Buying a Paper Shredder - Advanced Features to Look For

The latest additions to the features in shredding have paved the way to larger more complex shredding machines that provide organizations with increased security. Most companies nowadays outsource their shredding to shredding service providers. The flavors available in shredding being outsourced are numerous. Shredding service providers give you the option of shredding the paper either on-site using shredding trucks or with off-site shredding facilities.

Collecting the shredded paper in the bins require frequent emptying based on the amount of paper being shred. This can sometimes pass through several people across several geographical locations which can cause a serious security threat to the companies.

Latest Features

The journey from simple shredding machines when it started to today’s complex high performance shredders is a long and innovative path aimed at providing more security to the users. As the saying goes, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”, as the need grows the manufacturers of shredding machines come up with innovative ideas that offer the users with safety, efficiency and convenience.

Some of the latest additions are listed below:

Jam Proof Shredders: Often we find that a few extra sheets of paper fed into the shredder causes a paper jam. Today’s high end shredders come with sensors that measure paper thickness as it is being fed into the shredder. It does not allow feeding of papers more than the allowed limits. Powerful motors that drive the shredders also take care of folded or crumpled papers in between the pile.

Energy Conservator: When the shredder is not in use it is automatically put in sleep mode, thus saving precious energy and is also eco-friendly.

Safety: Several accidents have happened related to people getting hurt by their hands getting caught in the shredders. The latest shredders come with a safety sensor, which can detect when someone’s hands are too close to the shredder. You can now be assured of the safety of your children and pets near a shredder.

Noise reduction: Previously shredders used to cause such a noise when in use. It thus becomes very inconvenient in shared office spaces. These days’ shredders can operate with such a low noise that you could hardly hear it working.

Reconstruction Impacts:

With a base model of a shredder we get the remnants so close to each other and in thin long strips that it becomes fairly easy to reconstruct the original document. Documents that are shred with the lines horizontal to the rollers tend to come out with the lines very legible.

Dumpster Diving is probably the best way for corporate and professional culprits to find out company secrets and other sensitive information. The latest shredders provide you full and complete security by shredding the papers to sizes smaller than the length of a staple.

Shredder Identification:

Similar to the concept of fingerprints for the humans, each shredder has a fingerprint in terms of blade spacing, thickness of the blades, degree and pattern of the shreds. With these identifications possible it is easy to trace down the source shredder for any shredded document.

Shredders and Safety:

From the origin of shredders we have always faced many accidents with shredders. Our children, our pets or even we may have been injured by a shredder. The newer models come with safety sensors that can prevent from such accidents. Slimmer paper entry slots and safety sensors ensure that there is an indication when hands are placed too close to the paper slots. When it comes to personal and home usage shredders, having the shredders “OFF”, when not in use can reduce the risk factor to a great extent.