To function efficiently, a business must benefit from an effective office management system. Creating and maintaining an office supplies inventory will aid employees in performing their daily tasks with ease as the use of an office supplies inventory will ensure that business owners do not forget essential items when they order new supplies. To create an inventory of supplies, it is necessary to compile an extensive list of the supplies used by walking through the office itself. There are a few supplies that are necessity in an office environment. These include: Paper The average office employee uses thousands of sheets of paper each year. Copy and printer paper is essential for the everyday running of an office. Employees require paper to create copies of important documents, to send faxes and to print files from their personal computers. In addition to this, an office will require other types of paper products such as notepads, sticky notes, envelopes and compliments slips. Printer Cartridges Printer ink is another office essential. There are two main types of printer cartridges: inkjet cartridges and toner cartridges and the type of cartridges required will depend on the type of printers possessed. Furthermore, cartridges can be sub-categorised into two main types: black and colour. For small business owners using inkjet printers, the cost of printing supplies can reach into several hundreds of pounds per annum. Fasteners The office would not be complete in the absence of fastening tools, including paper clips, staples and binder clips. These items are necessary for general office organisation as, without fasteners, multi-page paperwork would prove difficult to maintain in an orderly fashion. The fasteners sub-category can be narrowed down into metal and plastic fasteners. In addition to fasteners, sticky tape is an office necessity. Both light-duty and shipping tape is a requirement for use in offices small and large. Writing Utensils An important supply that will be required in abundance in the office is writing utensils. Pencils, pens and highlighters all fall under this category. The list can be further narrowed down as pens and highlighters are available in a range of different types and colours. All office employees will require an adequate supply of writing utensils to sign documents, create notes in meetings and to leave notes for colleagues, and to complete printed forms relating to the business. Once the list of supplies has been compiled, the supplies can be categorised. The categories on the list may include but are unlikely to be limited to: stationary supplies, cleaning supplies, paper products, and electrical equipment. The operational requirements of all of the equipment listed should be evaluated. For example, staplers will require staples. The list of supplies should be entered into a spreadsheet. The main categories should be listed in columns and their associated supplies listed under them. Through the use of a spreadsheet, items can easily be added to the list in the future. The inventory should be referred to on a regular basis to ensure that the office does not run out of essential supplies.