When purchasing equipment such as an office shredder, you need to know the language that is used to describe the product that you are buying.

Here are some of the terms that you would want to know if you were tasked with buying paper shredders:

• Security levels. There are six security levels for shredders. A high security shredder is one that is ranked at least as high as 4.
• Strip-cut and cross-cut. There are two types of paper shredders. Strip-cut cuts in strips and cross-cut will cut in smaller pieces which makes it a more secure printer.
• Shredder speed. This is a measurement of how fast the shredder can cut paper as well as how much paper can be put through at one time. A faster speed is better for high-productivity offices.
• Throat width or entry width. This is the width of the entryway where the paper will be put. Most people will want shredders that cut sheets of paper that are 8 1/2" x 11" so they’ll seek a throat width of at least 9" and probably would prefer 12".

Learning the terms that are used to describe a piece of equipment will allow you to make better decisions when choosing the right equipment for purchase.