supplier of extended trial balance paper

Could anyone recommend a supplier of extended trial balance paper

Didn't find your answer?

I still use extended trial balance paper as part of the preparation of our accounts and would be very grateful ( if anyone else does the same ) where do they obtain the paper from . I could only find one supplier on the internet a firm called Prestige but it appears to be expensive although i have not purchased any for sometime .

Any help greatly appreciated

Replies (45)

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By mrme89
08th Jun 2017 11:30

Have I woken up in 1980?

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By Tim Vane
08th Jun 2017 11:37

Andrex?

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Locutus of Borg
By Locutus
08th Jun 2017 11:39

I have not used 16 column analysis pads since the 1990s.

I would recommend that you give spreadsheets a go.

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 11:40

Yes-this could be Life on Mars-The Accountant's Version

Viking used to sell 16 column- Do you mean specific (pre printed) ETB paper or 16 column cash paper?

I even think I have some at home in my study, I tend to use the back of it as my drawing board takes A3 and I can scribble designs re things I may want to build etc on it.

Still have a stack somewhere of 8 column cash, I suspect enough left to last until my ascent or descent to meet the Great Calculator.

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By alan.rolfe
08th Jun 2017 11:54

"This acid free, archival paper is guaranteed for 500 years and is the ideal choice for documents or publications which have to stand the test of time."
https://www.antalis.co.uk/business/catalog.htm?mhId=359850103&nodeName=G...

Don't know if they do an ETB version, though.

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By Duggimon
08th Jun 2017 11:54

One of the beads has fallen off my abacus, anyone know where I can get a replacement?

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By User deleted
08th Jun 2017 12:05

I think we have to be careful here - the digital age is not compulsory, even though I've embraced both sides of the "stream".

I here the e-books aren't as popular as they were? Again, it's a free(ish) country, to do as one pleases.

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Replying to User deleted:
By Duggimon
08th Jun 2017 12:20

I was serious, my abacus is knackered.

Seriously though, the digital age absolutely is compulsory in so many ways, particularly for members of the profession so it's just odd to hear someone doing one of the tasks that is several orders of magnitude easier on the simplest type of accounting software by hand.

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RLI
By lionofludesch
08th Jun 2017 12:18

I still use paper for the small jobs. Quicker than setting up a spreadsheet and I don't need a computer to read it.

E-books ? They're rubbish, aren't they ? Great for ruining your eyes - I spend far too much time already looking at a computer screen.

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Replying to lionofludesch:
By Duggimon
08th Jun 2017 12:22

You probably shouldn't read e-books on a computer screen, e-readers look like paper and don't hurt your eyes. I'll be sold on them when they start smelling like books, until then I'll stick with my huge piles of dead trees.

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paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 12:30

Old accounting books and records can be a thing of beauty, a work colleague recently passed me an old bound ledger with a padlock to keep it private (luckily open but no key), as I started in the 1980s when the odd client still had old bound ledgers I do like looking at these, sad, I know.

My museum of accounting will have these, my Casio FX39 from 1979 ( still sort of works) an enormous unused half calf ledger from my late father's firm, various company seals which do work to prop up CDs (still have these) plus some quite old textbooks. I have one over 100 years old somewhere (Munro)plus an old Carters Advanced from I think 1940s/1950s and a few other bits and bobs.

Hate to say that with the best will in the world 16 column cash never looked attractive, with mine when say 8 page upwards ETB the height of the tippex away from the page at bottom right of page 8 was likely the best way to determine how good the client's record keeping actually was; a 4 mil set of tippex you could chip away with a fingernail; still, could add some unused/ part used pads to the scene.

We have a couple of large glass top museum exhibit cases (slope top) up in store (property companies accumulate a lot of interesting objects, anyone for some outdoor classical pillars) so maybe I should get one moved down to office and set it up in entrance atrium. (Big open space in middle of our offices full of c**p at present.

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Replying to DJKL:
RLI
By lionofludesch
08th Jun 2017 12:30

DJKL wrote:

Old accounting books and records can be a thing of beauty, a work colleague recently passed me an old bound ledger with a padlock to keep it private (luckily open but no key), as I started in the 1980s when the odd client still had old bound ledgers I do like looking at these, sad, I know.

Yes - I remember those. A company called Cloakeys had one for their Private Ledger. All the directors' wages and personal stuff was in there. No dividends, obviously. They weren't good tax planning back in those days.

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Replying to lionofludesch:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 12:34

Will have a look when I pop home for lunch re make, it is sitting on sideboard in hall, much to my other half's disgust re my acquiring even more useless junk

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Replying to DJKL:
RLI
By lionofludesch
08th Jun 2017 12:35

DJKL wrote:

My museum of accounting will have these, my Casio FX39 from 1979 ( still sort of works) an enormous unused half calf ledger from my late father's firm, various company seals which do work to prop up CDs (still have these) plus some quite old textbooks. I have one over 100 years old somewhere (Munro)plus an old Carters Advanced from I think 1940s/1950s and a few other bits and bobs.

