts support at just the right height for you. Great padding makes it comfortable. Stylish fabric makes it a joy to use.

Many small business owners have a tendency to resist spending on a fine chair. That’s understandable. Tight budgets are one key to success. But given the years of use and the effect a good office chair has on the decor it pays to spend a little more to get a lot more. After all, buying ugly, too-tight shoes isn’t for you. You’ll get as much use out of a good office chair as any footware.

Just as with TVs and monitors, the office projector has undergone a revolution over the past few years. What once cost $1500 or more is now only $500. At the same time, the quality and features have expanded radically.

Projectors have benefited from the same advances as monitors and TVs. While, unlike monitors and TVs, CRTs are often still the highest quality possible, LCD projectors are now an outstanding option. When considering one, look for many of the same features as you would in a monitor.

Higher resolution is generally better. A standard SVGA projector that is capable of only 800 x 600 pixels may do for some presentations. But good graphics and especially dynamic video demand better. XGA (1024 by 768) may be acceptable, but WXGA (1280 x 800) is better especially if your presentations integrate moving video with still images and PowerPoint slides. Truly high end projectors are essentially HDTV sets in miniature and offer full 1080p digital output.

Like HDTV, projectors can now show 16:9 aspect ratio images. That’s the widescreen look once limited to theaters but now a standard feature of every digital TV. The older ratio of 4:3 (the common TV picture for decades) is still around, but fading. You might have to pay a little more for this feature, though, and whether the extra cost is justified is a personal decision.

But the most exciting difference in projectors today is their newly-gained ability to integrate image types. For decades, projecting a slide, whether physical or digital from a laptop, was the only option. Now, projectors can show PowerPoint slides, streaming video and text from an Internet website. In short, they’re much more like laptops themselves.

Naturally, those features come at a price. But with prices dropping all the time, that ability will soon be standard. Also, studies show that this style of presentation leads to better recall by viewers. Give them text backed by images and video with sound and you’ve got a winner.

Also, look for models that have short-throw technology. They allow you to set the projector much closer to the screen and still have no image distortion. That can be very useful for presentations in small rooms. The machine can sit at distances as short as three feet and still project a quality 80-inch image. Older technology requires six to eight feet.

Some standard criteria still apply, though.

All projectors are rated in terms of brightness. Manufacturers have standardized and will report the figure in lumens. A higher number is better.

A rating of 1000-1500 lumens will be adequate for small offices that are projecting images in a moderately dark room. Higher numbers are better for both image quality and to allow presentations in larger or lighter rooms. A figure of 2000-3000 lumens is needed for those where you can’t draw the shades but still want to see the images clearly.

That can be really important when you want the audience to be able to take notes. It also helps in a situation in which people might be tempted to start conversations or become distracted when the lights are turned down.

Don’t forget about other common convenience features, either, such as weight. An ultra-portable projector might weigh in at under 3 lbs. One that could still be used on a road trip might be as much as 7 lbs, but could deliver a better picture.

It’s a whole new world in office projectors. Explore it.

Aiptek PJV11X PocketCinema V10 Portable Projector (Silver)

Amazon Price: $296.89
Customer Reviews:
» Sure, I am a gadget fiend and snapped this up, thinking it would be great to watch a movie or two during long winter nights. Well, I did get to watch a little bit but here are the issues:

1. Dark o...
InFocus X6 DLP Projector
Amazon Price: $390.19
Customer Reviews:
» I bought an Epson Powerlite S3 three years ago and used it for DVDs, cable and to play my Wii. With a $1,000 budget, I bought the projector, a stereo surround system, a can of low gloss white paint ...
Optoma EP-PK-101 PICO Pocket Projector- 4 oz.
Amazon Price: Too low to display
Customer Reviews:

There are several first-rate monitor vendors. But the selection process has changed over the past few years. Today, the first task is to choose the desired monitor type - CRT, LCD or plasma.

Until recently, all but those with a lot of spare cash were limited to CRT monitors. This type has a tube similar to TVs that are also now going out of style. They are still available and if your overriding goal is to get a monitor for the absolute lowest price, this is the way to go. But keep in mind the obvious: they are heavier and take up more desk space. What is not so obvious is that they no longer tend to be the highest picture quality available.

