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| P2P Magazine | Autumn 2014
01732 759725
Home office essentials
You are not alone
Working from home can be lonely.
For those who miss the hubbub of
office life, a radio can help banish
feelings of isolation.While you can
listen to the radio online, there is
much to be said for having a separate
device, especially one as stylish as the
Hepburn radio fromView Quest.
Now available in teal, brown, emerald
green, blue and mustard, as well as black,
cream and red, the Hepburn (£149)
marries cutting edge technology, such as
DAB+ and Bluetooth, with a fashionable
retro design and contemporary colours.
Pen To Paper
recently tested one and
found the sound quality for DAB and FM
to be excellent. The ability to connect a
smartphone, tablet or MP3 player is an
added bonus.
THE HOME OFFICE
Smart walls
Not everyone has space for a dedicated
home office. For many, the big question
is how do you quickly convert a kitchen
or dining room into a productive
working environment?
One clever option is to paint your
walls with Smart Wall Paint, which
creates a write-on, wipe-off surface
(
). Instead of
using the standard one-coat application
whiteboard paint, why not try one of the
company’s other offerings that might
be better suited to a dual-use domestic/
working environment.
These include a Clear version that can
be applied over an existing colour scheme
(see photo) and/or a magnetic primer that
converts any surface into a magnetic wall
for the display of charts, notes etc. The
primer contains tiny particles of iron dust
that attract magnets even when painted
over in a standard non-magnetic paint.
Instant Ink
Everyone knows how frustrating it is
when the office printer runs out of
toner. For home workers without a
fall-back machine, it is also a major
disruption.Which is why HP Instant Ink
is such a welcome innovation.
Instead of having to remember to buy
new ink cartridges, HP will automatically
send replacement supplies on a just-in-
time basis. All you have to do is sign up
to one of the Instant Ink page plans (50,
100 or 300 pages per month) and pay the
appropriate monthly subscription (£1.99,
£3.49 and £7.99) and HP will supply you
with all the ink you need at no extra cost.
It doesn’t matter whether you are printing
full colour pages or a single line of black
text, HP will deliver ink straight to your
door as soon as your supplies run low.
Another benefit of HP Instant Ink is
its flexibility. If you print less than your
allowance one month, unused pages can
be added to next month’s quota; or if
you print more, you can buy additional
blocks of 15, 20 or 25 pages for just £1
(depending on page plan). You can also
change page plan or cancel a subscription
whenever you choose.
HP says that Instant Ink subscribers
can save up to 70% on ink costs, but
for convenience alone even the highest
subscription of £7.99 a month is a small
price to pay.
HP Instant Ink is available from PC
World and John Lewis for a range of
consumer and business inkjet printers,
including the HP ENVY 4500 and HP
ENVY 5530 e-AiO Printer series (from
£59); the HP Officejet 4630 e-AiO Printer
series (from £89); the HP Officejet Pro
8610 e-AiO Printer series (from £169);
and the HP Officejet Pro 8620 e-AiO
Printer series (from £239).
hp.com/instantink.
The art of time-keeping
Everyone loves stationery, but choices
made by corporate buyers can be
dull.When buying for yourself, why
not splash out on something more
decorative and interesting but no
less functional, like Paperblanks’ new
18-month diaries.
The perfect way to stay organised,
these beautiful yet practical dayplanners
come in Mini, Midi and Maxi sizes and
a choice of designs. All include diary
information pages, ribbon page markers,
month and day planners and a pouch at
the back where you can keep receipts,
tickets and other items.
On June 30, the right to request flexible working
arrangements, including home working, was
extended to any employee that has worked
continuously for the same employer for 26 weeks
or more.
The UK already has high levels of home working
– 4.2 million, according to the Office for National
Statistics – and this figure is likely to rise, as
employees take advantage of the new rules.
A YouGov survey commissioned by HR
consultancy Croner found that 26% of British
workers now plan to request more flexible
working arrangements.
Over the next two pages, we present a
selection of new office products that through
design, functionality or a combination of both are
perfect for the home office.
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