A paper shredder is a tool, which is utilized to mechanically shred paper into pieces, may it be in thin or small bits. The government, private organizations and businesses use this very practical and important item to ruin confidential, sensitive and classified information. People who are experts in keeping privacy highly suggest everyone to use paper shredders in destroying credit card information, tax documents, billing statements and other personal information that would most likely be used in committing serious crimes, such as identity theft and fraud to name a few.
Abbot Augustus Law invented the paper shredder. It was his improved way of disposing a waste paper. This “receptacle”, as he called it then, was unfortunately never manufactured. Instead, the first manufactured paper shredder was of Adolf Ehinger’s. He used his invention to remove all proof of his disloyalty to the Nazi’s.
Interestingly, paper shredders could range from a simple multi-cut scissors that could cut a small amount of paper to a large, sophisticated machine to truck-size shredders that could shred millions of papers in a matter of one hour.
A paper shredder can also provide different kinds of shreds. This is also one of the reasons why a customer picks a specific shredder. A shredder can produce strip cuts, cross cuts/confetti cuts, square or circular cuts and other randomly shaped cuts.
Different paper shredders provide multiple standards in the security it provides. For example, the first level of security would cut a piece of paper into twelve pieces or strips, while the sixth level shreds a piece of paper into 4 mm particles. These documents are considered Top Secret. Usually, the government uses these kinds of paper shredders.
Manufacturers of paper shredders continuously innovate these helpful tools. Some have already came up with silent shredders, some have added a safety sensor that allows the shredder to monitor a human hand and automatically shuts down when it comes too close. You can also put a paper shredder into sleep mode, just like your TV, when you are not using it.
No matter what your purpose is in purchasing a paper shredder, one thing is for sure, the much-needed security in destroying private documents is the highest priority of paper shredder manufacturers. They will continue to produce efficient, top quality paper shredders to serve different individuals and companies. It is up to you on what kind of paper shredder to use. Definitely, you should find something that fits your needs.