CRTs stayed around for a while because LCD and plasma monitors were much more expensive and often lower quality. Prices have changed dramatically over the past three years and the quality of a flat panel is now unmatched by all but esoteric CRTs.

Flat panel monitors divide into two types, just as they do for TVs: LCD or plasma. Just as with the TV technology that they closely resemble (in fact, they are sometimes interchangeable), each has its pros and cons, depending on the application.

Prices shift among LCD and plasma, but the latter still tend to be a little more expensive for the highest quality monitor. That will change as time goes on, but it’s impossible to predict in which direction. For a while, LCDs were rising and plasma prices decreasing.

Fortunately, plasma monitors (and TVs) no longer suffer from burn-in as they did for the first few years of production. They can now safely display the same image for months on end without retaining any permanent image on the screen.

They offer very sharp images with outstanding blacks and well-saturated colors. That’s important for those who do a lot of graphics work where the highest possible image quality is critical. They can also display rapidly moving scenes with a little more accuracy than the average LCD monitor. That’s not so important for document handling, but for those who create or manipulate a lot of video it can be worth a little extra money.

LCDs are usually a little better in a bright room, which is one reason they tend to be the more popular choice in offices. They, too, can produce ultra-sharp images. Dollar for dollar they typically offer higher resolution than plasma.

Like plasma monitors, LCD monitors have evolved over the past few years. If you haven’t looked lately, you’ll find that for the same price as those of a few years back the contrast ratio is better. Figures of 1000:1 or better are now common. The higher the better. Also, they rarely have a problem today displaying fast moving video. A good LCD will now play rapid sports video without noticeable blur. Still, some less expensive models (like their TV counterparts) are prone to drop a pixel here and there after a year or two. Exercise caution by looking on forums and at reviews for a particular one you’re considering.

Both types will offer the same light weight and slim outline, but each model differs in extras that can be nice to have. That may include such things as tilt angle, the ease with which controls are used and other factors. To some who may have to adjust them often, having good extras can definitely be worth a little extra money. At minimum, you want a monitor that is fast, displays high contrast and saturated colors, and capable of high resolution.

Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor (Black)

Amazon Price:
Customer Reviews:
» My 6 month old HP 22in went down on me (bad panel button) and needed to be sent back to factory. Since I am employed online I needed an inexpensive replacement to tide me over. I ordered this at 11:30 Tues...
Acer V173B 17" LCD Monitor
Amazon Price: $117.99
Customer Reviews:
» We bought this because we needed to put 2 monitors on one desk due to lack of room, so it was the perfect choice not only because of cost but for the room we needed. My husband and I need 2 compute...
Belkin F8N044-BRN CushTop Notebook Stand (Chocolate/Blue)
Amazon Price: $25.80
Customer Reviews:
» The laptop desk makes a great gift. I gave this one to my dad, since he spends a lot of time on his laptop for work. He often complained to me that the notebook was getting too hot. He didn't even kn...

Today, few choices are more important than the personal computers you select for the office. Whether you favor Apple or Dell or some other hardware vendor, whether your preference is for the Mac OS, Windows or Linux there are some common elements that run across any good system.

Cost is clearly the first thing that anyone will consider. We’d all like to have $10,000 to spend on every computer in the office. With that kind of money you could buy the absolute best around. But rarely is that justified for even a single personal machine, much less every computer in the office.

The specific amount is less the idea here, though, than the principle: get what you pay for, but pay for what you need. We’re all tempted to cut corners. Saving money is critical in any business, especially when starting out. But trimming the computer budget too tightly will cost you productivity all day, every day for the useful life of the machine.

It is possible to spend too much on a machine even when you think you’re getting something for that money. ‘Too much’, doesn’t mean here not getting a good deal from a vendor. It means spending money for aspects that don’t give you any value.

One current Intel processor that runs at 3.16 GHz clock speed, for example, sells for several hundred dollars more than the 3.0 GHz model. The other aspects of the two processors are almost identical. The higher number does not, in fact, mean the machine will be 5% faster. Even if the price were only 1% higher you would still be spending money unwisely. You will rarely notice the difference. There are many aspects to computer performance and this small extra speed will go unnoticed.

So, lesson one is that if you learn a little bit about what makes for good computer performance then you can avoid spending money to get essentially nothing in return. No need to be an expert yourself though it never hurts. But be sure to ask some probing questions or get someone to advise you.

