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.
A lateral file cabinet has horizontal drawers like a dresser and is like a utility cabinet in that way. Vertical cabinets hold files from front to back, while hanging files are usually hung from side to side. Some cabinets come with inserts that can be used either way.
Files in a lateral filing cabinet are stacked next to each other along the length of the drawer. These cabinets are good for businesses with a lot of customers because they can hold a lot of files and make it easy to find the ones that are important. On the top, which is long and wide, there is more space to store things.
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.
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.
Place the cabinet so that the documents are facing the way you want them to. You can put files in a lateral file cabinet so that they face left, right, or the front.
How you put your files in a storage cabinet affects how easy they are to find and how many you can store. Even though there doesn’t seem to be a difference between horizontal and vertical storage systems at first glance, there is a big difference in how they work. If your office deals with a lot of paper documents, choosing the right storage system can cut down on the time it takes to file and find files in the future.
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 is the procedure for filing on the side?
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.
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. Because there are no drawers to open, lateral files are more visible and easier to see.
What’s the difference between lateral and vertical file cabinets?
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.
What are the disadvantages of the lateral filing system?
The use of lateral files may be a challenge. 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.
A vertical file cabinet or a lateral file cabinet?
Unlike lateral file cabinets, vertical file cabinets are not as big. Even though vertical file cabinets are common because they take up less wall space, most paperwork is kept in lateral file cabinets.
What does a lateral cabinet look like?
A lateral file cabinet has drawers that stick out from its long side at different lengths. In the UK, these are also called “side filers.” On the shelves, there are also files that hang.
How thick lateral file cabinets are.
Even though lateral files come in many different sizes and styles, they usually 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.
What’s the difference between up and down and side to side?
A vertical line divides a page into two columns. Moving laterally is the same as moving to the side.
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.
How do you take a drawer out of a side-by-side file cabinet?
Open the drawer all the way to take out the lateral file drawer. – Take off the shipping screw “A” from the metal suspensions on the left and right. – Pull the drawer away from the slides while squeezing the nylon release tabs “B” toward the drawer. You can replace lateral file drawers by moving the drawer slides out halfway.
How do you get the drawers out of a Steelcase lateral file cabinet?
Press down on the lock catch on each side of the drawer, as shown, to pull it out. Pull the file drawer on the side out until it stops. As shown, pull the drawer up and out while pressing down on the lock retainers on each side of the drawer.