With growing public awareness about data security and identity theft, the popularity of paper shredders has increased significantly in the recent years. Most of the businesses are now aware of the fact that not using a shredder can very easily lead to a tarnished corporate image, financial loss, and even legal consequences. If you have already decided to use a shredder at your workplace, it is important for you to choose the right machine. Therefore, before buying a paper shredder, try to gather some basic information about these machines.
Mentioned below are some of the most important factors for you to take into account.
Shredder Type:
Strip-cut and cross-cut are the two types of paper shredders. Strip-cut is the more common variant found at home, schools, and offices. These shredders cut paper into numerous strips resembling spaghetti. If you are looking to shred junk mail and such, this can be your ideal choice. However, please remember that if the strips fall into wrong hands, they could be re-assembled. Therefore, this is not the best option for documents that you really need to keep private.
Compared to strip-cut, cross cut machines offer higher levels of security by cutting paper into countless pieces. Documents shredded using these machines are almost impossible to reassemble. Therefore, cross-cut shredders are great for business documents, old tax returns, health records, bank statements, and other documents containing personal information.
Level of Security:
As far as shredder security is concerned, there are six different levels.
- Shredders with level 1 security are at the lowest security level. They produce 3/8” wide strips, and can be used for destroying junk mail and other documents without a lot of sensitive information.
- Shredders with level 2 and level 3 security produce 1/8” or 1/3” wide shreds, and are suitable for reasonably sensitive documents such as items containing birth dates, address, etc.
- Level 4 refers to high security shredders used for the disposal of financial records. A cross-cut device produces tiny shreds measuring 1/16” x 5/8”.
- Devices with level 5 or 6 rating provide the highest level of security, and are often used by the military and governmental officials to handle top secret documents.
Capacity:
Shredding capacity is another critical factor to consider before purchasing a shredder.
- Personal and desk side shredders are the smallest available devices, suitable for home use. These machines are capable of shredding up to 10 sheets at a time.
- Office shredders can handle up to 20 to 30 sheets in one pass, and are good for use in shared workspaces.
- Heavy-duty departmental shredders are meant for continuous use in busy workplaces, and shred more than 40 sheets at a time.
- Industrial shredders can process well over 100 sheets at a time, and are used mostly in mailrooms and print shops.
Multimedia and Cardboard Shredding:
If you are looking to destroy non-paper items, you should opt for multimedia shredders that can shred DVDs, CDs, floppy diskettes, etc. If you deal with a lot of cardboard, investing in a cardboard shredder can be a great idea.
Safety Features:
Using document shredders often poses certain risks. Therefore, it is always better to opt for machines equipped with safety features such as safety sensor and safety interlock.
If you have decided to invest in a document shredder, please contact us a Mastershred to discuss your requirements. We have a wide range of efficient shredders to choose from.