Post-sales support can be equally important. No major hardware manufacturer today gives stellar post-sales support. They simply have too many customers to make it feasible to answer all the questions that come up. Most will send replacements parts or a repair person in a reasonable amount of time for machines that actually break down within the warranty period. But you should not expect much more.

That means it can be worthwhile (depending on your personal comfort level with computers and other circumstances) to purchase indirectly. Many resellers offer a great value by providing increased phone and email support, rapid on-site repair services and other value-adds if you purchase from them instead. They can do this because they have a smaller customer base, often are closer to the customer and are usually much better trained than the customer service staffs at major corporations.

Lesson two, then, is to consider how important for you is it to have rapid, reliable, knowledgeable help when something goes wrong. Hardware (and even, to a large extent, software) is very solid these days. If, when you need help you need it now and need it badly, it can easily be worth the extra 10-15% you might pay for a system.

The old saying ‘penny wise and pound foolish’ is an enduring truth, never more so than when it comes to choosing a desktop computer. For most offices today, it forms the core of a person’s productivity. It’s worthwhile to put a little extra thought into choosing one.

Iomega Prestige 500 GB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive 34270

Amazon Price: $79.99
Customer Reviews:
» Plugged the drive into my iMac 10.5.6 Leopard .... Drive popped up on desktop ..... Open TimeMachine which formatted drive and was backing up in a matter of a minute ..... Worked perfect - going to ...
Iomega Prestige 1 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive 34275
Amazon Price: $122.99
Customer Reviews:
» Well this is my first try at buying an external hard drive. I had this about a week now and cant access any info at all off of it. It makes this weird click, click noise and like freezes up I cant...
Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 (967561-0403)
Amazon Price: $29.99
Customer Reviews:
» I bought this combo as I thought it was a deal getting a keyboard and a mouse together for one low price and decided to get this one as I have had good experience in the past with Logitech brand. Th...

The two basic choices for an office printer today are the inkjet type or the laser printer. Both, in turn, are available in either color or black and white printing styles. Which is best for you?

Just as with computer monitors, the office printer has changed dramatically over the past few years. Lasers, once very expensive, have seen a sharp decline in price. Inkjets are now often given away with other purchases. But the stated purchase price isn’t the only figure you want to consider. Running cost and usable lifetime are equally important, for they determine the true cost over the long run.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers function by shooting a small jet of fast-drying ink from a cartridge onto paper. They can produce stellar output, sometimes almost indistinguishable from a photograph made from a film negative printed on special paper. Today, they’re low cost to purchase (often less than $50) and may last as long as several years.

But, they do have some drawbacks.

Inkjet printers are cheap, but - as the marketing adage goes, give away the razor and sell the blades - the cartridges can add up. A basic four-color inkjet cartridge (black and 3-primary colors that combine to make a range of tones) runs anywhere from $20-$40 or more. If you only print a few pages per day, the cost per sheet may be as low as 10 cents. But it will generally range between 25-50 cents per page. Still, that’s not a huge expense at small volumes.

But, for large volumes, the cost of cartridges can balloon into something substantial before you know it. Since they only last a few hundred pages, you may have to replace one often. Even a black-only inkjet cartridge, which might be as low as $10-$15, can last only as long as 400 pages for average documents with no graphics.

A color inkjet cartridge will often last less than half that and the cartridges are double or more the price of just black. Full color documents with complex graphics can consume a color cartridge in a few dozen pages.

The most serious drawback, though, comes in at ultra-low volumes. If you print a document only occasionally, the cartridge may not work at all after a while. The ink at the nozzles has a tendency to dry out, making printing impossible if the printer sits unused for a few weeks.

Laser Printers

The initial purchase price of laser printers is typically higher. But sometimes the total cost difference is minimal depending on your use.

A quality black and white laser printer can be purchased for under $100. Desktop color laser printers may go anywhere from $200 or higher. A high output laser printer can be as high as a few thousand dollars.

Cartridges are more expensive, too. A black and white toner cartridge starts at about $40 and may be as much as $100. Color cartridges are $150-$200. However, they may print as much as 3,000 pages before running out, so the cost per page is typically much less than with inkjets.

