Office Furniture: Concepts to Consider
By: Gary Heller

The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association is projecting that this country will produce almost $10 billion of office furniture this year. Another $1.9 billion of furniture will be imported from foreign countries, some as close in as Canada, while others could be as far away as China. With that much furniture being consumed this year alone, you'd think that the buying public would be well educated, skillfully navigating their way to the right office desk, office chair or file cabinet.

Well, if you know that you're not one of those skillful navigators, stay with us a little longer. While we won't be able to teach you everything there is to know about office furniture (there are other things in life that are more fun), we can relate a few important concepts to consider when you are in the market.

Office Desks
Start your shopping with a few questions:

• How large is the room?
• How many desks will occupy this space?
• What is the application of work (i.e. executive, clerical, temp)?
• Steel, wood laminate, wood veneer or solid wood?
• Front office appearance or back office utility?
• Budget?

Perhaps the first question you should ask yourself is the last question on this list. Knowing how much you can spend will narrow the field of choices, thus making your shopping easier. Steel and laminate desks are typically in the low-cost range and solid-wood desks in the upper range. Don't be too quick to spend more than you have to, though; there are many good desks to be found at all price levels.

Room size will dictate how large a desk you should purchase. The typical manager's desktop is 72 inches wide by 36 inches deep, and will have a working height of about 29 inches. In a standard office, this desk will need to share space with a desk chair, perhaps two or more guest chairs, filing and other storage, and maybe a business machine or two. Often, a manager's office will also have a small conference room table in it, and so space quickly becomes a limiting factor.

Another popular desk size that usually fits well in smaller rooms is 60 inches wide by 30 inches deep. And it's still large enough to have both right and left drawer pedestals, so you won't have to sacrifice needed storage space. Consider as well that if you can afford the space and your application of work requires it, the larger L or U shaped desk may be more appropriate.

L-shaped desks used to be referred to as "secretarials," but that term is slowly disappearing from the language. On these desks, the return side of the desk used to be 26 inches high--proper height for your typewriter. Today's L-shaped desk comes with a 29-inch-high return, so it's flush with the desktop. If you're going to need the return for computer applications, a keyboard drawer option is usually available, putting it at the appropriate height. Finally, determine on which side of the desk you need that return to be situated.

U-shaped desks are really a luxury. You'll often find them topped off with an attached credenza (sometimes with a matching hutch on top) and myriad filing options under the desktop. Depending upon the final size, you might enjoy more than 32 square feet of workspace on this kind of desk. Contrast that with the 26 square feet for an L-shaped desk and only 18 square feet for the typical manager's size desk. And like the L-shaped desk, decide how you want the surfaces laid out. Every U-shaped desk has the main desk, the bridge and the credenza. Decide if you want the bridge to start on the right or left side of the main desk.

Chairs
Shopping for this office product can be the most daunting of all. At any one time, there are thousands of different office chairs available, starting on one end with prices below $100, and on the other end, priced in the thousands. As with desks, begin with setting a reasonable budget, and then consider these four basic questions:

• What is the work being done (computer, conference, executive)?
• For upholstered chairs, what covering (fabric, vinyl, leather)?
• What's the shape of the body using the chair?
• Typical office use or extended 24-hour requirements?

How the chair is going to be used will dictate what kind you'll need. Computer chairs, usually referred to as task chairs, will give you a range of adjustments that can be made to find your most comfortable position. You'll also see the term "ergonomic" used to describe chairs in this category. Ergonomics is an important subject, given the serious consequences to one's long-term health of ignoring your posture and work angle.

While the best-appointed task chair will have all the movements, consider which ones are most important to you. Buying only the adjustability that you need will save you money:

• Seat height
• Seat tilt lock
• Seat angle
• Seat depth
• Back height
• Back angle
• Adjustable back support
• Tilt tension
• Knee tilt
• Armrest height
• Armrest width

A common mistake many people make is in purchasing a chair with arms and then discovering that it won't fit under the office desk, computer desk or conference room table. Some chairs designed with a shortened armrest will still give you the elbow support you desire but will not conflict with your desktop.

Selection of the upholstery covering comes next. Choosing between fabric, vinyl and leather is often a matter of personal taste. Sometimes the application determines the right choice, where the easy-clean nature of vinyl supersedes the soft appeal of fabric and the expensive look of leather. An interesting combination of leather facing on seat and back with a matching vinyl cover on the back will save you money and, at the same time, give you the real feel of leather.

We're hearing more and more that the average American is gaining weight. Chair manufacturers are definitely aware of that fact and have reacted to it by increasing the choices for chairs built for the "big man." These chairs are characterized by having larger frames to accommodate a wider and deeper seat, and have mechanisms that are beefed up to take the heavier weight. Upholstery coverings and foam densities are also adjusted to be appropriate for this application.

