Most people think of desk accessories when they think of adding personality to your workspace. However, custom desk mats exist in a completely different paradigm than pen holders and paperweights. They represent a revolutionary new way to look at your desk surface, and how it can both affect your ergonomics and your organization. Are you ready to face the reality of your current desk and think differently about what a great surface can bring to the table?
The ergonomic foundation that standard mats miss
Mice mats are often sold in a rectangular shape, usually around 8 x 10 inches in size. In practice, this tends to be more of a hindrance than a help, as the reach of your arm is significantly greater than this.
As you lean your wrist to the side to type, it hits up against the hard edge of the desk. You make tiny adjustments in your wrist position, pull your body to the side in an unnatural posture, and involve your shoulder and neck in the movement to compensate. The user then makes the best of these inadequate positions and tries to work in a manner that is just not suited for the small surface provided.
Custom desk mats can also be made to extend comfort from the keyboard tray out over the entire desk surface, eliminating edges and allowing users to have complete comfort while arms are at rest. As users raise and lower their arms throughout the day, normal movement of arms across the surface would otherwise create unnatural pressure points.
Surface coverage as organizational infrastructure
Here’s where assumptions about desk mats get interesting.
While most people consider desk mats to be purely protective, by designing them to the correct size, they can start to take on an organisational role as well. For example, they can clearly define the space between a monitor and where you place your keyboard, or between documents and your pen holder, and prevent your mouse from rolling under your desk.
Most people associate organizing written materials, such as books and documents, with being meticulous and organized. However, there is also a more subtle benefit: organizing these things can save a lot of time by maximizing the use of available space, thus reducing the mental friction involved in having to move a lot of things around just to make room for one object and then rearrange everything afterward.
Dimensional precision matters more than you think
Most desk mats are produced in sizes that are easily reproducible by a manufacturer, such as 24×48 inches and 36×72 inches. However, most desks are a different size altogether. A typical desk might be 30×60 inches, for example, and with these desk mats you would have to work with either less or extra active real estate on your desktop.
The custom desk mat sizes being baked into the product code is really clever. The mat fits perfectly on my desk with no overhang or space that doesn’t get used. The alternate sizes would be too generic and prevent an optimal configuration. Thanks for making it this way!
Most mats have a flaw when used with dual monitors, either leaving exposed areas of your desk between the screens or leaning to one side over the edge of your desk. This mat, with its custom dimensions, fits perfectly between your monitors, or around your monitor stands and speakers, preventing it from becoming a nuisance.
Gaming applications reveal the real limitations
Almost all of the existing mouse pads were designed for general PC usage and don’t address a major consideration of the gaming enthusiast – low sensitivity settings that allow for big gestures. The nextpad redefines what a mouse pad is for everyday and gaming use with its oversized surface and tacky neoprene bottom for increased stability.
Many competitive players stack 2 or 3 standard mouse pads together to get a large enough surface area to comfortably play on. This does the job, sort of. Adding a seam between the pads can muke for inconsistent tracking in places. Our custom mats take care of those issues.
Many problems are introduced to the hands from repetitive movement, but also from periods of prolonged gaming where the hands are held in certain positions for a long time. Full desk mats allow you to play with arms at an ergonomic position, and even when leaning forward or tilting to the side, can help prevent excessive strain on your forearms when placing them on the edge of your desktop.
Material considerations for larger surfaces
The option for custom sizing with Mousepad Professional opens up a lot of possibilities with the materials available for the wrap. Large surfaces wear in unique ways compared to small surfaces, and custom sizing enables you to design your mat to suit your needs. While most standard products suffer from edge curling or other issues, our custom quality mats have reinforced edges and are precisely the right thickness for optimal use.
It should be quite solid to stop it curling up too much, but thin enough not to make it feel uncomfortably thick when placing it against a desk edge. Larger keymasks are much harder to clean, but they distribute wear fairly evenly.
Cost-benefit analysis beyond initial investment
The custom products have a slightly higher price than the standard products, but we have not overpriced. We only add the surcharge to allow custom cutting and edge finishing to the mat. Individually plastic wrapped for your use as a desk mat also adds to the cost of these custom items.
While some mats have complete customization for size, this really reduces stress on the mat for incorrect installation and also eliminates concerns about mats being swapped out for incorrect size. The long-term value of customized mats expressed in an annual cost of ownership is typically less than mats that require no customization. At the end of the day, the best value in mat installation is probably the boost in productivity and employee health, both of which are dramatically improved when a mat is properly sized and professionally installed. For most businesses and commercial enterprises, this return on investment is easily worth the initial higher cost of a customized mat.
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