Letter & Desktop Trays

Letter trays are small shelves placed on a desk to help create order. They allow for organization by allocating spaces to different items found on a desk, for example, incoming and outgoing documents that need attention, mail, files, and notices. Staples carries a wide selection of letter trays and other related office supplies to suit various office needs.

Consider the workload
Letter trays come in various designs. There are single layer and multi-tier models that include multiple shelves. A small business with little paperwork will benefit from a single tray. Multi-tier trays are best for employees who receive and hand out a lot of paperwork during the day. These units are a smart choice for a small desk where saving space and maintaining order is important. Each level can carry a different set of paperwork dependent on the organizational format.

The material used for letter trays
Letter trays come in various materials such as wood, metal, cardboard, and plastic. Different build materials offer a variety of strengths. Cardboard letter trays are ideal for light paperwork. Metallic and wire mesh ones offer more strength and durability. A mesh letter tray also serves to add to the minimalist look in an office. Plastic trays primarily contain plastic polymers such as polystyrene and acrylic. They are light and durable yet strong, making them ideal for facilities such as schools.

Ease of tray loading
Letter trays have different loading styles. The two most common loading styles are the front load and the side load. Placement of the desk and accessibility determine the easiest loading style for each one. 

Aesthetics and design
They come in a wide selection of colors and designs. The addition of a sophisticated or colorful unit helps spruce up the office. Different mesh models come with simple or intricate designs on the sides. Plastic trays come in all sorts of colors, from wild neon colors to bold dark colors.

What other features are available?
They have optional or additional features that help avoid clutter on an office desk. Side compartments can hold stationery and small office supplies. Some units have additional slots that are wider to hold items such as files, magazines, and binders. Rubber pads on the bottom of the tray protect the desk from scratches and avoid slipping. Select models are wall mountable, making them ideal for small offices with compact desks where floor and surface space is at a premium.

Can one create a multi-tier letter tray?
Some models of these products are stackable without the use of risers, letting users place one on top of another. The number of trays stacked depends on their construction material and shape. Typically, six trays can be stacked together, forming a multi-tier unit that is easy to use. 

Do you need separate trays for legal documents?
Legal documents and folders are often wider than the regular A4 letter-size documents. A wider letter tray helps avoid the edges jutting out and looking disorderly. There are wider trays intended explicitly for legal documents.