Here, too, beefed-up mechanisms and denser foams are just two of the enhancements that you'll find on the average 24-Hour Chair. Prices will be higher, since these incorporate heavy-duty components throughout, yet are still comfortable and ergonomic for the user.

File Cabinets
I bet that none of us can remember a time when there was no such thing as a file cabinet. Even in the age of high-tech computer information storage, the need for paper records remains strong. While most of us have walked past rows of cabinets somewhere at one time or another, we probably never considered paper storage to be a science. Yet, purchasing a cabinet solely on price is a big mistake when there are so many other details to consider:

• Vertical, lateral, high-density, open or combination?
• Letter or legal size?
• Storing media?
• Fireproof requirements?

The vertical file cabinet is probably the oldest method of paper filing. And today, they continue to be popular, especially for smaller offices with fewer records to store. They were once considered better than other types of files because they made better use of vertical space. That was true until the advent of the five-drawer lateral file, which will house more linear feet of storage than an equal width of vertical cabinets. Lateral files normally come either as 36 inches wide or 48 inches wide. The five–drawer models will typically have a flipper door at the top file, so you can see more of the paperwork hanging on the open frame.

All filing cabinets should come with an anti-tip mechanism. Imagine the danger of opening the top two drawers of a large file cabinet only to have it start to fall toward you with all its accumulated weight. The anti-tip mechanism is designed to prevent opening more than one drawer at a time.

Consider file cabinets with what are know as "high sides." This simply means that the drawer sides provide the support for resting Pendaflex-type folders on the rims without having to install old-fashioned rods. Not only will this feature save you money from the start, but you also won't have to fuss with an accessory item that will rob you of needed filing space. And, cabinets without the "high sides" feature often denote lower-quality, budget cabinets.

You might also want to avoid cabinets with substandard side glide suspensions. The better-quality drawers will pull smoothly, and fairy quietly, to a fully extended position, enabling you to reach the files toward the back of the drawer. If the cabinet you're looking at forces you to reach inside even after the drawer is fully open, then skip that model and keep looking. And while we're on the subject of drawers, look at how the locking system works. Budget cabinets may only lock a single drawer, while the better-designed cabinets will lock all drawers simultaneously.

For the smartest way to store very important papers and digital magnetic media, look into the latest crop of fireproof file cabinets. Many new ones come with drawer inserts specifically designed to protect media from damage by humidity, heat and even impact from a multi-story fall that might occur if a fire causes the collapse of floors within a building. These cabinets are extremely heavy due to the fact that they incorporate insulating materials like Gypsum and other ceramics that reduce the transmission of heat to the contents. Look for cabinets with at least a C fire rating, meaning that they were tested at a temperature of 1700 degrees for one hour.

Once you have looked at your budget, space, body requirements and materials, you are ready to start shopping. With those basic needs considered, you can now concentrate on the last task: choosing furniture that pleases you visually.

Gary Heller is general manager of Alfax Furniture, www.alfaxfurniture.com.

Sidebar
Upgrading your Church to Color Printing
By Dennis Walthers

Are you ready to move up to the latest technology in color printers? Are you considering bringing your color printing in house to reduce your expenses?  Whatever the reason, up to 80 percent of churches have already made the leap to color. 

If you are beginning your research into color, you may find the choices to be confusing.  Making the right decision for your church is not always easy.  

Let's focus on the technology available and the pros and cons of each. As printer technology continues to improve and come down in cost, there are still many factors to consider when making the move to color.  

Inkjet Technology
These printers offered from many different manufacturers offer the benefit of being inexpensive to acquire and can offer the ability to provide color scanning, copying and faxing. The downside to these printers is that their cost-per-page is the highest and their speed is still relatively slow. These printers are great for an environment that demands less than 1,000 pages per month and initial cost is a key consideration. Inkjets are also great for delivering excellent digital photo images that rival lab quality.

Color Laser Printer
This technology has continued to see improvements in print speed and quality as well as dramatic decrease in hardware price. While there are units in the marketplace that sell for under $500, these are not designed for high-volume work, and most have a print speed less than eight pages per minute in color. Higher-end units offer print speeds in excess of 30 pages per minute with the added functionality of copying and scanning. Do your homework and look into your maintenance cost before investing. Not only will you have to replace the individual toner cartridges, you will also have to replace photoconductor units, drums, fusers and rollers. You should consider a service contract if you plan to print more than 3,000 color prints per month.

Solid Ink Technology
Newer on the scene to color printing is Solid Ink technology invented by Xerox. Solid ink technology offers many unique benefits, including a low cost-per-page, a low maintenance cost, high-speed performance up to 30 pages per minute, and no empty ink tanks or toner cartridges to deal with, so they are environmentally friendly as well.
The only downside to this technology is that the printed copies can be sensitive to intense heat like hot lamination. This is because the ink is a wax-based formulation. 
This technology can be found in units providing color copying and scanning as well as stand-alone printers with integrated networking and automatic duplexing, making it easy to print two-sided documents automatically. 

