A staple is a type of two-pronged fastener, usually metal, used for
joining or binding materials together. Large staples might be used with a
hammer or staple gun for masonry, roofing, corrugated boxes and other
heavy-duty uses. Smaller staples are used with a stapler to attach pieces of
paper together; such staples are a permanent and durable fastener for paper
documents, unlike the paper clip. Etymology
The word "staple" originated in the late thirteenth Century, from Old English
stapol, meaning "post, pillar". The word's first usage in the
paper-fastening sense is attested from 1895.
Advantages Most kinds of staples are easier to
produce than nails or screws. The crown of the staple can be used to
bridge materials butted together. The crown can bridge a piece and fasten
it without puncturing with a leg on either side, e.g. fastening cable to
wood framing. The crown provides greater surface area
than other comparable fasteners. This is generally more helpful with thinner
materials. Staples in construction
Construction staples are commonly larger, have a more varied use, and are
delivered by a staple gun or hammer tacker. Staple guns do not have backing
anvils and are exclusively used for tacking. They typically have staples
made from thicker metal. Some staple guns use arched staples for fastening
small cables, e.g. phone or cable TV, without damaging the cable. Faster and
easier devices known as hammer tackers or staple hammers operate without
complex mechanics as a simple head loaded with a strip of staples drives
them directly; this method requires a measure of skill. Powered electric
staplers or pneumatic staplers drive staples easily and accurately; they are
the simplest manner of applying staples, but are hindered by a cord or hose.
Paper staples The term "stapling" is used for both
fastening with straight or bent legs; however, when differentiating between
the two, the term "tacking" is used for straight-leg stapling, while the term
"stapling" is used for bent-leg stapling when being contrasted with "tacking".
The legs of a staple can be allowed to protrude out the back side and folded
over to provide greater binding than the friction of straight legs.
= Staple specifications = Modern staples for paper staplers are
made from zinc-plated steel wires glued together and bent to form a long strip
of staples. Staple strips are commonly available as "full strips" with 210
staples per strip. Both copper plated and more expensive stainless steel
staples which do not rust are also available.
Some staple sizes are used more commonly than others, depending on the
application required. Some companies have unique staples just for their
products. Staples from one manufacturer may or may not fit another manufacturers
unit even if they look similar and serve the same purpose.
Staples are often described as X/Y, where the first number X is the gauge of
the wire, and the second number Y is the length of the shank in millimeters. Some
exceptions to this rule include staple sizes like No. 10.
Common sizes for the home and office include: 26/6, 24/6, 24/8, 13/6, 13/8
and No. 10 for mini staplers. Common sizes for heavy duty staplers include:
23/8, 23/12, 23/15, 23/20, 23/24, 13/10, and 13/14.
Stapleless staplers cut and bend paper without using metal fasteners.
Standards There are few standards for staple size,
length and thickness. This has led to many different incompatible staples and
staplers systems, all serving the same purpose or applications.
24/6 staples are described by the German DIN 7405 standard.
In the United States, the specifications for non-medical industrial staples are
described in ASTM F1667-13, Standard Specification for Driven Fasteners:
Nails, Spikes, and Staples. A heavy duty office staple might be designated as
F1667 STFCC-04: ST indicates staple, FC indicates flat top crown, C indicates
cohered, and 04 is the dash number for a staple with a length of 0.250 inch, a
leg thickness of 0.020 inch, a leg width of 0.030 inch, and a crown width of
0.500 inch. Staples in the home
The most common staples are used with paper. They are almost exclusively
applied with a mechanical stapler which clinches the legs after they pass
through the paper. Staples of this type are used with a desktop stapling
machine. When stapling with a stapler the papers
to be fastened are placed between the main body and the anvil. The papers are
pinched between the body and the anvil, then a drive blade pushes on the crown
of the staple on the end of the staple strip. The staple breaks from the end of
the strip and the legs of the staple are forced through the paper. As the legs
hit the grooves in the anvil they are bent to hold the pages together. Many
staplers have an anvil in the form of a "pinning" or "stapling" switch. This
allows a choice between bending in or out. The outward bent staples are easier
to remove and are for temporary fastening or "pinning".
Most staplers are capable of stapling without the anvil to drive straight leg
staples for tacking. There are various types of staples for
paper, including heavy-duty staples, designed for use on documents 20, 50, or
over 100 pages thick. There are also speedpoint staples, which have slightly
sharper teeth so they can go through paper more easily.
Staples in business Staples are commonly considered to be a
neat and efficient method of binding paperwork such as letters and documents
in all areas of office business. This is predominantly because of the low cost
and high availability of the staple, and because its small size does not detract
from the content of the document. The large staples found on corrugated
cardboard boxes have folded legs, but they are applied from the outside and do
not use an anvil; jaw-like appendages push through the cardboard alongside the
legs and bend them from the outside. Saddle stitch staplers, also known as
"booklet staplers," feature a longer reach from the pivot point than
general-purpose staplers and are used to bind pages into a booklet or
"signature". Some, such as the Ring King, can also use "loop-staples" that
enable the user to integrate folded matter into ring books and binders.
Outward clinch staples are blind staples, i.e. there is no anvil, and
they are applied with a staple gun. When applied, each staple leg forms a curve
bending outwards. This is in part caused by the shape of the crown, which is like
an inverted "V", and not flat as in ordinary staples. Also, the legs are
sharpened with an inside bevel point, causing them to tend to go outwards when
forced into the base material. These staples are used for upholstery work,
especially in vehicles, where they are used for fastening fabric or leather to
a foam base. Staples in packaging
Staples are used in various types of packaging.
Staples can attach items to paperboard for carded packaging
Staples of stitches can be used to attach the manufacturer's joint of
corrugated boxes Staples are used to close corrugated
boxes. Small staples can be applied to a box with a post stapler. Wider crown
staples can be applied with a blind clincher
Staples can help fabricate and attach paperwork to wooden boxes and
crates.boxes Staples in medicine
Surgical staples are used for the closing of incisions and wounds, a
function also performed by sutures. History
In ancient times, the staple had different functions.
Large metal staples dating from the 6th century BC have been found in the
masonry works of the Persian empire. For the construction of the Pasargadae,
these staples, which are known as "dovetail" or "swallowtail" staples,
were used for tightening stones together.
The home stapling machine was developed by Henry Heyl in 1877 and registered
under US Patent No. 195,603. Heyl's companies, American Paper-Box Machine
Company, Novelty Paper Box Company, and Standard Box Company, all of
Philadelphia, manufactured machinery using staples in paper packaging and for
saddle stitching. See also
Stapler Staple gun
Staple remover Hammer tacker
References External links
"History of the Stapler", Office Museum "Abstract", F1667, ASTM .
"Staple", Britannica, 1911 discusses many uses of the word