Peace of Mind Organizing

Need more room to label your file folders?

27 October 2010

Do you have trouble getting all the information you want onto file folder labels? Whether you use a label maker, labels printed on your computer, or handwritten labels, it can be tough to fit everything you want on the label to make it meaningful.

The good folks at Smead offered to send me a couple of their newer file-folder products to review on my blog. I jumped at the chance, because I like learning about new products and I hadn’t had a chance to test these. (Also, they offered me a $20 Target gift card for posting a review, though I would have said yes without that extra incentive.)

I’d seen the SuperTab interior file folder labels at the Expo at last year’s NAPO conference. I was intrigued. These folders manage to have 90 percent more visible labeling space, despite being the standard 1/3 cut. They accomplish this by cutting the sides of the folder a little lower so the exposed area of the tab is larger (according to my tape measure, the exposed SuperTab area is a smidge under 2 cm while the standard size is 1 cm). In addition, they cut the front area of the file folder beneath the tab deeper, so that you can fit more information on the label itself (even if all that info isn’t exposed when there’s paper in the file).

Here’s a picture from their website, to give you an idea:

I think it’s a great idea to hand write file folder labels, because it makes it easier to create them. You don’t have to worry about having access to a label maker or a computer; just grab a pen. These extra-large tabs allow me to use a broader pen (like my beloved fine-point Sharpie) without worrying so much about running out of room.

The other product that Smead sent me is their new TUFF® hanging file folders with Easy Slide tab. These are extra-sturdy hanging folders with reinforced bar and heavier construction. What’s cool about them is the sliding tab. Rather than the tab’s plastic ends being stuck into slots as is customary, these slide on and are easily movable.

The Easy Slide tabs are 1/3 cut, so they’re larger than the standard 1/5 cut, which makes the tabs easier to read, since you can write larger or print in a larger font. The folders have the standard notches that you see in all hanging file folder labels, so you can use standard tabs in them, if you’d like. The Easy Slide tabs have little bumps in them that align with those slots, so it’s easy to make sure that the tabs line up with one another.

I usually recommend the straight-line method of aligning file folder tabs—selecting a position and putting all tabs in that same position so you don’t have the hassle of moving the tabs if you add a folder to a staggered line of tabs. With the Easy Slide tabs, it wouldn’t be hard to move the tabs if you did decide to stagger them.

I wish the Easy Slide tabs came in the more standard 1/5 cut size, because I love the Freedom Filer filing system (that’s an affiliate link), which comes with pre-printed labels that are the 1/5 cut size. But if you’re hand writing or creating your own labels, the 1/3 cut size gives you ample room.

P.S. I visited Smead’s Facebook page recently and saw that they’ve been in business since 1906. Impressive!

Tagged with: file folders, organizing products, paper management, smead

Comments