Office supplies and office equipment are two distinct expenditure heads of every office. General office supplies include consumables necessary for documentation, bookkeeping, and administration. A few examples include notebooks, paperclips, and folders. Office equipment includes devices for communication, documentation, storage, and maintenance. Examples include computers, shredders, and coffee machines. Office supplies are an expense, while equipment is usually categorized as a fixed asset. See below the types of office supplies and equipment and popular retailers.

Commonly required office equipment
Office equipment plays a vital role in smooth and efficient business operations. Whether big or small, every organization requires a few machines to function. A business owner can choose to buy affordable or quality equipment depending on the size of the office, its requirements, and budget. Some must-have office equipment includes:

• Computers, monitors, and laptops
• Printers and shredders
• Landlines, cellular phones, and intercoms
• Software like operating systems and security software
• Fax machines
• Coffee machines
• Projectors

Besides electronic machines, offices require furniture like chairs, tables, workbenches, bookshelves, filing cabinets, and sofa sets.

Office supplies for businesses
Office supplies are those items businesses need to conduct their day-to-operations smoothly and efficiently. It could be something as small as a pencil or paper clip. Having a list of essential office supplies can make your job easier if you are an office manager. You can quickly know what you need to order every month. Here is a list of office essentials you might need:

• Paper
• Visiting cards
• Letterheads with envelopes
• Mailing envelops and labels
• Postage stamps and scales
• Notebooks and notepads
• Year planners and calendars
• Staplers and pins
• Box files and folders
• Files of different types and sizes
• Pens and pencils
• Glue
• Sticky note pads of different sizes
• Duct tape and tape gum
• Cardboard boxes
• Cleaning supplies like mops, sanitizers, and buckets
• First aid kits

Affordable office supply companies
Instead of walking around the aisles of supermarkets or spending hours online, you can buy office supplies in bulk by signing a deal with a provider. They have various things, from pins to machines and furniture. Some companies also offer long-term clients discounts, giveaways, and special offers. They tie up with many stationery and office supply manufacturers and sell all leading brands under one roof. A few leading office supply companies are:

• Staples
• Aurora Corp. of America
• Lyreco
• 3M
• Office Depot
• Pacific Office Automation
• Ryman

Office supply rentals to consider
Renting office equipment and furniture is ideal for new and small businesses operating from temporary offices. You can save on expensive machines and invest the money in expanding your business. Many companies rent out second-hand machinery, so you can access the latest features without spending much. You can rent equipment and furniture for short-term projects like workshops, meetings, and official events. Rentals are fully tax-deductible. Some leading office supply rental companies are:

• CORT
• Feather
• Brook Furniture Rental
• Aaron’s
• A&A Office Systems
• eTech Rentals
• Lendis
• Meeting Tomorrow

If you are a small business and do not want to buy or rent printers and copiers, you can outsource your printing and binding requirements.