A must have item for any office desk, the desk pad is available in a wide range of materials, sizes and qualities. Since no two offices, desk tops or owners share the identical requirements or preferences, there are a plethora of options available in the marketplace. And since the styles and types of desk pads range from inexpensive to elaborate, an understanding of the available features can assist in making selection of the perfect desk top addition easier. Let's see what people are looking for in a desk pad.



1. Desk Pad optimum size.

Desk pads come in a variety of sizes, to accommodate to different desk sizes and uses. Other than overall desk size, the primary issue to be addressed is how much of this space can be devoted to the desk pad. Is space required for other items? Does other equipment such as a computer or printer already take a great part of the desk? Once this is understood, you will find that many desk pads fall into several categories of sizes as follows.

- Small (about 12? x 16?);

- Medium (about 12? x 18?);

- Large (about 18?-20? x 24?-34?);

- Extra large (about 24? x 38?)

Ideally, you want to cover about 40 to 50 percent of your desk area at the most in order to maintain a balance in the look of your work space.

2. Desk Pad shapes.

Although available in square, rectangular and oval shapes, the vast majority of desk pads are rectangular.

3. Desk Pad materials.

There are a large variety of materials in use for constructing desk pads, some well suited and others with a limited life time. This variety covers a range of materials, from high end classic leathers and engineered materials to other cheaper materials, such as vinyl, cardboard and various types of plastic. In the lower end materials, a general rule of thumb is that price tend to represent the overall performance and lifetime of the desk pad. In higher end materials however, this is not generally true as many of the premium engineered materials can deliver better performance and less maintenance than more expensive natural materials. Preference and budget tend to dictate these selections.

In order to provide the best usability of your desk pad, along with a long life expectancy and the most luxurious selection possible, try to obtain one of the premium materials. Leather and the engineered material Rhinolin are both durable and prestigious materials that will perform their roles beautifully for years to come. Each has it's own cleaning and maintenance requirements that should be followed to maximize the product lifetime. You will typically find that the more natural products, such as leather, have a more demanding cleaning regimen to preserve the look and feel of the product.

Many of these higher end desk pads are equipped with other features as well that can add an authoritative statement to your office space. Decorative wood accents and padded leather are commonly used for adorning the edges of desk pads. These decorative accents can usually be matched to the coloring of your other office furniture, as can be found for example in the desk pads at http://www.successimage.com/cat--Desk-Pads--DeskPads. Also look for backings on these materials that are designed to protect the desk surface itself as well as prevent slipping during use.

Although there are a large number of products out there vying for your attention, you will likely find that by narrowing down the above requirements with your own needs and preferences, you should be able to fairly quickly settle on the best solution for your needs.