January is notorious for relatively standard editorial comments, with magazine teams thanking advertisers and readers for their support over the past 12-months. Not this January. 2009 will be a year where businesses small and large place their office expenditure under a rather strong spotlight. They won't stop spending, but they will make sure every penny they spend is offering a direct cash saving, improved productivity, or both. Luckily, new office and stationery products are not developed randomly.

A number of new companies have signed up to exhibit at the 2009 Stationery and Office Products Show this April, including suppliers of printer cartridges and laser toners such as DCI/Jet Tec and Infotec. These names head up the growing number of first time exhibitors set to participate in the exhibition on 7 and 8 April at London's Business Design Centre. Other companies making their debut include Bruce Douglas, Clive Stenning, Lexibook and DSB Binding.

Panasonic has opened a new European operations training centre at its manufacturing plant in Newport, South Wales. This purpose built multimedia facility will provide training for a range of Panasonic products including digital systems, network communications platforms, applications and document solutions.

Katun Corporation has introduced toner for the Toshiba e-Studio 163/203-series multi-function peripherals. The company states the toner is an excellent alternative to OEM toner for customers looking to improve their cost-per-copy.

Transax Merchant Services is a new credit and debit card payment service from Fidelity National Information Services, designed to help stationers improve their margins and quality of service at the point of sale (POS). This alternative to the credit and debit card services offered by banks and Independent Sales Organisations (ISOs) makes it easier for customers to pay and alleviates concerns about credit risk.

The James McNaughton Group has launched a new small format digital swatch, containing samples of its range of small format digital sheets. The swatch features printed and unprinted sample sheets of all McNaughton small format digital ranges, so customers can see and feel what each sheet is like. It also contains range and technical information.

Office costs could be reduced by updating technology as part of Peninsula's work smarter initiative. Following an initial audit, the scheme works to digitise paperwork, which can then be edited and updated on computer, stored on local hard drives and retrieved when needed.

Nearly 2,500 tonnes of carbon has been offset by Oce UK and its strategic partner, Shining Earth, in the first year of a pioneering carbon offsetting programme, where Oce UK committed to offsetting 200 per cent of the CO2 for each of its VarioPrint 6000 machines.

Responsibility for the pan-European business of Herma-branded office, school and photographic products passes to Axel Hennemann, as long-standing head of exports, Dieter Waldbüsser, retires. After 48 years with the self-adhesive speciality enterprise, Dieter's official departure scheduled to coincide with Paperworld 2009. This will be the 30th exhibition of its kind attended by Waldbüsser and plans are are in place for a smooth transition.

Morris Group has launched several new quality seating ranges at two events in London and Birmingham. The products included Nefil and Brant from the Comfort Seating ergonomic range, plus Shape and Sculpt.

From 1 March 2009 Denmaur Papers plc and Independent Paper plc are to combine their operations in one renamed company: Denmaur Independent Papers Ltd.

In a bid to increase operating efficiency, Fife-based papermaker, Tullis Russell, has invested £800K in a new Marquip cutter at its production site in Glenrothes. Improved yield is providing financial savings in the sheeting process and reducing the need to outsource paper cutting requirements.

VIPColor Technologies has launched its VP485e colour on-demand inkjet label printer in Europe. European sales director, Jules Farkas, said: "I believe the success of the launch is because the VP485e specification is unlike many units currently available. Featuring large separate ink tanks, each colour can be changed discretely and is operated in conjunction with long-life print heads. This greatly reduces the frequency of replacements as well as the waste and costs associated with today's tri-colour ink cartridges.

Inkjet cartridge manufacturer, Jet Tec, has established an Offical Retailer scheme designed to help dealers increase their customer base, grow sales and boost margins.

West Yorkshire Police (WYP) have cleared a mountain of paperwork using an intelligent document management and optical character recognition solution to scan, digitise and archive over 80,000 invoices received each year.

Ergonomic seating designer and manufacturer, RH Chairs, has won the Furniture Industry Research Association's award for Ergonomic Excellence: for an amazing ninth consecutive time.

At Integra Office Solutions' recent national conference members and suppliers came together to discuss new initiatives, exchange ideas and help plan for the year ahead.

On 31 January 2009 the international paper, office supplies and stationery products industry will assemble at Paperworld. Registered exhibitors include Brunnen, edding, Faber Castell, Fellowes, Herma, Stabilo, Staedtler and UHU. Around 2,300 exhibitors are expected to attend.