Depending on the type of document (and the cartridge cost) 2 cents per page is achievable. The average for printing a page is in the 10-25 cent range for a color laser printer. In part, the higher price is due to the increased amount of graphics that tend to appear on a color page.

A good laser printer can reliably print many thousands of pages, producing several hundred to a thousand or more per day for years before wearing out. They also don’t suffer the same low-volume problem as inkjets. Laser toner can sit unused for months and still print a clean, crisp page on demand.

Choose according to your personal circumstances, but keep in mind the longer-term costs.

Sandisk SDSDB-4096-A11 4 GB Secure Digital High Capacity Flash Card

Amazon Price:
Customer Reviews:
» This was an extremely good deal for the Memory card I got. Even after I added the shipping cost, it was still quite a bit cheaper than the exact same model at any of the local stores. I also got it in less...
Canon Pixma MP610 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer (2180B002)
Amazon Price:
Customer Reviews:
» I had it for a couple of years now. Used many printers, and this one is the best of the lot. I had Canon and other brand printers and there is no comparison, this one beats them all. it is all in one and h...
Brother HL-2170w 23ppm Laser Printer with Wireless & Wired Network Interfaces
Amazon Price: $106.99
Customer Reviews:
» Its just what we needed and the price was great! I do worry a little since printing on two sides requires opening a tray everytime and replacing the paper. So far no problem, but some parts are a ...

There are as many shredding machine models today as there are users with different needs. You can choose from a strip or cross-cut style. You have a choice of low or high volume models. Some come with a built-in container, others simply hang over the receptacle next to the desk. Sorting out all these choices can be like… well, putting together shredded documents.

At the lower end of the scale are strip cutters. They tend to be cheaper and have fewer features. With these, you just feed in a sheet through an opening (called ‘the throat’) and the shredder spits out narrow strips of paper. But even here there are several options.

Look for models that have a throat wide enough to accommodate all the paper widths you might need to shred. Don’t limit your research to one that only slices 8 1/2 x 11 sheets. There will be times you need to shred large quantities of larger sizes. Having a small model will force you to spend more time tearing or folding sheets to fit than is worth it.

Next, think about your potential volume. Will you be shredding a few sheets per day or dozens? Most personal shredders are rated for 100-150 sheets per day. But like personal printers, the ratings are usually stated for a brand new or perfectly maintained machine. An office shredder, especially one used by multiple people, will see more action.

Shredders, like printers, are mechanical. Parts wear and blades get dull. Before long, the shredder will slice only half its rated capacity. Buy a little higher capacity than you think you’ll need.

Shredding capacity can also refer to the number of simultaneous sheets the machine will accept. Don’t waste your time feeding one or two sheets into the shredder on those larger jobs. Buy a machine that can shred several sheets at the same time without jamming or dulling the blades.

In this area, too, capacity is often overstated. A rating of 6-8 sheets is realistically only 4-5 after a few months of use, depending on paper type. Twenty-four bond paper is thicker than 20 bond. Take that into account.

To deal with possible identity theft, shredder models are available in a variety of cutting patterns.

Strip widths vary from 1/8-1/2 inch on most models. The narrower the strip the more secure the result. That’s assuming strips are cut perpendicular to the line of type. Strips cut parallel to sentences are very easy to re-assemble. Most people don’t want to have to pay too much attention to the way they feed paper and even vertical strips can still be put back together. Cross-cut shredders solve that problem.

Cross-cut shredders cut paper horizontally and vertically in the same pass. You feed the paper normally and two sets of blades slice the paper into small rectangles. They tend to cost a little more and require a little more maintenance, though. The blades require simple-to-do oiling from time to time. Also, since there are two sets of blades with more mechanical controls, the price is higher.

Whichever type you buy, look for models that have extra, convenient features.

Some have auto-paper sensors. When you feed the paper into the throat a sensor detects paper and automatically begins the shredding cycle. No need to press a button. Just feed and forget.

Low-maintenance shredders are handy, too. Some use a type of carbon dust commonly used to lubricate locks, rather than oil. Some have an oil reservoir that you fill once and can forget for months on end. Some will have a light indicating when more oil is needed.

Some models have a jam light and an automatic shut-off feature. A reverse feed option is helpful for clearing paper when jams do happen.

