Four Workers, Four Offices - Industry Trend or Event

Home Office Computing, June, 2000 by Catherine Greenman

We design computer and furniture setups for a quartet of different professions

JUST AS A CHEF HAS HIS PRIZED COLLECTION OF POTS AND pans, every job has its special requirements when it comes to high-tech equipment and ergonomic furniture. With that in mind, here are office setup suggestions for four different home-based pros: an attorney, a graphic designer, a seller of hand-crafted or baked goods (like the gift baskets shown in our photo shoot), and an all-around on-the-goer.

Lawyers' briefcases are often as thick as three phone books, for example, so they tend to need desktop computers with tons of storage space. A graphic artist, on the other hand, needs imaging tools that will make her pages shine. No matter what the profession, all these offices are designed with comfort in mind. So take a look at what we've come up with--you might find yourself borrowing a few tricks from another trade.

The Lawyer

WHETHER YOU PRACTICE OUT OF A HOME OFFICE Fulltime, a few days a week, or just catch up on the weekends, your lawyerly office should be comfortable enough to spend long hours in, and equipped with the power to process any and all information you conjure up.

Desk If you're looking for office furniture that's classy-looking yet flexible, the Newhouse Collection from Herman Miller offers affordable mix-and-match components that can readily accommodate you, your computer and peripherals, and the occasional client who drops by for a meeting. Complete this set-up with Herman Miller's popular Aeron Chair, and you may find yourself putting in unbillable hours just for comfort's sake. The furniture is shipped directly to your door and comes with easy-to-follow assembly instructions.

Desktop PC like accountants, attorneys have ample data-storage needs. For handling client files, contacts, and cases galore, Dell's Dimension XPS T800r desktop combines a hefty 20.4GB hard disk with 128MB of SDRAM. Its 800MHz Pentium III processor, 56Kbps modem, and CD-RW drive are built for prompt access to applications, the Internet, and data archives, and Dell's 19-inch M990 monitor will cut down on eyestrain even as you're burning the midnight oil.

Multifunction Device We may be in the digital age, but lawyers and their clients still keep that hard copy flowing. Brother's MFC-9600 is an all-in-one system that adds a color scanner, digital copier, and plain-paper fax to a high-output laser printer. The flatbed copier--one of an attorney's most vital tools for disseminating documents to different parties--can produce up to 99 sorted copies at a time and reduce or enlarge images from 25 to 400 percent. Print and copy speeds clock in at 12ppm, with output at a crisp 600 by 600dpi. Parallel and USB interfaces keep your options open. And the whole setup costs well under $1,000.

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) To protect your work in the event of power surges, storms, or blackouts, APC's Back-UPS Pro USB 500 has outlets for your PC and six other home office peripherals, as well as two surge-protected RJ-11 jacks for your phone and modem. Along with a unique slanted design that accepts power cords easily from any angle, the Back-UPS Pro USB also includes Windows 98 power management software that automatically saves your work and shuts down your system in the event of a power failure.

The Graphic Designer

THE ARTIST IN YOU NEEDS CREATIVE SPACE, BUT THE businessperson in you needs tools that will help you produce beautiful results.

Desk Although graphic design has definitely gone digital, there are still plenty of times when you find yourself comparing color samples, looking through art catalogs, or otherwise standing over a table while referring to your computer screen. The VariTask E-Series from Mayline offers both an adjustable-height drafting table and computer workstation that glides to different levels with the push of a handle, as well as the flexibility to move around and let the creative juices flow.

Desktop Computer Even the lower end of Apple's Power Mac G4 line is an imaging powerhouse, with a 400MHz processor and 16MB ATI Rage 128 Pro graphics adapter. To make short work of bulky image files and publishing layouts, we configured a unit with a 20GB hard disk and 256MB of SDRAM, plus Iomega Zip and DVD-ROM drives. Apple's 15-inch flat-panel Studio Display LCD is a bit small for some designers' page-spread preferences, but its all-digital design gives unmatched color quality.

Digital Camera You want high-resolution images? Epson's top-of-the-line digital camera, the PhotoPC 850Z, captures 1,600 by 1,200-pixel shots that the camera's HyPict technology can enhance to a whopping 1,984 by 1,488 for printouts as large as 11 by 14 inches. Its 3x optical zoom gives it the equivalent of a 35mm camera's 35mm to 105mm lens, while an adapter for optional wide-angle and telephoto lenses offers even more flexibility. Manual shutter and aperture control are at your disposal, and an 8MB CompactFlash card and fast USB interface are standard. The 850Z can even print images directly to many printers without first transferring them to your computer.