Letts is presenting its 2010 diary ranges at Paperworld. The products are designed to harness Letts' experience and expertise to set the standard for quality, well designed, diary products with a style and format to suit every need. The company now implements global contracts, including a web-based order system, offering bespoke products and added product personalisation which are fulfilled to all world regions.

Glue Dots International's new DOT N' Go adhesive dispenser is designed to allow crafters to cruise through creativity because they apply GLUE DOTS faster, easier and with no mess.

Paperworld sees Collins unveil its new 2010 Diary Collection which incorporates a host of different styles to suit every taste and is designed to provide great value for money. The company will also showcase notebooks, conference folders and address books.

AF International is unveiling its new Multi-Screen Clene and Cloth at Paperworld, demonstrating the company's commitment to manufacturing products that are environmentally friendly and compatible with the latest technological developments. Multi-Screen Clene is available in a 200ml, eco-friendly, pump-action bottle with a free micro-fibre cloth contained within the lid. The gentle, non-smearing formula is suitable for sensitive screens and can be used on PCs, laptops and personal equipment including games consoles, mobile phones and MP3 players.

Paper Cellar is launching the classic Mr Men and Little Miss range of craft and embellishment products at Paperworld. The range is based on the classic Roger Hargreaves Mr Men and Little Miss Books which have been enjoyed since the 1970s and now sell over 8 million copies annually.

Renz is launching new Officeline products at Paperworld, ranging from binding to pouch laminating machines. The company states document presentation and binding is a rapidly expanding area with companies investing in new equipment and testing new innovations. For example, Renz' OnePitch ring wire lets users bind a few sheets, through to 350 sheets, with just one machine.

Rottner Group offers an extensive range of safes, security cabinets, fire files and associated products in Europe from its 10,000-plus pallet facility in central Austria: over 4,000 products in total. The company supplies over 30 European countries via its own subsidiaries and authorised distributors, including Rottner Security UK.

Beaverswood Supply Co offers a range of document holders to promote the safe retention and control of vital documents. Easily applied to any surface, the clear plastic document holders are designed to allow easy identification of data held in the protective sleeve. The pockets are manufactured from tough polypropylene and feature welded edges for robust performance.

Flat pack furniture has been available for years, now Duraweld has launched flat pack binders. Ahead of the main launch, the company is offering DIY flat pack binders to readers who would like to benefit from the advantages of self assembly ring binders. Duraweld will deliver polypropylene ring binders flat for customers to insert the ring mechanism as and when needed.

Although few would dispute 2009 promises to be a tough year for industry, and manufacturers will need to work hard just to stay level, it's certainly not a time to batten down the hatches.

This year's BTS has been a success for the writing instruments market, despite the current turbulent economic climate. This August the market peaked at £21.6m, up 4.5 per cent from August '07. The key product groups which have benefited from the strong BTS figures are ballpoints, mechanical pencils and rollerballs.

Pilot has launched a new concept in recycled writing instruments and it's all in the name. Bottle to Pen (B2P) is a retractable, refillable gel ink rollerball, manufactured from recycled plastic bottles and designed to look like one too. Its bottle-styled barrel mirrors the product it's made from, illustrating that everyday products can have a second life.

The new Studio No 5 collection from London pen maker Platignum comes in a rainbow of eight acid bright colours, each set off with a matt black clip and trim.

Stabilo has launched its GREENrange which is manufactured from 100 per cent FSC wood with an environmentally friendly matt varnish. FSC certification guarantees wood comes from ecologically and socially well managed forests to ensure environmental sustainability. This range reflects Stabilo's commitment to acting ecologically, sustainably and responsibly.

Although many forecast 2009 to be a difficult year, there will be plenty of opportunities for the labelling market to target consumer groups of all sizes. Through both software support and product innovation, high profile brands are well placed to capitalise on these opportunities.

There are still thousands of pounds to be won with 3M's ‘Deal or No Deal' promotion. For a limited time, why not test the banker and get your hands on some cash with Post-it Notes Deal or No Deal?

Bostik has introduced the Sticki Pen to its Sticki Range. Ideal for office, home, school and craft use, Sticki Pen works like a felt tip pen, offering accuracy when working on precision or detailed projects. Sticki Pen is applied in a writing motion, gently drawing the pen across the surface to leave a 2mm line of glue.

Toshiba Tec has added the B-EV4 entry-level desktop label printer to its thermal printer range. Two models are currently available: direct thermal B-EV4D and thermal transfer B-EV4T. Designed to provide affordable printing and quality performance, the B-EV4 boasts an extra small footprint. The series suits office environments with low to medium volume printing requirement, such as shipping and receiving.