When's your museum opening? I'd like to visit.

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Replying to lionofludesch:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 12:43

Visitor numbers for year, "one"

We are actually having a clearout this year so may set the two displays up in the centre office, we are now getting vast volumes of redundant legal deeds back from our legal team, refinanced last year so had to get Land reg Certs re all properties, so I could do one case with accounts and one re conveyancing.

The only downside is we do have in store a half size snooker table, I could instead bring this down and create a modern "chill out" zone or whatever it is called, maybe an office with a chillout zone for the older generation, snooker table, dart board and boxes of dominos/ cribbage sets.

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Replying to DJKL:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 14:00

The ledger is a Marathon Account Book, on spine has Private Ledger, J McL & S Ltd, (Jas McLaren & Sons Limited),No 1, it starts on 17.7.1935 and runs to 1968.

Some really nice handwriting and virtually no score outs, obviously work done in draft elsewhere and then copied in or a seriously accurate accountant.

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Replying to DJKL:
RedFive
By RedFive
08th Jun 2017 14:26

Ah, another Casio user.

My Casio fx-911 (circa mid 1980's) is still in constant daily use.

I did visit a museum once and they had one amongst various other 80's artifacts such as Spectrum ZX81's, early mobiles and a Commdore 64. Happy days.

http://i64.tinypic.com/2ujkri9.jpg

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Replying to RedFive:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 15:02

Mine is not in daily use, the cover for the batteries is missing-it broke- and they are held in with cardboard and sellotape, it sits at home in my desk and when I manage to leave all three other more modern calculates in the office it wheezes out of retirement, its fading light dimly giving results, it maybe adds two three numbers and I note down result before battery contacts slip and screen goes blank.

It is the accounting equivalent of a very old incontinent Labrador, retained in service but not expected to do much.

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Replying to DJKL:
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By paulwakefield1
09th Jun 2017 08:17

My 1980s Casio NS-3 still in daily use. Solar powered so no batteries and built like a brick outhouse. How it has survived the maltreatment over the years is extraordinary.

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By ShayaG
08th Jun 2017 12:53

Microsoft. They have a sheet with room for 16,382 journals. And the best thing is that you can use it several hundred of thousands of times over without ever needing to order in new supplies.

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By PhilJ109
08th Jun 2017 13:04

My own office within the firm's premises was relocated and which I have occupied for the last 18 years. At the back of a store cupboard, I found a whole A3 printed ETB pad which we once had printed along with Sales Ledger Proofs and Bank Rec forms etc. I kept this back as no one here has used this stuff since the early 1990's to show trainees along with the old bound ledgers and Twinlock books how we used to do things when I started work in the 1970's. I have used spreadsheets since the early 1980's and do not miss the old ways at all.

This pad must be worth something.

I am still using the backs of A4 pads of the other paper form stationery surplus as scrap

Why not print-off an A3 scan or photocopy it

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Red Leader
By Red Leader
08th Jun 2017 13:14

I believe these people keep a supply:
https://dickensmuseum.com/

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By SteveRA
08th Jun 2017 13:55

There are lots of reasons we occasionally resort to paper. We had a power cut on Tuesday during the windy weather, not uncommon here, and I dug out my battery powered calculator with a till roll to add up a stack of invoices for a client (car valet business, barely earns enough to utilise personal allowance).

I was pleasantly surprised by how quick it was. Far quicker than excel. You keep typing and adding as it processes and prints and the satisfying noise as it feeds the paper through was wonderful. Reminded me of a Saturday job I had in House Of Fraser in 1979. I had to add up piles of cheques and also Access and Barclaycard slips on one of these machines. Mind you, the ink will one day fade, so maybe not a good long term record.

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Replying to SteveRA:
RLI
By lionofludesch
08th Jun 2017 15:32

SteveRA wrote:

I was pleasantly surprised by how quick it was. Far quicker than excel.

Yeah, been saying so for years. But apparently I'm a dinosaur who can't see the emperor's new clothes.

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Replying to SteveRA:
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By keithas
09th Jun 2017 12:24

SteveRA wrote:

car valet business, barely earns enough to utilise personal allowance).


I think I know this guy - does he own a brand new Mercedes that his brother bought him for Christmas?
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By User deleted
08th Jun 2017 13:59

I still remember, with great fondness, attending the audit of a fabrication company, in Leeds, in the 1970's. They made silos and vats, for the brewing industry and, each and every office, was covered in a fine dust, from the engineering process.

All the senior male employees and Directors wore three-piece suits and, the place was stuffed full of history and nostalgia.

The books (of account) were all leather bound and, from what I can recall, the Kalamazoo payroll system. Collins, Twinlock were all bye-words of that era.

Yes, the digital age has been a boon. However, I genuinely feel that the 1970's were a more compassionate and "kinder" period. Miners and steel workers in full time manual employment.

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Replying to User deleted:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
08th Jun 2017 15:35

Still have one Twinlock Ledger (four hole I think) with father's company name embossed on outside, also had similar in green cover which had minute paper within, gave that one to my sister for writing up/ sticking in Minutes for her/my B in Law's company, as far as I know they are still using it.

