Types of Shredders

A paper shredder is an appliance that is used to cut large quantities of sheets of paper into bits. Shredders available today come in all sizes and prices, from small and inexpensive units that have a capacity of a few pages, to large expensive ones used by commercial shredding services, capable of shredding millions of documents an hour. Mobile shredders also exist, which are built into shredding trucks, and used by commercial shredding companies to provide shredding services. Though most environmentalists argue that paper shredding trucks use a lot of fuel and thus they emit more carbon, which contributes to the air pollution. Recycling paper also allows it to be used again for other purposes.

Desk Side Shredders
At the entry level position are desk-side shredders, which are appropriate for small businesses or home use. They are small and compact, suitable for offices with restricted space, and not meant for heavy use. These light weight shredders can be easily moved around. Depending on the model, their capacity ranges from shredding between three to eight pieces of paper at a time.

General Office Shredders
This type of shredder is a size larger than the small desk shredder, and is suitable for use in most offices. The general office shredders are medium-sized shredders that are used by several moderate-sized businesses. While the capacity defers with each model, they are usually able to shed up to 30 sheets of paper at a time.

Strip-Cut Shredders
This type of shredder is classified according to the cutting technique. It slices sheets of paper into long strips of a decided width, usually of about 1/8 or 1/4 of an inch. The most popular of these shredders is the 1/4 inch strip cut shredder, as it comes at an attractive purchase price. It also goes through more sheets at a time as compared to cross-cut shredders, because it does a limited amount of cutting. The only negative aspect of this shredder is that it generates plenty of fluffy and springy strips of paper that the shredder operator is left to deal with. These strips however can be used as a great packing material.

Cross-Cut Shredders
Cross-cut shredders incorporate specially milled cutting cylinders that shred sheets of paper into tiny diamond-shaped pieces which are uniform in length and width. The technique used is a criss-cross motion to shred the paper, thus achieving a dual cutting action that consequently takes longer than the strip-cut shredder. However, this aspect has not affected the popularity of this shredder, as they offer increased security that comes from a much smaller shred. The pieces collect in the waste bag and have a flat, self-compressing nature that amounts to an increased bag capacity and reduced trash. However, they are more expensive than strip-cut shredders.

Micro-Cut Shredder
A shredder that chops up the sheets of paper into fine particles is the micro-cut shredder. It transforms paper into shreds resembling dust, thus offering the highest level of security. Among the different levels of document security now available, one is capable of reducing an 8 ½ x 11 inch sheet of paper into 6,093 unrecognizable pieces. Another, ideal for the destruction of top secret government and military documents, shreds a single sheet of paper into a minimum of 12,064.5 separate particles.

Departmental/Heavy Duty Shredders
These truly heavy duty shredders can shred up to 60 sheets at a time. Departmental/Heavy Duty shredders are well-suited for large offices, banks and government agencies. They can rapidly shred large volumes with ease, and thus save a lot of time.

Industrial Shredders
These shredders have an enormous capacity and can shed up to 450 sheets of paper at a time. Industrial shredders are made for high volume shredding and can withstand continuous daily use. Very large companies or those that handle outsourced shredding form the buyer base of this shredder. These expensive shredders are compactly built.

Cardboard Shredders
Cardboard shredders are used to further shred pieces of boxes and other kinds of hard material into packaging material. These shredders are used by shipping businesses, warehouses and packaging companies to create large volumes of filler material that is required while packaging and transporting fragile goods.

While most people presume that shredders are needed only in offices, they often overlook the need to properly destroy their own bills, tax documents, credit card and bank account statements, which is an important way to prevent identity theft.