Herma's Movables labels open up countless new opportunities in labelling and lettering applications. Thanks to ‘free-to-move' adhesive technology, they are designed to combine hitherto unattainable characteristics.

With so much emphasis on green issues these days it's important for customers to realise that it is not ‘how green are our printers', a commonly asked question, it's ‘how green is the usage of them'?

Ricoh has launched a new A4 mono laser printer. The Aficio SP 4100nl's 400MHz processor and 192MB memory are designed for print speeds of up to 31ppm.

Philips has added three new multi-function products. The LaserMFD 6050, 6050W and 6080 combine fax, printer, scanner and copier and boast up to 40 per cent lower toner consumption for cost saving and eco efficiency.

Sharp has introduced two new Frontier multifunction printers. The MX-C311 and MX-C381 A4 colour MFP products feature a sleek, distinctive design which compliments contemporary office settings. Both printers offer digital colour copier, printer and scanner functions.

Lexmark International has introduced two new series of colour laser printers and colour laser multifunction products (MFPs).

Canon UK has announced six new A4 MFPs designed to deliver faster print speeds (up to 24 pages per minute) and standard duplex printing, thus promoting more efficient paper use. The range also offers colour scanning. The send function sends scanned documents to an email address, FTP site or database.

Asus' new Eee Top all-in-one touch screen computer is designed to offer the functionality of a desktop PC at a fraction of the footprint. The Eee Top 1602 series integrates a 15.6in five-wired resistive touch panel, letting users manipulate on-screen information with their fingertips.

Linda & Harriett has introduced personalised notepads. Available in various designs, including Zig Zag, Lace and Moose, customers can now add a personal touch when they write a note from one of these 100-page pads. Simply select your design of choice, type in your name as you'd like it to appear and choose an ink colour (black, red or navy).

After wages, office space is usually a company's second biggest cost. Thus, businesses are often keen to reduce their floor space. However, how can a business move to a smaller office feeling claustrophobia? Space saving furniture offers a solution.

Coms has launched a wireless version of its VoIP business telephony service. Combining flexibility with the functionality of a desktop telephone makes the service ideal for people who roam.

Multiple displays help increase productivity, letting users access several programs at once. Village Tronic's new ViBook is designed to make it easy and inexpensive to run several screens from a standard USB.

Energy efficiency was a priority when Philips' designed its new Magic5 ECO thermal transfer fax range. Developed as part of the Philips Green Programme, the range is said to have very low standby power consumption (one of the market's lowest), while also using  less raw materials and reduced packaging.

Panasonic states its new KX-MC6020 and 6260 A4 all-in-one devices offer all the productivity benefits of its award winning A3 MFPs. The series combines a colour A4 printer, flatbed copier and colour scanner and fax.  Features include a 50 sheet automatic document feeder and an optional duplex unit.

Oxford Papershow uses digital paper to let users annotate Powerpoint presentation or use their screen/wall as an electronic flipchart. Presentations and meetings become more interactive as the audience can add their comments in real time.

Duraweld has been awarded ISO14001, a series of international standards on environmental management. Assessors from ICS Registrars (the Quality Assurance Registrar for the manufacturing industry) spent time at Duraweld's factory and, after analysing its environmental management system, recommended Duraweld for accreditation, stating: ‘The successful outcome of this assessment is the result of a significant team effort and this was clearly demonstrated by the enthusiastic commitment to the system from all personnel'.

Staedtler UK has appointed Catherine Wilford as business manager retail. Catherine spent the last six years with Pentel as national account manager for retail and grocery. Prior to that she held other national account/sales positions in the office products industry, including roles at BIC and Palmer & Harvey, offering Staedtler UK a wealth of experience.

Office services and print outsourcing specialists, WPS, has appointed Darren Lamb as marketing manager.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions (UK) has launched two high volume black and white multifunctionals, the bizhub 601 and bizhub 751.

Theo Paphitis, owner and chairman of Ryman Stationery, presented Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, with a £13,500 cheque for the charity Children in Crisis, giving funds raised by the stationer through its 240 stores.

Haigh Consultancy Services has teamed up with GI Direct to create Unity, a virtual mail system designed to help businesses save up to 70 per on the cost of sending postal communications.

Multifunction office equipment and business solutions specialist, Muratec Europe UK, has announced a dealer partner sales incentive. Based on sales until February 2009, Muratec dealerships can qualify for a place on a luxury trip to Barcelona, Spain.

Spitfire has become one of the first ISPs to connect to BT's 21st Century Network (21C), allowing provision of super-fast ADSL2+ broadband circuits to Spitfire customers, with download speeds up to 24Mb.