Have you made a booklet with your own hands and now you need to staple it? It may be very difficult to try to reach the spine of the booklet with an ordinary stapler; however, if the arms of your stapler can separate, there are at least two ways you can only get results with household materials. If you staple multiple booklets, or a fairly thick booklet, you will want to save time by purchasing a specialized stapler, as described below.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Use an Ordinary Stapler and Cardboard
Step 1. Ground a layer of corrugated cardboard, or other protective material
This method consists of stapling the passbook against a soft material and then pushing the staples into the passbook by hand. You can use corrugated cardboard, foam, or any other material that is soft enough to let the staples in without sticking. Use material that you can damage.
- If you have a lot of booklets to staple, a professional stapler is probably best.
- If you don't have any suitable materials and your booklet is fine, try the two-book method.
Step 2. Place the booklet face down on top of the cardboard
Make sure all pages are in order and aligned with each other. The outer cover should be facing up, not the inner pages, or you will have more trouble folding the booklet after stapling it.
Step 3. Separate the two arms of the stapler
Grab the high arm near the joint, not near the gripping head. Use your other hand to hold the base down and pull your arm up. The two sections of the stapler should separate.
Step 4. Align the end of the stapler over the center of the booklet
The center of the booklet should have between 2 and 4 staples evenly distributed across the spine, depending on how big it is and how solid you want it. Each staple should be in the same direction as the spine (vertically when the finished booklet is held to read), so that you can fold the sheets of paper in half around the staples without tearing them. Align the stapler head following these guidelines.
Step 5. Press the end of the stapler to release the staples
Since you are stapling the paper against corrugated cardboard (or any other soft material of your choice), you may not hear the typical stapler sound you are used to. Press firmly, then release and pull up on the stapler.
Step 6. Carefully lift the booklet and check the paper clip
Most likely, the paper clip will be partially attached to the cardboard. As you lift the booklet slowly and gently you should pull the two prongs of the paper clip out of the cardboard, but you may need to straighten the paper clip with your fingers before pulling.
If the paper clip remains firmly attached to the material, it is too thin to be used for this purpose. Remove the staple with a stapler and try again with thicker, corrugated cardboard
Step 7. Press the prongs of the paperclip over the paper
After removing the paper clip from the base, you should be able to see the two prongs protrude from the paper, not yet folded. Fold them towards each other along the back. You can use your fingers, carefully approaching from the side to avoid the point, or you can spread out the paper and gently hammer with any hard object.
Step 8. Repeat with the remaining staples
Place the booklet back on top of the cardboard and align the stapler head over the next portion of the spine to be stapled. Try to line up the staples as evenly as possible with each other.
Method 2 of 3: Use an Ordinary Stapler and Two Books
Step 1. Use this method to staple fine booklets
This method does not require any special material, but is not suitable for booklets consisting of only a few pages. The stapler you use will need to be powerful enough to staple the booklet with no supporting surface behind it, so do not use a rusty or easily staple stapler.
If you have a lot of booklets to staple, you can save time by using a professional stapler directly
Step 2. Place two rather large books side by side
Choose two books that are exactly the same thickness. Place them flat on a table or any other hard surface, leaving a small space between them. This space must be large enough to allow you to staple the booklet on top of it, without attaching any staples to the book; 1-2 cm should be more than enough.
Step 3. Spread your stack of papers on top of the books, with the center aligned over the empty space
Make sure all the pages are in order and aligned, then spread the booklet over the two books. The center of the outer cover should be exactly above the blank.
Step 4. Separate the two arms of the stapler
Separate the arms of the stapler. If the cover comes off (revealing the staples), put it back and try again while holding the sides of your upper arms more firmly.
Step 5. Hold the paper and align the upper arm of the stapler over the spine of the booklet
Hold the booklet in place with your hands or with a heavy object on each side. Align the staple arm so that the head is oriented towards the middle of the booklet, where you want to place the first staple. Depending on how wide the booklet is, you will probably want between 2 and 4 tweezers, positioned evenly across the spine of the booklet.
Step 6. Quickly press the stapler head
Since there is nothing but air under the edge of the booklet, you will need to press quickly to ensure the staple comes out. Hold the paper in place as you do this to make sure it doesn't get dragged by the stapler. Don't press too hard or you will tear the paper; the movement must be decisive and, at the same time, rather rapid.
Step 7. Bend the prongs of the paper clip
Take the stack of papers and check if the paper clip has passed through the paper. If it did, all you have to do is fold the prongs of the paper clip against the paper, pointing at each other. You can do this with your fingers, avoiding the tip, or by gently hammering them with a hard object.
If the staple hasn't pierced the entire stack, your stapler may not be strong enough or you may not have pressed hard enough. Try again after bringing the two books closer together and be sure to hold the paper steady as you apply the paper clip
Step 8. Repeat with the remaining staples
Continue until the spine of the booklet has enough staples to hold the paper in place when folded to form the booklet. Three staples are sufficient for most projects; Particularly thick or tall booklets may require 4 or more staples.
Method 3 of 3: Use a Professional Stapler
Step 1. Purchase a centerline or rotary head stapler
If you staple many booklets together, it might be worth investing in one of these two staplers. Centerline staplers are simply oversized staplers that can reach the spine of the booklet from the right direction to orient the staple. Both models are suitable for this job.
- Centerline staplers are sometimes called "book staplers" or "long distance staplers".
- Check that the "throat depth" of the centerline staplers is large enough to accommodate the full thickness of the booklet pages.
- Check the maximum number of sheets the machine can staple. Keep in mind that this is the number of sheets of paper, not the total number of numbered pages that will be in your booklet when finished.
Step 2. Assemble the booklet
Make sure all pages are neat and evenly aligned before feeding them into the stapler.
Step 3. Decide how many staples you will need along the spine of the booklet
Two are usually enough, but you may also need three or four staples. If you need more than two staples, it may be helpful to first mark with a pencil where you want to place the stapler. With a little practice, everything will get easier and easier.
Step 4. Place the booklet with the outer cover face up
Place it inside the stapler so that the center portion lines up under the caliper mechanism. Make sure the booklet is aligned with the stapler and that the margins on each side of the stapler are as identical in depth as possible.
Step 5. Press the staple arm onto the spine of the booklet where you want to place the staple
Once the stapler is aligned, press the upper arm until you feel the paper clip pierce the paper. Repeat the process described above to align your stapler on a different spot on the spine of the booklet and staple until you have inserted enough staples; usually 2-3 are enough.
Step 6. Check that all staples have been inserted correctly and are flat
If any paper clips failed to puncture the paper, or did not close properly, remove them so you can try again. Do this carefully, unfolding each arm of the staple until it is straight, then push the prongs of the staple out of the hole created by the stapler.
Advice
- Some office printers can print pre-stapled booklets; if you have a lot of copies to make, this is a pretty professional DIY option, assuming you have access to these types of machines.
- If the edges of the pages are not perfectly aligned, you can trim them to make them so.
- A centerline stapler is capable of stapling other large objects, such as telephone directories, craft projects, wallets, etc. Consider this too, if you are unsure about the investment.
- If you have to make a lot of booklets, you might choose to pay a copy shop to print and staple them. For professional work, choose a copy shop that does saddle binding.
