Paper Shredders with Automatic Feed Function, Is it the Right Choice for You?

The potential time savings that automatic feeding paper shredders offer is an attractive option. Be it for purchasers upgrading from manual feeding or older auto feeding paper shredders or for those requiring additional machines, there are indeed efficiencies to be gained. Put simply, for the purposes of shredding A4 office paper of 70-80gsm weight, auto feeding paper shredders are usually the perfect time saving solution.

The latest automatic feeding technologies incorporated into some auto feeding paper shredder brands have now evolved to the point that auto feeding stapled or clipped stacks of paper can be automatically shredded. Although this capability may sound overstated, it’s not and usually shredding stapled or clipped sets of paper is easily completed. There are however limitations when auto feeding which if known, can help avoid frustration, these include:

• Thickness of the stack for auto feeding stated in the operation manual.
• Position of staple to corner of pages, positioned no greater than 25mm of the page edge.
• Inability to reliably shred bound and laminated sheets.

Some auto feed shredder models are even designed to remove paper clips, placing them into a recovery tray which can be removed for emptying and reuse.

The capability to consistently auto feed stacks of various size papers smaller than A4 is more limited to shredder models that draw the paper into the cutters from the centre of the feed tray. That said, there is a limit to how small the pieces of papers to auto feed can be. As a rule of thumb, providing the stack always covers both sets of rubber feed belts / rollers, auto feeding of loose paper can be achieved with relative reliability. When auto feeding papers smaller than A4 size, make sure the papers are loose and not stapled. Shredders that auto feed the paper from the end of a page are less likely to auto feed smaller sized paper reliably, however if care is taken to place the paper over the feeding area of the paper tray, auto feeding these smaller papers is more likely to be successful.

Another consideration is the condition of paper which can vary greatly after being used. It’s understandable to think that papers in poor condition may not auto feed as reliably however this is not necessarily the case. As long as papers are placed flat and not folded, professional auto feed paper shredder brands will usually auto feed papers of varying conditions without a problem.

In summary, like anything there are pros and cons to using auto feed paper shredders. If your paper to shred is mainly A4, the pros usually outweigh the cons. Auto feed paper shredders usually incorporate a manual feed entry to shred those "out of scope papers" such as A3 which just requires folding over to fit into the A4 paper entry or for extra small paper sizes or for shredding thicker gsm weight papers.

When it's time to purchase and an auto feed shredder is your preferred option, there are many sizes on the Australian and New Zealand markets. Usually the more auto feeder capacity, the larger the bin which makes sense. As a guide, higher capacity auto feed machines will reduce the need to reload paper and empty the bin. For the ultimate in time savings and productivity, these capabilities and inclusions will help you make the right choice:

• Auto feed shredders with larger 300+ sheet auto feed capacities that mimimise reloading.
• Long continuous use with no wasted time waiting to cool down.
• Micro cut to halve shredded waste volume and the need for emptying.
• Quiet operation not disturbing those nearby. 
• Bin sweeper to maxamise available bin space before turning off when full.

All of the above points are helpful to find the right shredder for your needs and with some research, you can determine which is the perfect machine for your needs.