Choosing the right paper shredder
With privacy and security holding more importance than ever before, selecting the right paper shredder for you is crucial to protect your information in the most secure and easy way possible.
What features to look for?
- Security level (e.g. Strip-Cut, Cross-Cut, Micro-Cut)
- Paper feed width
- Automatic or manual feed
- Ability to shred other items if required (e.g. Staples, Paperclips, CDs, Credit Cards)
What cut type do you need?
The cut type will determine the way and how many pieces your document is shredded into.
Strip Cut shredders provide a basic level of security by shredding your documents in long, vertical strips. Strip cut shredders are suited for generating packaging from non-sensitive documents but will leave you at most risk as one in every three of the shredded strips will be easy to read.
Cross Cut shredders are the most popular and provide a higher level of security that is suitable for most homes & business. Cross cut shredders shred your documents in both directions leaving you with strips that can’t be read.
Micro Cut shredders are the most secure and are for users and business wanting the highest level of security. Micro cut shredders will destroy paper into many tiny pieces.
What size paper do you need to shred?
Commonly paper shredders will feed an A4 piece of paper. If you need to shred A3 size paper, it’s important to check the feed width to make sure the shredder will be suitable for you.
Auto feed or manual feed?
Auto feed shredders allow a user to load paper, close the lid and walk away while their shredding is done. This can be a great option for an office looking to make shredding as efficient as possible. An important thing to look for is that the lid will lock and can’t be opened once loaded. Otherwise your documents could simply be picked up by someone else. We have a range of auto feed shredders with a pin combination to ensure document security.
Do you need to shred other items?
If you need to shred items such as CDs, credit cards, paper clips and staples, it’s important to check the paper shredder you are looking at can do this. Most cross cut shredders are capable of shredding these extra items but it’s important to check.