Some shredders provide only the shredding unit with no paper container. They’re designed to fit over a standard office wastebasket. Others have adapters that can fit over round or rectangular containers. You might want an in-built receptacle designed for the unit, though.

Which one is right for you depends on your volume and security needs and budget. Still, don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. In this age of identity and credit card theft, spending a little more up-front could save you big time in money and grief.

Fellowes 32057 Powershred P-57Cs Shredder

Amazon Price: $56.55
Customer Reviews:
» This is a great little shredder for the money. I had mine for 8 months before it broke -- truth be told, I was trying to cram way too much stuff in there when it broke. I took off the top and saw t...
Aurora AS810SD 8-Sheet Strip Cut Paper/CD/Credit Card Shredder with Basket
Amazon Price: $29.99
Customer Reviews:
» I received this shredder very quickly. It works exactly as described. A very smooth transaction.

» My boyfriend and I purchased this shredder for use in our apartment. We had stacks of papers we...
Fellowes 32197 Powershred SB-97Cs Shredder
Amazon Price: $179.95
Customer Reviews:
» SUPER buy! I run a small doctors office and I have quite a bit to shred. This product is great. It does not bogg down with continued shredding. Fast and efficient. Handles 17 pages with ease. I...

If you have an office printer, you may not need a copier at all. You simply print a few extra and you’re done. But for larger volumes, and in particular for copying documents that you didn’t create, a copier is indispensable.

But with so many types and brands on the market, which to choose?

Cost is a constraint for every business. For a plain black-and-white desktop copier you might outlay as little as $50. Larger color models may be as high as a few thousand dollars. But be sure to consider the long term costs, not just the initial purchase price. Lack of reliability increases downtime and repair costs that may have to be paid for.

Before you can even think about the price, though, you have to decide which type of copier best suits your needs. The choices are roughly: desktop, stand-alone or multi-function.

A desktop copier is about the size of a personal printer. Some personal printers have the ability to copy as well. Depending on the model, it may be single sheet feed or have a capacity of only a few pages. How much time do you want to spend feeding the copier? That depends on whether you copy a page occasionally, or feed the machine often. You will generally pay more for a larger capacity.

Desktop copiers also have a smaller output capacity, both in terms of speed and expected lifetime. In other words, they take longer to make an individual copy and they wear out sooner than larger models. That may suit you fine if your needs are small.

A larger or stand-alone copier often has a moving platen. That means that the copier doesn’t merely scan the page where you placed it and spit out the copy. It moves the original through the machine. More moving parts can lead to more repairs, depending on the reliability of the model.

But the risk of increased repairs is offset somewhat by the greatly expanded feature set of larger copier models.

They can typically copy much faster. A desktop copier may take as long as 30 seconds to copy a single page, a larger model might do the same job in two.

Also, larger models are able to produce many more copies more conveniently. A desktop copier will typically make no more than 30 copies or so before it has to be either filled with paper or emptied. A larger model will hold several hundred sheets and output almost as many before it requires attendance.

Check the monthly duty cycle and compare the rated outputs. This number is the expected maximum number of copies made per month. It’s related to the odds of the machine breaking down or wearing out sooner. Exceeding the rated output ups the odds of the copier requiring maintenance or replacement sooner rather than later.

Other features can be important, too, depending on the type of copying required.

Is the ability to collate important? That allows the copier to output multiple sets in the proper order when fed a multiple-page document. Is duplexing needed? That’s the ability to copy both sides in one pass without manually moving the input page or turning over the copied pages in the hopper. How important is it to be able to use different sizes or types of paper? You may need to copy legal-sized documents, photos at high quality or more.

In the end, consider also the hassle factor. The annoyance (not to mention lost productivity) of having an unreliable copier often far outweighs the money spent. Think ahead about which one to get, so you can get one you don’t have to think about afterward.

Brother TN350 Black Toner Cartridge

Amazon Price: $48.24
Customer Reviews:
» I have a few Brother laser printers and I tried using knock off cartridges to save a little money because of the amount of printing I do, but nothing beats using the genuine article and at the price ...
HP 74/75 Black/tricolor Inkjet Combo Pack with Viv
Amazon Price: Too low to display
Customer Reviews:
» Very happy with product and short amount of time to ship. Would recommend purchasing online vs in store

» The Hp combo pack is a great deal. I found that amazon has the best value.

