Investing in a paper shredder for your workplace can help to protect you against data theft and keep your office clutter free. If your workplace is looking to purchase a new shredder or replace an outdated model, there are three key questions that you should ask yourself during the research process:

• How much do you need to shred and how often?
• What level of security does your business need from a shredder?
• What features does your shredder need?  

What features does your shredder need?

Whilst the needs of every workplace are different and there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to shredders, some businesses may wish to go a step further when investing in a new machine.

Safety features

For confidential or highly sensitive documents you may want additional data protection, beyond that of a high P-rating. Rexel’s AutoFeed automatic paper shredders do not only help to support GDPR compliance, but on some models, users have the ability to load their documents and walk away; safe in the knowledge that the only way to open the shredder is using a 4-digit PIN code.

Rexel’s AutoFeed shredders also allow users to:

• Shred up to 750 sheets of paper in one go (depending on the machine)
• Automatically shred by simply shutting the machine’s lid and walk away
• Save time spent on shredding by 98% vs manual shredders¹

Paper jam technology

Paper jams are caused when too many sheets or non-compatible materials are loaded into a shredder. Paper jams can affect work productivity, especially when there are large volumes of confidential documents to shred. Rexel’s Optimum AutoFeed+ shredders use anti-jam technology to ensure seamless shredding and long run times of up to 4 hours.

Page load capacity

The page load of a shredder indicates how many sheets you can load into the chamber for destroying at one time if it is AutoFeed, or how many sheets you can feed through the manual slot in one go if it is a manual shredder. Each shredder will have a maximum page load and this can range from 3 to up and beyond 750 sheets. Essentially, the higher the sheet capacity the quicker you can shred large piles of paper; if this is something key for your workplace then page load should be considered.

See a guide to usage and sheet capacity recommendations below:

Number of users	General use	Sheet capacity
1-2	Personal/executive	60
Up to 10	Small office	300
Up to 20	Departmental	600
20+	Large office	600+

 

Picking a shredder bin

Rexel suggest selecting a shredder bin size based upon sheets stored in the bin rather than the bin size alone. If you are purchasing a shredder for your own personal office, then a shredder with a bin size for 60 sheets would be ample. On the opposite end of the scale, a large office where a shredder would be serving 20 or more users would require a machine with a 600+ sheet bin capacity.

Shredder security

The level of security that your new shredder needs to provide will depend on the sensitivity of the documents that will be shredded. Different shredders will present a different DIN security level, which is shown as a P-Rating. The P-Rating indicates the number of pieces that a document is shredded into with that particular model; the higher the P-Rating, the higher the level of security as the document is shredded into smaller pieces. P-Ratings are measured from P-2 to P-7 as seen in the table below.

For example, the Optimum AutoFeed 45X shredder has a P-4 security rating, meaning a standard A4 document is shred into 400 cross-cut pieces. In contrast, the Optimum AutoFeed+ 750M can shred up to 750 sheets of paper into approx. 2000 micro cut pieces which is a higher security model of shredder.

A P-Rating guide can be seen below to help you make the best choice for your office shredder:

P-Rating	Approximate Shredded Pieces (A4 Document)	Best For
P-2	40	Basic day to day non-sensitive data
P-3	200	General day to day documents containing sensitive data such as addresses
P-4	400	Ideal for bank statements and business confidential documents
P-5	2000	Appropriate for confidential financial or personal documents and strategic papers
P-6	6000	Necessary for legal, military and financial documents containing proprietary data
P-7	12500	The top standard for government and military reports

 

To help you make the best decision when it comes to buying a shredder for your business or organisation take a read of the Rexel Paper Shredder Buying Guide. 

Once you’ve discovered all there is to know about shredders and weighed up the considerations above, picking the perfect shredder for your office should be simple. Find out more about Rexel AutoFeed automatic paper shredders today. 

Sources

1. Evaluating AutoFeed Shredders. Prepared for ACCO Brands by Deep Blue Insight