When documents are added from the side, the identification tab is put on the side of the file. Grab the edges and sides of the paper to pull it away. This type of file system is better because it takes up less space.
Unlike vertical cabinets, lateral files let you put documents in drawers on a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane. Compared to vertical file drawers, these drawers are shorter and pull out less, making it easier to see and find files. So, it is perfect for files and other information that needs to be used or looked at often.
Since they take up less space inside, lateral files are great for offices that are tight on space. They come in different widths and heights so you can fit as many filing drawers as you want. You can also stack a lot of files to store more things in a smaller space. Larger lateral files can even be used to divide a room. Smaller ones might fit under your desk to save space.
The wide but shallow drawers of a lateral file make it a good choice for filing a lot of papers. Because lateral files have short drawer extensions, they are great for hallways and other places where a lot of filing needs to be done in a small space. Most lateral files are between 32″ and 36″ wide, which is big enough to hold letter- and legal-sized papers that can be put back to front or side by side. Most units with two drawers are thin enough to fit under a work surface. There can be as few as two drawers or as many as seven drawers in a lateral file.
The most common type of file cabinet used today is the vertical file cabinet. They come in metal or wood and have two, four, or five drawers. Two-drawer files are made to fit standard desk heights so that they can be used in any office. Because the upper drawers are too high for easy access in working offices, five drawer vertical files (about 60 inches high) are more often used in mass storage facilities with limited floor space.
Don’t you often look at your files? A vertical storage system is harder to get to than a lateral file system because the drawers hold less stuff, but it can make more room on the floor.
For small offices, horizontal lateral filing is best because it takes up the least amount of space inside. There are a lot of different widths and heights of lateral file cabinets. There are lateral files that are big enough to divide a room, small enough to fit under your desk, or just the right size to be both a file cabinet and a new work surface.
What are the benefits of filing on the side?
Since vertical files take up more space than lateral files, you can store more files in the same amount of space. In general, it is easier to use and find things that are filed on the side. Since there are no drawers to open, lateral files are easier to see because they are more open.
What’s the difference between filing left to right and filing up and down?
Folders are stored in systems that run parallel to the front of the drawer and are called “lateral storage.” So, the depth of a lateral file cabinet is almost the same as the length of a standard file folder. In vertical storage systems, folders are stacked vertically on the same plane as the front of the drawer.
How many papers can fit into a lateral file cabinet?
Different kinds of file cabinets Most units with two drawers are thin enough to fit under a work surface. There can be as few as two drawers or as many as seven drawers in a lateral file.
How does lateral filing work?
When documents are added from the side, the identification tab is put on the side of the file. Grab the edges and sides of the paper to pull it away. This type of file system is better because it takes up less space.
A vertical file cabinet or a lateral file cabinet?
Vertical file cabinets are not as large as lateral file cabinets. Even though vertical file cabinets are common because they take up less wall space, most paperwork is kept in lateral file cabinets.
What are the problems with the side-by-side filing system?
It might be hard to figure out how to use lateral files. When using lateral files, you have to look at the files from the side, which can make you stand in an awkward way. In a normal file cabinet, the file folders face out. Also, lateral files are heavy and hard to move, especially when they are full of papers.
How do you keep files in a filing cabinet standing up straight?
The best place to keep and sort your papers is in a file cabinet. Put your files in folders or dividers so they stand up straight in the cabinet. Labels are another way to put the sections in the right order.
What is a lateral drawer, anyway?
On the long side of a lateral file cabinet are drawers that are different lengths. In the UK, these are also called “side filers.” On the shelves, there are also files that hang.
How should you put papers in a three-drawer filing cabinet?
The weights of the drawers should be the same as much as possible. If the parts don’t fit together well, they should go at the bottom. When the heavy top drawer is pulled out, the whole cabinet may fall over.
How deep should a file drawer that slides out be?
There are many sizes and styles of lateral files on the market today, but most of them have two or three drawers, are about 20″ deep, and are 30″ to 42″ wide. Overall, using lateral files is a great and useful way to keep an office of any size clean and organized.
Are file cabinets safe against fire?
Even though there are fire-resistant options for metal storage cabinets that can help keep your documents as safe as possible in the event of a fire, metal filing cabinets are not fireproof.
How many different kinds of file cabinets are there?
The most common types of file cabinets are vertical and lateral. The vertical file cabinet has drawers that stick out from the shorter side of the cabinet. On the other hand, the drawers on a lateral file cabinet stick out from the longer side of the cabinet.