»...
HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (Q8061A#ABA)
Amazon Price: Too low to display
Customer Reviews:
» I bought this as a replacement for my old Photosmart P2350 printer, which was good, but didn't have a fax machine. The Office Jet 6310 does, and the price was right, so I got it.

This i...

Central or personal, hard or soft?

There are dozens of quality fax machines on the market. But before considering any of them, there are decisions to make. Should you get one that attaches only to your computer, or is it better to have a central fax system? Do you even need fax hardware, or should you use software on your own computer?

Part of the decision hinges, of course, on whether you have more than one worker in your office. There’s less point in spending extra money or time to have a separate fax machine when only one person will ever use it.

But even if you are a one-person office, you still need to consider whether to invest in extra hardware at all. One alternative option is to use the equipment attached to your computer, along with software to send or receive faxes.

The pros and cons of this alternative are easy to list.

For sending a fax of a document stored on your computer, it’s ultra-easy to use your existing phone line or Internet connection to ship it anywhere. Most Internet connections allow you to integrate a phone line if you use it to send or receive faxes. Software and sites are not hard to find to use web-based software to send a fax almost as easily as you would an email.

But, for sending, that assumes you already have the document stored in the form of a file on your computer. If you have to fax a hardcopy document the situation can get a little more tricky. A scanner can easily overcome that problem, though. If you have one, attach it to your system and scan the document. Then you’re in business just as before.

Receiving faxes is as simple as plugging your phone line into the modem built-in to your system and configuring software that comes with the operating system. If you need a hardcopy, you can easily print any received fax on your personal printer.

If you don’t already have a scanner or perhaps even a printer, though, the decision requires a little extra thought. In those cases, it may well be worthwhile to buy a separate fax machine. Models that combine printer/scanner/fax/copier features are perfect for this purpose.

That leads to the decision of whether to centralize. For an office with only two computers on a small network, it may still be less expensive (and simpler) to attach the fax to one or the other. For an office network with multiple computers it often is simpler to centralize. That means using either a network-attached fax machine or a standalone model.

Building one central server that provides printing, faxing, Internet and other services requires only modest expertise today and a modest additional investment. It can be used as a backup server as well to store documents that are saved, sent and received.

For many, the use of a standalone fax machine (sometimes in a fax/copier/scanner combination) remains the best option, though. It’s ultra-easy to implement and use and requires only a phone line to operate. There’s no need to install, configure or learn any special software.

Which approach to faxing is best will vary, of course, with personal circumstances. Give some thought ahead of time to your solution and you’ll be free to give almost none to it later on.

Belkin F3U133-10 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Cable (10 Feet)

Amazon Price: $6.40
Customer Reviews:
» The stores charge WAY too much! Buy it here. It worked for my new HP printer. The one at the store was nearly $30, but this one was closer to $5. Why pay more?!

» I bought this because I needed ...
Brother TN350 Black Toner Cartridge
Amazon Price: $48.24
Customer Reviews:
» I have a few Brother laser printers and I tried using knock off cartridges to save a little money because of the amount of printing I do, but nothing beats using the genuine article and at the price ...
HP Officejet 6310 All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier (Q8061A#ABA)
Amazon Price: Too low to display
Customer Reviews:
» I bought this as a replacement for my old Photosmart P2350 printer, which was good, but didn't have a fax machine. The Office Jet 6310 does, and the price was right, so I got it.

This i...

The phrase in the title does not, unfortunately for most of us, refer to a butler who brings coffee to your desk in the morning. It refers to a computer in the office that has a few special tasks to perform on behalf of others. So, perhaps in a different way it’s a little like a butler.

You could store all your files, emails, photos and more on your own computer. You could use only your computer for access to the Internet, printing, faxing and more. But that setup has some potential downsides, especially when your office grows to hold multiple desktops.

If your personal machine goes south, you could be out of business (at least for a while). Even if your machine doesn’t completely crash and burn, you could still be in serious trouble just by losing one file. You could make backups locally, say on a USB flash drive. But storing and using those small devices could lead to complicated and duplicate effort if your office has multiple computers.

If your machine is directly connected to a DSL, cable or satellite modem anyone else on your office network accessing the Internet has to go through your machine to get to the web. That drags down the performance of your machine while you’re using it, and slows down Internet access for the others.

