Fun school supplies for students to choose from

MANILA, Philippines - “We work closely with our suppliers to bring to the market the products it needs and wants,” says Cecilia Ramos-Licauco, who heads the purchasing department of National Book Store.

When you look at the choices at NBS today, you’d think kids must have a fun time choosing which from the myriad ball pens, notebooks, sign pens and highlighters available to them.

Thanks to its partnership with suppliers, NBS remains the No. 1 choice of the young and old for office and school supplies.

Times Trading Corp., which supplies the store with Artline products, is one such partner. Artline specializes in markers for almost every purpose, including laundry markers for labeling clothing and linens, freezer-bag markers, furniture markers for retouching scratched wooden pieces, calligraphy pens, metallic and paint markers, and Wetrite for marking non-porous wet surfaces.

Artline products are made to Japanese standards and are also Xylene-free, a toxic substance included in most markers as solvent. Some markers come in easily refillable, no-mess systems, and consumers prefer them because they write smoothly.

Times Trading also makes Colleen crayons, famous for its two-sided colored pencils (one color per pencil end). Colleen is also famous for crayons that actually have more color pigments than wax, which means the coverage is bigger for less crayon; and only Colleen has gold and silver in its 16 and 24 boxes.  

Chirp manufactures yellow pencils, gel pens, sign pens, and fluorescent markers. Another office accessory is the anti-bacterial finger moistener for counting money.

Times Trading has been in business since 1945 and is today one of the largest distributors of school supplies.

Veco Paper Corporation, which manufactures in 41 product categories, inspires students to create their best work by providing them with high-quality paper, such as Paper One, made from 100 percent plantation fiber. Paper One boasts high whiteness and thickness for sharp and clear prints. Veco notebooks come in different colors and designs with ruled lines and smooth to touch, while Elit photo paper lets colors come out better and brighter, and is water and scratch resistant for long-lasting photo printouts.

Seagull Plastic & Paper Products Corporation makes clear books, accordion files, three-ring binders, notebooks, envelopes, and other supplies. Seagull was established in June 1977, originally a trading company engaged in wholesale and retail, and started importing products from the US, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong and the Netherlands in 1980. Six years later, it created its manufacturing division and in 1991 expanded its production line to include lever arch files, assorted types of polypropylene plastic folders, inner refills and others. Seagull has been a partner of National Book Store for the past 28 years.

Filstar Distributors Corporation makes Bic writing instruments adapted to Asian climate so they won’t skip or dry up. Filstar Distributors is a wholly owned subsidiary of National Book Store Inc.

In 2003, Filstar introduced scrapbooking in the country, creating the brand All About Scrapbooking for crafts materials and accessories. In 2007 it introduced its Little Girl line of party favors. 

Advance Paper Corporation makes notebooks and other paper products for preschool, elementary, high school and college students.

Ink for Less is an all-in-one station that offers inkjet/toner cartridge refilling; it also sells brand-new cartridges and other related products and services using the latest technology available in the ink refilling industry. It provides an invaluable service as it reuses, reduces and recycles used ink cartridges.

Medical and nursing students buying their school supplies will also find their other needs at National Book Store. Its partner vendor Remy Co. Enterprise distributes Baxtel BP with stethoscope. Baxter boasts a soft earpiece in its stethoscope while it has a big tubing for better sound. Its blood pressure spring nomanometer is made out of the finest materials and the cuff is made of cotton for comfort. 

Adecs International Corp. makes Patriot flash drives in 2 and 4GB. The company boasts more affordable prices with a longer warranty (five years).

Infomax Enterprise supplies National Book Store the Franklin line of electronic dictionaries published by Merriam Webster. The dictionaries are handheld and easy to use so users spend less time searching and more time reading and writing. Infomax Enterprise is the authorized distributor of Franklin and Seiko electronic dictionaries in the Philippines and a variety of learning devices such as translators, thesaurus, the Bible, and encyclopedias.

Cosmos Bazaar Inc., founded in Binondo in 1926, started out as a general merchandise store specializing in toys and cosmetic products, now supplies a wide range of writing instruments including the Pilot brand.

All these brands are available at National Book Store’s more than a hundred branches nationwide. Check out its newly opened branches at Alabang Town Center, Bestsellers Annex, Glorietta 5, Puregold Sucat, SM Naga, and Walter Mart Sta. Maria.