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By Jackie0802
08th Jun 2017 16:21

I remember doing payroll using Kalamazoo, never mind 16 column ledgers. I remember my colleague Bob Cratchat telling me that one day quills would be a thing of the past and we would be able to turn over into a new month without the need to coat the pages in sand to dry the ink. How we laughed at the silly fool

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Replying to Jackie0802:
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By keithas
09th Jun 2017 12:45

Me too (a Kalamazoo cheque/cash book).
Funnily enough, later in my life, I used to visit Kalamazoo, Michigan regularly to oversee a subsidiary. They'd never heard of the bookkeeping system and were, instead, immensely proud of having produced the Kazoo.

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By davehome
09th Jun 2017 10:39

Oh how I yearn for the good old days spending 3 hours trying to balance the ETB, running out of paper on my adding machine at a critical time, checking and footing (that means adding up to those too young to know) the typist's accounts, updating the company's General Ledger by hand for the journals, handwriting the Statutory books etc etc. Really not so much fun using spreadsheets and automated Accounts software. Ho hum!!!

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Replying to davehome:
RLI
By lionofludesch
09th Jun 2017 10:46

The job of rounding the accounts to whole pounds was usually given to the trainee on the lowest rung back in the day.

Computers - so often not smart enough to round figures so that they still add up.

How far we've come!!

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By Jackie0802
09th Jun 2017 14:06

This reminded me of the good old days, way back in the 70's when VAT was far more varied and interesting than it is today. The practice I worked for as a very new and green bookkeeper gave me some pub accounts to transfer to TB. After spending most of the night looking for 20p I realised that the pub landlord had a different rounding policy for each column, especially the vat which he usually rounded down to the nearest pound and then subtracted 5 (or something like that). We had proper learning in them days

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Replying to lionofludesch:
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By davidlchapman
15th Jun 2017 10:16

I remember the junior rounding the last figure in a P&L once. He rounded the £80,000 director's bonus down to £79,999. Partner went apeshit.

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By coverack
09th Jun 2017 10:46

Try Bowen & Court - if they still exist - for one of their Bowcourt A3 ruled pads

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By scalesco
09th Jun 2017 10:53

Bowcourt do a good selection of accountancy pads including A3 extended trial balance.

http://www.bowcourt.co.uk/

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By Silver Birch Accts
09th Jun 2017 12:40

Try Jubliee Direct Ltd on 0333 700 777 Fax 0333 700 1777.
[email protected]
www.jubileedirect.co.uk
They sell all Bowcourt pads including the one you asked about.
Howard asked a simple question about stationery not to have the micky taken by sneering clever clogs and smart alecs

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Replying to Silver Birch Accts:
RLI
By lionofludesch
09th Jun 2017 14:14

Silver Birch Accts wrote:

Howard asked a simple question about stationery not to have the micky taken by sneering clever clogs and smart alecs

I'm with Howard. I don't always need a sledgehammer to crack nuts.

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By User deleted
12th Jun 2017 11:52

When I read some of the (inane) comments on Aweb, I glow in the comfort of being in the dinosaur camp.

Slide rule to laptop all in one lifetime. How good is that?

Everything has a place and, there's a place for everything.

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Replying to User deleted:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
12th Jun 2017 13:00

I have still got my school slide rule somewhere, it has my initials melted into back so I could prove it was mine as virtually everyone had a Thornton's rule , I even have case and instructions. (only thing I can remember how to do is multiply) Also still have my log etc tables somewhere and know I kept all my various bound distribution etc tables from statistics in the 1980s.

Lets face it calculators were expensive, I bought the Casio FX39 when I had left school and was starting an engineering degree (never finished), prior to 1978 I had barely used a calculator, it cost a lot of money relative to my £50 a term grant

I also still have (and sometimes use)my A3 drawing board, adjustable triangle and staedtler compass set from the above degree.

Further rubbish includes my 1980s dictaphone , still in the desk at home- do I ever throw out anything, I will end up on one of these Buried Alive programmes.

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
12th Jun 2017 12:59

I have a full pad that was liberated from a former employer I keep it to show young kids how easy there life is these days with there fancy computers and the like.

I am up for doing a deal on it "no questions asked"

The talk of old Casio's further is bringing a tear to my eye as still not found a suitable replacement for Ralph.

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By likes2line
13th Jun 2017 11:44

I get mine from ebay

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By davidlchapman
13th Jun 2017 15:01

Late to this but can't stop laughing at the thought of 4mils of Tippex in the bottom right corner. I still have the little metal "starting handle" we used to tighten up loose leaf ledgers with.

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Replying to davidlchapman:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
13th Jun 2017 15:17

Yep , the height of the tippex equation is similar to the thickness and weight of the audit files- I remember as a Junior being told by my Senior that perceived audit quality, and accordingly fee justification ,was based on the number and thickness of audit files taken to the final client meeting, the job in question at the time had five. Whilst she was part joking there was also ,likely, a degree of truth in her observation.

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