Office Supply FAQ: Post-it, Printer Problems, and Everything in Between

Office supply shopping – the questions I hear every week

I’ve been managing office purchases for a 200-person company for about five years now. Honestly, the same questions come up again and again – from new hires, from managers, even from the finance team. So I figured I’d answer the ones I see most often (plus a surprise one nobody asks but should).

1. Where can I find the best price on Post-it notes?

Short answer: It depends on whether you’re buying for a single desk or a whole department – and whether you care about the brand.

When I first took over purchasing in 2020, I assumed “same product, lowest price” was the way to go. Didn’t verify. Turned out the cheap generic sticky notes from an online wholesaler left adhesive residue on every surface. I learned never to assume “sticky note” means “Post-it quality” after that.

Here’s what I found after comparing a ton of options (this was back in 2023, but the pattern holds):

• Post-it branded at Staples or Office Depot – usually $3–$5 per 12-pack. Not the cheapest, but reliable adhesive and the pop-up dispensers actually work.
• Post-it on Amazon – sometimes cheaper (especially Subscribe & Save), but watch for counterfeit listings. I’ve seen “genuine” packaging that clearly wasn’t.
• Bulk cases via a wholesaler – if you need 50+ packs, it’s worth getting a quote. The price per pack can drop to $2.50 (as of January 2025).

The bottom line? Don’t just look at the unit price. Factor in return hassle, adhesive quality, and employee complaints. We switched to Post-it branded after the generic fiasco, and the complaints dropped to zero. That’s a game-changer for office morale.

2. Are there Post-it products specifically for legal pads?

Short answer: Yes – Post-it makes “Legal Pad Post-it Notes” that are 3” x 5” and designed to stick to the edge of a legal pad without curling.

I actually kind of stumbled on these when a consultant asked for “something that sticks to my notepad and doesn’t flop over.” I assumed a regular 3x3 would work. Didn’t verify. Turned out the standard size hangs off the side and gets bent. The legal pad version (with a longer adhesive strip) solved it.

We now stock these for our legal team and any heavy notetakers. Pricing is about $6 for a 12-pad box (circa late 2024). Totally worth it if you’re in a lot of meetings.

3. What should I look for in a pencil case for the office?

Short answer: It’s more than just “holds pens.” Think about organization, durability, and whether it fits in a desk drawer.

I used to grab any cheap pencil case from the supply closet (the clear vinyl ones). They lasted maybe three months before the zipper broke. Seriously, it was a waste of money. Then I compared a basic case vs. a slightly sturdier nylon one side by side – the nylon case lasted over a year. I finally understood why spending $2 more upfront saves money.

Our team now uses a simple mesh pencil case (around $4 from Staples) – holds 20 pens, has a small pocket for sticky flags, and fits in a standard drawer. We buy 100 at a time and it costs us about $3.50 each in bulk (pricing as of January 2025). No-brainer.

4. Why won’t my printer print?

Short answer: 9 times out of 10, it’s either paper jam, low toner, or the computer not connecting. But there’s one thing nobody checks.

When I first started, I’d run down to the printer, see “error,” and call IT. The third time that happened, I finally created a quick checklist. Should have done it after the first time. The most common causes (based on our fleet of 12 printers):

1. Paper jam – even a tiny torn piece can stop everything. Check the back roller.
2. Toner low – the printer will often show a yellow warning, but sometimes it just stops. Replace the cartridge if it’s under 10%.
3. Connection lost – wireless printers lose Wi-Fi regularly. Restart the printer, then restart the computer.
4. Wrong paper size – if you loaded legal paper but the job is letter, the printer may reject it. We had a whole incident because someone put 8.5×14 in the tray and forgot to change the setting.

But here’s the one nobody thinks of: the printer’s internal memory is full. Seriously. Old jobs can pile up. A simple power cycle (unplug for 30 seconds) clears the memory and fixes it 90% of the time. Learned that from a tech support call after assuming it was a hardware failure.

5. What’s the deal with “RREF calculator”? Do we need one in the office?

Short answer: RREF stands for “Reduced Row Echelon Form” – it’s a linear algebra tool. You probably don’t need a physical calculator for it unless you have engineers crunching matrices daily.

Honestly, when I saw this in a search, I thought it was a typo. But then our data analyst mentioned occasionally needing to do matrix operations on the go. Most people use online calculators (like Symbolab) or a TI-84. If you’re buying for an engineering team, a TI-84 Plus CE costs about $110 (as of early 2025). For the rest of us, a basic scientific calculator ($15) covers 99% of functions.

We keep a few TI-84s in the supply closet for our analytics team. Way cheaper than interrupting their workflow with “I’ll look up the RREF online” every time.

6. Where can I get Post-it staples? (Yes, that’s a thing)

Short answer: “Post-it staples” isn’t a product – but people mean either Post-it flags that look like staples, or the Post-it sticky note refills for the pop-up dispenser.

I get asked this a lot. We didn’t have a formal process for deciphering what people actually need. Cost us when someone ordered 500 boxes of “Post-it staples” and we ended up with… actual staples? The fourth time it happened, I finally created a standard order form with images.

If you meant Post-it Flag Highlighter with Flags (the combo highlighter and sticky flags all-in-one), that’s a different beast. It runs about $7 per pen. Handy for marking documents. If you meant the Post-it Super Sticky Notes in the pop-up dispenser, those are around $6 per dispenser pack. Figure out what your team wants before buying.

That’s the short list. If you’ve got a weird office supply question, I probably have a story about it. Just remember: check the specs before you buy, and always ask “what’s NOT included” in the price – especially with tech items. Transparency beats hidden fees every time.