Welcome Back!  Are you ready for a challenge?

Since my attempt at skullduggery didn't work well last week (you saw right through me), I decided to get tougher this week.  Today's question isn't really a trivia question - it's ....................................  a riddle!  

I grew up on country music.  I don't listen to it much anymore, but it was all that was played in my house as a child.  Schoolmates would make fun of me because I didn't know the latest and greatest artist or the current #1 song in the pop/rock world, but country music has some fantastic artists and really cool song lyrics.  As an adult, I made a list of my 10 Rules to Live By and one of those rules is a lyric from a country song.

We love to work with you on your custom printing projects!  We have professional designers on staff who can help you take your project from concept to reality, but many of you have your own designers or staff members who handle the files for your publications and send the completed files to us.  Sometimes, the finished product may not look exactly as you envisioned it when you created the file and we get questions on how to make it better next time, or why doesn't it look like I thought it would?

Today's blog is the first in a series of blogs that I will be writing on the subject of custom printing.  I'll try to answer some of the more common questions that we field and give you some general tips to help your file designs work better for you.

I loved spelling bees in school.  (I think I may have mentioned that before.)  I often find myself proofreading the newspaper and finding spelling or grammar errors.  So today, I've decided to make the trivia topic:

Spelling

I don't like having to constantly write the same thing over and over again, so I am a huge fan of stamps.  I have several of them on my desk; some are pre-made and some are custom stamps.  They're very handy and easy to use, but the one thing that I don't like about them is that they take up so much room on my desk.  I used to have a tray that held some of my smaller stamps, but it only fit one size of stamp, so the others still had to sit somewhere on my desk.

Ruth to the Rescue!

(Sorry - if you're not from the Detroit area, you won't get that.)

Meet Stamp Stack®.

Maintaining filing systems can eat up a good portion of your budget.  You need more folders, more tabs, more tab inserts, more interior folders, more labels for the interior folders etc.  Everyone has their own preferences for how they like their filing system set up - I know I do.  Are you a tabber or a labeler?  How do you recycle your file folders?

Buying more of the hanging folder tabs and the inserts to go with them can add up if you have a large or very active filing system.  Likewise, file folder labels can be expensive - they can run between $5 and $35 depending on what kind and what size package you choose.  You can avoid those expenses with erasable file folders - they are available in both hanging file folders and interior folders and they can really save time and money. 

I love sitcoms.   I don't have much time nowadays for watching TV - life is busy and there's pretty much always something to do or somewhere to go after dinner, but when I have time to relax, one of my pastimes is to watch some old TV comedies.  Sometimes I get the theme song stuck in my head for days and days.  Which, of course, brings me to today's topic:

TV Theme Songs

We all want to save money on things we buy and if you're the company's purchasing person, it's your job to save money.  You are always looking for ways to cut costs yet maintain operating efficiency. The popular saying is "Work smarter, not harder."  Well, that applies to your budget and purchases too - buy smarter!

Today I am offering my top 5 ways to save money on office supplies.  I'm not going to divulge some great heretofore unknown secret of the office products universe - they're mostly just common sense - but you really can save a lot if you follow these simple rules:

The big screen, bright lights, the red carpet - I dreamed of these as a young child.  Yes, I was going to be a movie star.  I practiced my acceptance speech at the Academy Awards and my wave on the red carpet.  Alas, it was not to be.  Instead I have found fame as the Wizard of OEX.

So, in honor of childhood dreams, today's topic is:

Movie Trivia

My family took a trip to the East coast recently.  It was the first time I've ever been there and I just fell in love with New Haven, Connecticut.  What a gorgeous city!  If it wasn't so expensive to live in Connecticut, I might be house hunting right now - I really, really liked it there.  

And speaking of beautiful places, today's topic is:

Scenic Locations in the United States

I saw this saying for the first time many years ago.  I say it to myself frequently to remind myself of what is really important in life.

Well, hello again!  Good to see you!  Of course, I knew I would since today is Wednesday and we all know what Wednesday is.........   ( No - not Prince Spaghetti day!  <sheesh>)

Wednesday is Trivia Day!

Today's topic is:

Famous Quotations

It’s really important to choose the right shredder for your business.  With the rise of identity theft, hacking into company computer systems, and privacy laws, shredding is more important than ever to protect your business. 

Many companies buy inexpensive shredders thinking that they don’t need anything more, or that they just don’t want to spend the money for an expensive machine - but that can be a costly mistake. 

Even if you don't officially have back problems, if you spend 8 or more hours a day sitting at a desk, you're going to have days when your back is bothering you or that chair just doesn't feel good - it goes with the territory.  Many of you will purchase a back support and/or a seat cushion to ease the discomfort.  You get the cushions, put them on your chair and fiddle with them to find the right placement.  Sometimes that's all you need to do, but sometimes they just don't feel right and they don't help.  So you return it and try a different one.

Space, the final frontier.  These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.  It's five-year mission:  to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Yes, I am a Trekkie - and proud of it.  But only for the original series - accept no imitations.  The others tried, but they just can't compare to the original.  

Today's episode is:

Star Trek Trivia

Should you use an OEM cartridge in your printer?  This is a very frequently asked question because there are several different types of printer cartridges available and many people are confused by all the options.  Is one type better than the other?  One brand better than the other?  Today I'm going to explain the various options and hopefully clear it up a bit for you.

Have you ever wondered about this yourself?

I always enjoyed reading to my son at bedtime when he was little - and reading with him when he was a little older.  He liked to read books that were a series, and one of our favorite series was the magical world of Harry Potter.  I'm sure many of you have read those books, albeit a little while ago, so summon all your Muggle intelligence.  Today's topic is:

Harry Potter Trivia

Recently, I was learned of a unique charity called Gabe's My Heart and a program that it offers called Gabe's Chemo Duck Program™.  I want to share this story with you because I'm certain that you will be as touched by it as I was.

Gabe's My Heart is a nonprofit organization that was founded by Lu Sipos, whose son, Gabe, was diagnosed with cancer just one week before his first birthday.  As she and her husband struggled to deal with their own emotions, Lu tried to find some way to help Gabe. Her beautiful boy endured nine months of chemotherapy treatments, radiation and numerous surgeries during his first two years of life.  Lu came up with the idea for Chemo Duck Program as a way to give Gabe a companion that could provide comfort to him  as well as help him understand his illness.

Tomorrow is the day for parties and grilling - burgers, hot dogs, steaks - I can smell them now!  What's that?  You want to invite me over?  Aww <blushing> I'm honored!  Where and when?

Seriously (sort of) though - Office Express wishes you a happy 4th of July!  Kick back and relax. Enjoy time with family and friends.  Pitch some horseshoes or play some croquet.  Euchre anyone?