Pins & Tacks

Pins and tacks are small but valuable pieces of office inventory, allowing you to display all important notices on cork boards and other displays. Having a supply cupboard well stocked with both, helps maintain your offices efficiency so you're not caught short when you need them most. Crmowell stock a wide range of pins and tacks, including drawing pins and push pins, from leading office supply brands like Qconnect.

What are pins and tacks?

Pins come in a range of different types and are primarily used as to temporarily hold up pieces of paper and card on things like notice boards and other displays. There are several types but some of the most common include drawing pins which feature a needle point and a flat button shaped back, and push pins which feature a point and a raised plastic backing allowing them to be pushed into surfaces by hand easily. Drawing pins are sometimes referred to as thumb tacks as their flat back allows them to be pushed in using your thumb.

Why pins and tacks?

Pins and tacks are a simple, easy and cost effective way of temporarily affixing sheets of paper to pinboards or suitable surfaces. They are reusable and can be taken out when you want to remove your item or sheet of paper.

When to use pins and tacks?

Commonly used in offices, schools and other institutional settings, pins and tacks can also be used domestically.

Types of pins and tacks

• Drawing pins - These types of pins feature a flat round back and a short point. They are often referred to as thumb tacks.

• Push pins - Like drawing pins these feature a short point, but their back is raised up highe allowing them to be pushed in and removed by hand.

• Map pins - These feature a long point and a small coloured, spherical head/backing. They are usted to mark points of interest on a map but can also be used to hold things in place as well.

• Split tacks - These feature a rounded head and two pliable flat points. They are designed to hold two or more items together as the points fold back securing the items in place.

Considerations when choosing pins and tacks

• Application - This is the main consideration when choosing a type of pin. Are you marking points or do you require them to hold up items on a display like a cork board?

Pins and tacks jargon buster

Here at Cromwell we want to ensure that you make a confident purchasing decision, so we've outlined some key terms to help you to understand our range of pins and tacks.

What are thumb tacks and are they different to drawing pins?

Thumb tacks is a term that is more commonly used in the US to refer to drawing pins. Drawing pins are the same product; this is the more commonly used term in the UK.