While being budget conscious, plan for the future needs of the church and the demands that will be placed on the printer. Investing a little more now may provide a substantial savings down the road. While technology will continue to improve each year, a good printer selected for the correct job will easily last three to five years or more. 

Now is the time to make the move to color!

Dennis Walthers is the President of FreePrinters.com a service providing free high performance color printers to Churches and small and medium businesses in the US.  

Product Roundup

Office Chairs from Biofit
BioFit Engineered Products offers executive leather office chairs for the prestigious appearance and functionalism required by pastors and other church leaders. Features include:

• Ergonomic features
• Easy and sophisticated adjustability
• Thick seat and backrest cushioning
• Generous seat depth
• Supportive backrest and headrest
• Armrests for additional support
• Casters designed for carpet use.

The aesthetics of BioFit's high-back, black-leather chairs reflect the important role that senior church officials have in the lives of their parishioners and in their community. 
www.biofit.com

Duplo's DP-430e Digital Printing System
Duplo's DP-430e Digital Printing System offers impressive 300 x 600 dpi resolution without compromising printing costs, print quality, and reliability. Features include:

• Three-roller feeding system with a pulse stepper motor
• 1,200-sheet feed-and-stack capacity
• Large LCD control panel
• Bi-directional parallel port connection

It handles paper up to 11" x 17" and can do various mono and spot color printing applications on a wide array of card stocks.
www.duplousa.com

RISO HC5000 Full Color ComColor Printer
RISO, Inc. has introduced two options for its HC5000 Full Color ComColor Printer: 1) a new finisher unit, which works inline with the printer and 2) a second RIP option for the HC5000.  The unit comes equipped with:

• Adobe PostScript Level 3 controller
• 40GB hard drive
• 128 MB memory
• 1.2 GHz Intel Celeron Processor

The HC5000 represents a breakthrough in full color digital printing, delivering an unparalleled combination of speed, affordability and output quality in one easy-to-use machine. 
www.riso.com

Canon imageRUNNER 5070
Canon U.S.A., Inc. has introduced the imageRUNNER 5070 digital multifunction imaging system. Features include:

• Rapid output speed
• Robust document handling and finishing functionality
• Highly advanced communication capabilities.
• MEAP (Multifunctional Embedded Application Platform)
• Web access function

This new multifunction device joins the award-winning imageRUNNER 6570 and imageRUNNER 5570.
www.usa.canon.com

Lanier LD345c
The powerful Lanier LD345c digital multifunction product delivers fast, accurate color at 35 ppm and black-and-white output at 45 ppm, enabling workgroup users to create virtually any business document in-house. It combines digital copying, network printing, advanced color scanning and security for breakthrough document management performance. Features include:

• Windows authentication for secure access
• Web Image Monitor for remote management
• LDAP support for scan-to-email

Finishing options include a multi-tray finisher or booklet finisher.
www.churchplaza.com

Office Organizers from Alfax
You are sure to find the mail and literature organizer that you need from the large selection at Alfax. Options include:

• Heavy-duty welded organizers that stack and can be in combination with locking cabinets
• New exclusive colors, such as blue and burgundy. 
• Candle vertical storage as well as horizontal? 

Come to the Alfax Website to enjoy the selection and to order a catalog today.
www.alfaxfurniture.com

Xerox Free Color Printers Program
Xerox Corporation offers free color printers to qualified businesses and organizations nationwide through the Xerox Free Color Printers Program. Members receive:

• A Xerox Phaser 8550 solid ink color printer
• Online and toll-free telephone support
• Online ordering of supplies
• Access to a members-only Web site featuring valuable tools and templates.

Thousands of churches have already qualified to receive a free networked, color printer through this program and are seeing the advantages of brilliant color printing.
www.freecolorprinters.com

High-Speed Printers from Hasler
Hasler has introduced two high-speed, mid-production address printers to its line of easy-to-use mailing equipment. The HJ3600P and HJ3800P:

• Are rugged, high-volume printers
• Have processing speeds of up to 26,000 envelopes per hour
• Offer superior print quality for text, graphics and bar coding.
• Provide outstanding performance on any Windows platform
• Interact smoothly with all USPS(R) approved list management software.

They feature the ability to save time and reduce costs by printing directly to the printer.
www.haslerinc.com

Sharp's AR-M355/AR-M455
Sharp's new sophisticated workgroup MFPs offer the most advanced multitasking capabilities in their category. Both models feature:

• A fast 300 MHz multitasking controller
• 40 GB hard drive
• Sharp's Scan2 technology, which scans two-sided documents in a single pass

They help even the busiest workgroups manage document workflow and process jobs faster.
www.sharpusa.com