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Help me understand the differences in time clock machines. What is best for me?

Published: Feb 18 2010

Electric Attendance Systems are the most basic employee time clock on the market today. These systems, also called mechanical manual time clocks, have a slot where employees place their paper time card for punch times to be printed.

If you're looking at Electric Attendance Systems for your business, I'd usually recommend Acroprint's heavy duty models for construction sites. These clocks use a typical wall outlet for power. However, some models are available with battery or solar power such as the Acroprint SP125 Solar Powered Time Clock.

The Icon Time TL-300 Electronic Time Clock would be best suited for factory floors where it can remain stationary. This particular clock can be purchased for less than Acroprint's heavy duty models, and has some pretty cool features. For loud areas, it includes a "Signal Control" which is a built-in relay which allows for connection to an external horn or buzzer to signal beginning and ending shifts. The design has been specifically tailored for time accuracy with timecard punches. Between the electric coil technology it uses and the auto-detect feature, which syncs real-time for updated date and minute, this clock is best suited for companies that rely on accurate time keeping in loud environments.

The main downfall of using Electric Attendance Systems is their vulnerability to "buddy punching" (also known as "ghost punching" and "proxy punching"). Employees who are running late, leaving early, or not working that day may have a friend stamp their card for them. This means your company may end up paying employees for time they have not actually worked. (Read More...)

A Few Tips about Buying Shrink Wrap Systems

Published: Feb 10 2010

Shrink wrap has become one of the most popular forms of packaging today, partly due to its low cost and leading many business owners to ask us, what is the highest quality, affordable shrink wrap system for my small business? Just like anything else with your small business you want your packaging operations to have maximum efficiency and effectiveness. With so many shrink wrap systems designed for different applications, performance levels and budgets we’re confident that after answering a few questions you can design a highly effective and efficient packaging operation with your new shrink wrap system.

A few questions we find most helpful in answering include:

How large are the packages I need to shrink wrap? Are they all relatively the same in size or do they vary? (Read More...)

How to select the right bill counter for your home or office

Published: Feb 11 2010

In today's world, the old cliche "Time = Money" couldn't be more valid. For the small business owner, an automatic money counter can be a simple cost-effective way to save time and make the tedious chore of counting your cash a breeze. With so many different bill counter models and brands to choose from, selecting the right money counter for your needs may seem like a daunting task. With basic money counters beginning around a hundred bucks, and advanced models going up into the thousands of dollars, selecting a bill counter may seem like a confusing job, but with a little forethought it doesn't have to be.

The first step in deciding which counter is right for you is to think about you or your business' specific needs. How often will you be using the machine? What volume of bills do you regularly need to count? Do you need counterfeit detection? Is it important for the machine to display the count to you in dollar total instead of a simple count total? What is your budget? Once you've answered those questions you can use the chart below to help match a machine to your requirements. (Read More...)

Which laminator is best for my school?

Published: Feb 04 2010

We really need to replace the old laminator at our elementary school. Do you have any recommendations?

Schools often produce a large volume and a large variety of documents. One teacher may want to protect a student’s artwork, while another teacher may need to protect a school banner from the outside elements. A laminator with the capability to effectively cover and protect such a variety of documents is an important investment for your school. (Read More...)

Help me understand the differences in time clock machines. What is best for me?

A Few Tips about Buying Shrink Wrap Systems

How to select the right bill counter for your home or office

Which laminator is best for my school?

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