Good ideas, and I will try them. Thank you.

I wonder why no commercial product has been made to fill this need (as far as I can tell) . My home office is not completely paper-free, but my scanner leads a very busy life and so do my document shredder and the recycle bin. Surely other people who own traditional desks are wondering how to use those emptied file drawers. Of course, probably many of them just discard the entire desk and get something new!

I would use plastic organizer boxes - I think of them as tackle box organizers - which can hold your odds and ends, and stand on end.

organizers

I cut hanging file folder racks to size and used the desk drawers for current files as my filing cabinets were in the garage. Liked it much better than regular file folders but found it annoying looking down to find the file I wanted so after several years bought multi pocket wallet files I can lift out and work on. No more filing cabinet that has actual files here.

You can buy wallet files and store vertically. They are the right shape for file drawers and very durable.

Try The Container Store!!. They have all varieties of storage solutions.

I'll do that!

A friend of mine use tall containers to store silverware, or her cooking utensils in, standing on end, in her tall kitchen drawer. You could do a similar thing w/ the stapler, etc.

She has these cool silicone or rubber flexible squarish containers that seem they were meant for this. But a silverware caddy might work well, or containers from food-service places.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/steril-sil-rp-25-red-red-plastic-straight-sided-flexible-silverware-cylinder/799RP25RD.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiLzI9anc3QIVmIWzCh2Y6Q3eEAQYBCABEgLsQ_D_BwE

And then that "tackle boxes standing on end" thing reminded me of the "Altoids tins on edge" idea that I've been using everywhere, inspired by this guy:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/matthew_moss/4209399652/

He and I stand them on edge, because then they fit in our drawer or box, but they could also stand on end.

The beauty of this is that it takes small things, which would normally be pulled by gravity to lie in a horizontal layer, and forces them into a vertical configuration.

I have all my screws and nails in these; all the paper clips, wobble wedges, small super-glue tubes, etc., in them. It's brilliant.

I would be careful about tackle boxes--I'd want to be sure stuff couldn't fall out of the compartments when you tip the box on end.

I would use any long, flat container that closes firmly. And then stand it on end. They wouldn't have to be plastic--if you had cardboard boxes that were firm enough, that would be find.

To make that deep drawer truly usable, you are right--you want to avoid STACKING things; you want to be able to pull them out from the top.

Things like this:

project cases (they also come in square scrapbook size)
https://www.michaels.com/craft-organization/plastic-totes-and-organizers/809188647


These guys have some.
https://www.sciplus.com/containers-c/Boxes-Cases-s

And here's one that, when standing on end, is 7-3/8" high. It's very flat, but it would be a great paperclip holding box.

https://www.containerstore.com/s/artbin-slimline-1-compartment-parts-box/d?productId=11008120&q=plastic%20box

Or this might be better--same box but magnetic
https://www.containerstore.com/s/artbin-slimline-1-compartment-magnetic-box/d?productId=11007895&q=plastic%20box

Something like this is customizable, and it looks like stuff would stay in the compartments.
https://www.containerstore.com/s/collections/hobby/12-compartment-clear-box/12d?productId=11004343

Oh--photo print paper, etc.!

I do this in a drawer intended for files--I just put some hanging folders in there, and set the paper in the folders.

But that does raise the stuff in the folders up a little, and some of the outer cardboard envelopes of the sticky labels, etc., do come close to the top of the drawer. If you think that might happen to you, then just get one of those "desk sorter" or "vertical sorter," or a "pot lid rack" to go in the bottom. That will keep them from flopping over, and make it easy to pull them out.

(though, some of those 'desk sorter' things are themselves raised up a bit at the bottom; if that bottom platform is very high you might have a problem, so get one w/ the flattest platform possible.

Or you could cut some foam board or mat board about 4 inches too wide for the drawer, score it two inches from each end, then fold it to make a flap on each end, and then staple-gun the flaps to the walls of the drawer. That will keep the envelopes from flopping around. Just make the divider a couple of inches shorter that the drawer.

Thank you! Yesterday, the Container Store asked me to specify the dimensions of my deep desk drawers; they soon got back to me to confirm that they sell nothing that would meet my needs! :( But I did follow your links (thanks!) just now and found their Perch Biggy Magnetic Containers. They're meant to attach to a vertical surface, but just might work inside my desk drawers.

Very helpful!

You could create hanging pouches to store things. I have almost no paper files since I digitize everything but I used the large pocket files to store other stuff - not just pieces of paper. If you are at all crafty, you could create some made out of fabric attached to the metal pieces salvaged from old hanging folders. The accordion cardboard ones are fairly heavy duty though.

Wow--thanks! I had no idea these existed. I figured the only kind I could get would have open sides--but these look great, and wouldn't let things fall out. I'd prefer more square-ish vertical containers made of plastic, but as far as I can tell no such thing exists. These come as close to perfection as I've found in a week of searching--I'll buy some today!

https://www.staples.com/Staples-Poly-Expanding-Hanging-File-Jackets-Letter-Assorted-5-Pack/product_706811#product-ProdDescSpec

Years ago, in another forum, one poster used things like cereal boxes. She reinforced them with tape, I think. Maybe she covered them too. You can probably imagine the best way to stand them in the drawer or put handles on them to pick them up. Then tape and scissors could be in one box, batteries in another and so on.

Try magazine files. No wasted space, shouldn't be too tall but can bet cut back a bit if needed.

I cut a cracker box to fit in the cookie sheet/cutting board cabinet and put the smallest cutting board and some other skinny little things in it. Worked so well I looked around and found an Ikea wood magazine file that didn't have a job at the moment. Unless you want to fill it beyond the cut out with small stuff it would work fine.

Love the magazine file and cereal box ideas! Thank you,

For standing the stapler or tape dispenser on end, use tall square plastic vases, like this acrylic one:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/cal-mil-879-12-5-x-12-square-clear-acrylic-accent-display-vase/21187912.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIm9vz6qnr3QIV1Y2zCh1udQiBEAQYASABEgJI9_D_BwE#

Or this:

https://www.shopwildthings.com/acrylic-clear-vases.html

Or this, which is tapered (easier to put your hand in the top)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/29cm-Tall-Plastic-Square-Indoor-Modern-Flower-Vases-Trendy-Home-Interior-Decor/142263594248

Squarish one--it's OK that it's short, if you're trying to stand a stapler in it.

https://www.shopwildthings.com/acrylic-vase-5inch-square-pink.html

for other stapler/ruler/scissors type stuff, stand this on end:

https://www.containerstore.com/s/kitchen/kitchen-drawer-organizers/joseph-joseph-drawerstore-cutlery-organizers/12d?productId=11008787&country=US&currency=USD

Use somethign sticky to attach a flat side of the unit to the side of the drawer (I'm assuming the underside is hollow).