The Stapler:
A Technical Description
Brendan Johnson
Grove School of Engineering, City College of New York
ENGL 21007: Writing For Engineering
Professor Julia Brown
March 18, 2025
Table of Contents:
Definition: Page 3
Overview: Page 3
Components: Page 4
Explanation: Page 5
Visuals: Page 6
Conclusion: Page 7
References: Page 7
Definition:
A stapler is a small device that is used to bind multiple sheets of paper together. It is typically used in offices, schools, and homes. The most widely used stapler is called the Desktop Stapler, which is what this document will be about.
Overview:
The Desktop Stapler has a blocky rectangular appearance. It tends to weigh about half a pound, similar to a large apple. The entire shape is about as long as an average human hand, and no taller than an average human thumb. The width of the stapler is slightly less than the height. It consists of a long plastic rectangular base at the bottom. The height of this base is relatively thin in comparison to the rest of the stapler. It rests flat on a surface. The top of the stapler consists of a separate plastic rectangular shape. This shape is thicker height-wise, but the length and width are about the same as the base. The top of the stapler is angled about 20 degrees upward relative to the base. The place where the top and base of the stapler touch is considered the back of the stapler. Here, there is a plastic component that elevates the top of the stapler from the bottom while also connecting them as well. This component is above the base but below the top, and has a thinner width than the stapler. It takes up about a fourth of the stapler’s length. Connected to the top of the stapler, is a metal bar that is the same length as the top. It is attached directly underneath the top of the stapler and has a thin width compared to the base and top of the stapler. The top and bottom should resemble an alligator’s mouth slightly, with the base being the bottom of the alligator’s jaw and the top being the top of its jaw. The desktop stapler is usually a black or grey color, although staplers can be bought in many assorted colors.
Components:
The Handle
The Handle of the stapler is the described “top” of it. It is the top of the alligator’s jaw analogy. The Handle itself has a metal bar connected to it that has a thin metal strip at the front called the hammer. The handle can be forced upwards, pivoting at the connection point at the back of the handle. Once this happens, the metal bar seems to split into two pieces. The one that is not connected to the handle and stays in place is called the magazine.
The magazine is a metal bar that usually has thin metal walls on each lengthwise side of it. This allows the magazine to house a few different components of the stapler. It holds the staples at its front. The staples are thin rectangular metal wire objects that are stored in the magazine. The staples appear to be a small rectangle that’s missing one of its longer sides. The two shorter sides of this rectangle could be considered the “legs” of the staple, and the magazine has grooves near the walls where the legs can fit. This allows for multiple staples to fit perfectly in place on top of the magazine. The magazine has a long spring attached to the back of it and attached to the front of this spring is a component called the pusher. The pusher can move freely back and forth with some resistance from the spring. It’s shaped like a long staple, and it also fits within the grooves near the walls of the magazine.
The handle is connected at the back to the Base of the stapler with a small pin at this connection point. The Base of the stapler houses several components as well.
Labeled anatomy of a stapler (1)
The Base:
The Base of the stapler has a thin piece of metal attached directly to the top of it (between the base and the handle.) This thin piece of metal is usually attached to the front of the base and may span to the back of the base. This piece of metal is called the anvil. The anvil houses what is called the crimp. The crimp is made up of thin grooves engraved into the front of the anvil that align perfectly with the hammer of the stapler. These grooves appear to be thin line horizontal lines if we consider a vertical line to be lengthwise of the stapler.
Explanation:
When someone staples a group of papers, they will usually place the stack of papers over the crimp of the stapler. The crimp is the area where the legs of the staple will connect. The Base and the head of the stapler are connected at the back with a pin. This allows the head of the stapler to rotate freely, with the pin being the axis of rotation. The user will push on the head of the stapler. This places pressure on the hammer of the stapler, which is aligned directly above the crimp and the staple at the front of the row on the magazine. As the user pushes, the staple stabs through the papers. The legs of the staple eventually make contact with the crimp once enough pressure has been applied. The crimp guides the legs of the staple to cross behind the group of papers, securing them in place. Once a staple is placed, there is a space where it once was in the magazine. The pusher attached to the spring handles this, and it pushes the next staple to the front, to be in line with the hammer.
Conclusion
The Invention of the Stapler was initially a royal gift for King Louis XV in the 18th century. (2) Each staple was inscribed with his name, and he used them to bind together royal decrees. The official patent for the stapler in the US was created in 1866 sometime after for official home use. Now you can purchase a stapler for under ten dollars. The simple design allows for cheap production, which in turn makes them cheap for consumers as well. The stapler gone over in this description was the common Desktop Stapler. There are other more heavy duty staplers that vary in price. They can range from 20-40 dollars, and they are typically used to staple large stacks of paper, or a piece of paper to a hard surface like wood. Users of any stapler should be careful, as it is possible to accidentally place your hand underneath the head of the stapler and staple your skin. Some special staplers, such as medical staplers, are made intentionally to puncture the skin, as a way of securing together open wounds.
References:
(1) “Types of Staplers and Staples.” WebstaurantStore, 26 Nov. 2024, www.webstaurantstore.com/guide/763/types-of-staplers-and-staples.html
(2) “The History of Staplers.” Bostitch Office, 18 June 2019, bostitchoffice.com/articles/history-of-staplers/.
