“Staplers have been in use amongst a variety of industries. So, a guide to stapling would be perfect to learn all about different kinds of staplers, staples, and removers.”
Staplers have become quite popular in use from schools to corporate offices and warehouses. Whenever you need to bind a couple of documents or a packaging carton, staplers are the answer for you. So, let’s check out more about stapling.
What is a Stapler & the Basic Principle Behind it?
As far as I know, almost everyone who is reading this knows what a stapler is. We’ve all at one time had a small stapler as a part of our school kit. But let me help refresh your memory. A stapler is a general stationery tool that allows users to attach sheets of paper together, using a metal pin.
Most of us are only familiar with manual desktop staplers that are easily available anywhere. Anyway, most of the staplers work by using the same principle of torque and pressure. These devices push a 2-prong shaped pin (known as a staple) through the papers and then bend it to fasten along the paper surface. A stapler consists of two separate parts/handles, attached together on one end with a rotating bolt.
The pin insertion point lies on the opposite end of the stapler, meaning to work, the user has to push the two independent ends towards each other with sheets of paper in between. The additional distance between the contact surface and the rotating bolt provides increased torque to the stapler, making it put in more pressure on the surface of the paper. A small clip inside the pin insertion port, pushes the stapling pin down, as its prongs penetrate through the layers of paper.
The other handle has two curved grooves indented in them. When the pin’s prongs push against these, they bend inwards, creating a firm lock. This makes sure that the pin doesn’t come out on its own and secures the sheets together.
How Many Types of Staplers Are There?
As I mentioned above, most people are only familiar with the common manual desktop or heavy-duty staplers. However, there are many more types of these devices that you can imagine. With different designs and applications, some are made for portability, others for more penetration power.
So, let’s not waste any time, and get on with it.
Desktop Staplers
These are the common tool we are all familiar with and use from time to time. They are handy and use small size pins. These are affordable, usually made of steel, and can staple up to 25 – 30 paper sheets.
Heavy-Duty Staplers
These are a little bigger and more powerful than everyday desktop staplers. These use a slightly smaller gauge of pins. Unlike its predecessor, heavy-duty staplers can attach up to 130 pages with a single pin. These staplers are preferred for office environments where the number of sheets/documents that need stapling is high.
Handheld/Plier Stapler
Unlike the other two, handheld staplers use a slightly different type of grip. They are also known as plier staplers, due to their grip. These staplers are great for office or other high-volume applications due to their ergonomic grip.
Booklet Stapler
These are specialty types of staplers, meaning, their design provides them with a specific application. As the name already suggests, these staplers are best for stapling together thin booklets. Their curved throat designs allow the book to be properly placed, with its middle right below the stapling mount.
Long Reach Stapler
As the name suggests, these staplers are designed to provide a long reach. Basically, the stapling point is far along inside the paper and only accessible through one side. This requires a stapler that has a very deepthroat. These staplers have a customizable paper stopper and adjust the length of the throat.
Mini Staplers
Lastly, I am sure almost every one of us has seen and used these little ones at least once. They are extremely small and have a low pin-holding capacity. They use the standard desktop stapler pin size. However, due to their small size, they can’t staple more than 5-10 pages together.
Different Types of Stapling Pins or Staples
Now you know about the basic types of staplers, let’s talk about the other end of the stapling process. The staples, also known as fasteners are two-pronged metal clips of varying thicknesses, that bind paper sheets together. These pins consist of three parts-
• Crown – This is the upper horizontal part of the fastener that is pushed on by the stapler.
• Legs – The two prongs that enter and fold around the paper sheets.
• Teeth – These are the ends of the legs of a fastener, they are sharp and usually used to penetrate the papers.
Manufacturers produce different sizes of fasteners depending on their application. As the thickness or density of a paper or object increases, the fasteners need to be tougher and thicker. So, let’s discuss different types of staples.
As we already discussed, the type of staples differs on the basis of their thickness and size. The specifications of staples come in two numbers separated by a slash, like 24/3. Where, the first number indicated the gauge of the pin (mm), and the second number indicates the length of the legs (in mm).
Introduction to Staple Removers: Types and Importance
Lastly, once you staple documents together, there might come a time when you’ll have to separate them. That would require unbinding/opening the fasteners. The only problem is that improperly removing a staple can often lead the tears or damage to the documents.
Therefore, we use special tools known as staple removers. We design these tools to make removing staples not only easier but also do with without damaging the paper.
There are two common types of fastener remover available in the market, namely – Push Style, and Claw Style remover.
Push Style Remover
These removers usually look like a thin metallic spatula, with one end, curved a little towards the inside. The user has to carefully insert the curved end beneath the bent staple legs and slowly lift it, opening the fastener locks.
Claw Style Remover
These removers look quite like a small desktop stapler itself. However, instead of a stapling part, this future is a set of claws-like structures on both handles. The users have to put the point ends of the claw under the crown of the staple, then grip til handles of the remover and push them together. Once the fasteners become loose, pull them out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How do I choose a stapler?
The important things to keep in mind while selecting a stapler are the application and the volume of the items. If you are stapling no more than 20 – 30 pages at a time, then a simple desktop stapler or heavy-duty stapler. If you require to secure cartons or boxes. It’d be best to use pneumatic staplers.
Q2. What are the different types of staplers?
There are quite a few different types of staplers available in the market, all suitable for different uses. For example, Desktop Stapler, Heavy-Duty, Booklet, Pneumatic, etc.
Q3. What are Type 13 staples?
These are a type of fasteners/staples that have a crown width of 10.65 mm, and the leg length of a standard staple. The reduced width allows them to have a good grip but with reduced bulk.
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