Choose the perfect type of filing cabinet
The ability to create digital records and documents, the wide variety of storage devices, the availability of storage spaces on the cloud — all these innovations have still not been able to completely eradicate the need to maintain and store various paper documents. These documents require proper storage units and filing cabinets are an ideal choice.
The need for filing cabinets
Despite the move toward creating a fully digital record of all formal human transactions, we still create a lot of paper records — home ownership records, mortgage documents, contract documents, school report cards, etc.. These paper documents need to be stored in an organized manner so that you can easily access them when you need them.
In an office scenario, this becomes even more important and further complicated. You need several storage systems to store different types of paper documents. Filing cabinets are perfect for the same.
Filing cabinets come in various styles and sizes, and you can choose the filing cabinets according to your needs. Below are some options to choose from:
Lateral filing cabinets
These are horizontal cabinets with shelves that are wide and you store your files and records in them side-by-side from left to right. These are ideal for storing documents in narrow spaces, as these cabinets are wider rather than deeper.
Vertical filing cabinets
These filing cabinets have tall units with deep shelves but they do not have much width. In these cabinets, you store files from front to back. You need more space to pull out the drawers, so they are not good choices for narrow spaces. They can be perfectly set up in a private office, in corners, and against walls. These cabinets require good support as they can tip over because of their proportion, ie., more height than width.
Mobile filing cabinets
Mobile filing cabinets are typically short vertical cabinets with wheels. You can save space by pushing them under tables, desks, etc. You can use them to store records that will need to be shared across various sections of an office, as they can be pushed along from one place to another on their wheels.
Side tab filing cabinets
Ideal for holding documents like medical records, side tab filling cabinets have open or glass door shelving units. Files are stored vertically with the names or descriptions visible in the front. This makes the files easy to identify and pick out, especially, when a particular record needs to be retrieved quickly.
Rotating filing cabinets
These are double shelving systems on a single base and can help save space. They have storage systems on both sides and the shelf can be rotated on its base to display files on either side. The shelves are mostly vertical, open style storage units.
Card filing cabinets
These are small-sized vertical cabinets to store index cards that help you retrieve books or other records in large spaces with lots of shelves like a library.
Flat filing cabinets
Flat filing cabinets are typically lateral cabinets with very shallow storage drawers. They are the best options for storing large documents like blueprints, designs, and artworks. The documents are stored without the need to roll them up or fold them.
Decide what you want to store, where you want the cabinet to be placed, how often you need to access the files in the cabinet and so on. Based on your needs and space choose the perfect filing cabinet from the options above.