Finding the right office supplies for your office or home can be tricky. Today there are thousands of office products out there, and with so many choices, it's as complicated as ever. No product category is as confusing as filing supplies. There are different sizes, different "cuts", different colors, different materials, not to mention so many different brands. But we'll take the confusion out of it for you with some simple tips to help you easily find the filing supply product you need to stay organized.

The first thing to do is define the function for your filing supply. Is it simply to file away contents and place in a file drawer or your office desk for organization? If so, standard manila file folders are right for you. Do you have a ton of manila file folders and want to put them in a file cabinet and store away? Then, you need hanging file folders to hold all those file folders. These folders come with hangers that slide along storage file cabinet rails and have insert filing tabs so you can label the contents going into each hanging folder.

Do you have a bunch of documents that need to be jammed into one large file? Then box bottom folders are right for you. Do you have multiple categories to be filed, but want to keep things in one folder? Then six section classification folders are perfect. Those are the primary functional categories to consider.

The next thing to define is easy - size. Most filing supply items come in two sizes, letter size for 8-1/2 x 11 documents like standard copy paper, and legal size for 8-1/2 x 14 documents commonly used in the legal and real estate professions. Next is color. Used to be folders were in standard manila, or green colors, but not today. There are over 15 color choices from typical office supply retailers. Color coding your files is also great idea to help you quickly find items you need.

After size and color is the typical "cut" of the folder. Cut refers to how many tabs there are across the top of the folders going from left to right. For instance, a 1/3 cut file folder box will have folders with tabs in three different positions, one tab on the left, one in the middle and one on the right. A 1/5 cut file folder box will have tabs in five different positions. Tradition holds that 1/3 cut folders are preferred for standard file folders so the tabs are long enough for a long description. But 1/5 cut folders are preferred for hanging folders. Don't get stuck with tradition...use the cut that is right for your needs.

Lastly, and most important for classification folders, is do you want the folders to be top tab, or end tab. Top tab folders are what most people are familiar with. The filing tabs are on the long side, or horizontal side of the folder. End tab folders have tabs on the short side of the folder, or end of the folder. Typically you'll find medical filing items in end tab formats for alpha coding multiple folders in a medical filing system. Smead folders tend to be the favorites in this area.

As to the best brands, many standard folders are basically the same, and most people look to the best value. Brands like Universal tend to be popular and very competitively priced. If quality is important, than brands like Smead, Esselte Pendaflex and Globe Weis are long standing brands known for solid quality.

A somewhat recent factor for consideration is recycled content if you are interested in buying "green products", or items considered more friendly to our environment. Wall decoration Online office supplies company's, and others now have special categories or sections where consumers can find all earth friendly green products. The truth with filing supplies is good news. Most all file folders and hanging folders these days contain some recycled content. Research shows many folders today contain as much as 30% post consumer recycled material, and most all filing supplies contain a minimum of 10% post consumer recycled material. That's good news for you and the environment.

So remember next time you are confused over the right filing supply for your needs - define the function, size, color, cut and tab position - and then it's simply a matter of selecting the brand and price that is right for you.