All these problems and more can be solved by investing in a single computer that performs services on behalf of others. That’s the role of an office server. It centralizes your local email system, so everyone can take advantage of it without slowing down anyone else. It gives you a place to attach a printer, network fax machine and more so that everyone can use them without slowing down or relying on anyone else. Most importantly, it gives you a central storehouse for file backups and - heaven forbid - restores, if and when they’re needed.

With the enormous hard drives available on even ordinary computers today, servers are no longer critical for housing raw space. But their role is still important. They provide a convenient place to centralize documents, images and more that is accessible by every computer on the network with the security rights to get to them.

The alternative is what’s known as a peer-to-peer system, in which all machines on the network are equal. The Internet and all the personal computers that use it are somewhat like that (although, it also uses millions of servers).

For example, you may store your email, files and more on Google, which acts like a central server for you. Or, you may just pass files back and forth with other users, each one acting as a peer to the other. That method has its benefits and drawbacks as well. But for those who maintain an office of anywhere from two to two thousand computers a central server provides numerous values. You gain reliability, security and performance benefits from having a central system that does work on behalf of others in the office.

Now if you could only train one to bring coffee in the morning…

Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router
Amazon Price: $44.99
Customer Reviews:
» Very straight forward set-up of the unit. No installation CD required (although it prompted to run it first). Easy disabling of wireless access of the unit's set-up. Last in chain of cable modem, dig...
TRENDnet TK-209K 2-Port USB KVM Switch Kit with Audio (Includes 2x KVM Cables)

Amazon Price: $32.26
Customer Reviews:
» I'm using this KVM with a Thinkpad T60p and a regular Tower PC. Switching to the tower is lightning fast, however switching to the Thinkpad is very slow for the Mouse and Keyboard to start working. ...
Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter
Amazon Price: $39.99
Customer Reviews:
» This wireless card has a good range, even thru walls - and maintains connection and speed without any problems.

» ... you may just be throwing $20 plus shipping and hours of your time down a rat ho...

When buying office furniture, we often tend to think only in terms of utility. But appearance can play a valid role, and not simply in order to impress clients.

When you look for an ergonomic chair, you’re interested in one that is comfortable, with controls to adjust the back angle and arm rest height. A desk with a keyboard shelf should be adjustable in terms of both height and angle. These features help make the furniture more usable and reduce the odds of back or wrist pain. That allows them to fulfill their primary role, the reason you buy them in the first place: to increase productivity.

But how they look also fulfills that goal, in part, though perhaps in more subtle ways.

Going to the office, especially a home office, requires motivation. For those running a small business, keeping that motivation high day after day through 14-hour, seven-days-a-week challenges can be tough. Disappointments are frequent, rewards often less so. Many entrepreneurs report that keeping their spirits up is actually the hardest part of running the business.

A fine looking piece of furniture can well help ease that burden. Even the most practical-minded persons are affected by the environment around them. It’s no accident that motivational posters, photos and prints continue to sell well. Even a child’s drawing can be a reminder of why we work so hard. An elegant desk can draw you to the computer.

Most successful business-people are so in part because they have good focus. They can really concentrate, shutting out distractions. But even the most dedicated will take a moment to look up, scan around and see the office decor. Filling it with a fine looking set of document holders or a stylish pen holder brings a smile. Having a work table that is a thing of beauty as well as function is a delight.

The objects we choose are a reminder of who we are and our unique personalities. We feel more at home when the furniture and accessories reflect our values. Since those vary from person to person, every area will be different. Even in relatively large, impersonal settings like big corporations you see cubicles adorned with personal items. But every one tells us something about who works there.

It’s not a mere indulgence to choose items that dress up the work area just the way you like. It lifts your mood, which has a direct bearing on how eager you are to work there. When you’re excited about getting down to business, you get down to business much better.

Beauty, after all is said, is a very practical value.

Build Your Own Home Office Furniture (Popular Woodworking)

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Eames Design
Amazon Price: $66.50
Customer Reviews:
» Charles and Ray Eames were not only creative artistic talents, they were also commercial geniuses (just like George Nelson was). These two talents provided the secret for success that would reward th...
Project Vitra: Sites, Products, Authors, Museum, Collection, Signs
Amazon Price: $36.46
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