Did you know there is a correct way to staple papers together?
There is.
It may seem trivial, until you compare flipping pages between a stack that has been bound correctly and one that has not.
Backstory on how I came across this little tidbit:
In college I took Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism and the professor was so adamant about things being stapled correctly that he would not accept papers turned in any other way (this professor also wanted printed papers vs digital ones).
After being shown why he wanted the staples in that specific position it’s something that has stuck with me ever since. Let me show you.
The Correct way:
The staple needs to be in the upper, left- hand corner, parallel to the left edge.
This method of stapling papers together allows pages to be turned, and flow, like the pages of a bound book: along the “spine” of the stack.
The Incorrect way:
Anything else.
Stapling it at the very top, perpendicular to the side, makes the pages want to flip up, along the top side.
Stapling at a 45-degree angle from the corner makes the pages want to flip away at the same 45 degree path.
Since we are accustomed in English to reading left to right, top to bottom, our books are bound along the left side for ease of holding and turning pages.
Take that same efficiency and apply it to your own “binding” of papers – staple papers correctly and you may notice much less tussling with pages as you turn them within a packet.
This is a simple tidbit, that once pointed out, makes so much sense!
So when you find yourself needing to staple several papers together, do it the proper way – like a book – top left-hand corner, parallel to the edge.
Need a stapler? Click here.
Need a refill on staples? Click here.
Did you know there was a right way and a wrong way to staple papers together?
Comment below and let me know!
P.S. – Want to know a pet peeve of mine? Multiple staples.
For example: when you get an invoice that is already stapled and then the cashier staples a paid receipt to the top of that, but doesn’t match the first staple placement!? Grrrrr!
For some things, like my car maintenance records, I end up taking them out and redoing them so that I don’t have to mess with it the next time I go back to reference those documents – weird, I know, but like I said it’s a pet peeve!