# Fastening papers together **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624 "2013-01-18T16:49:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/21 "2013-01-18T18:30:30Z")
Paper clip, since I’m usually doing it for manuscripts. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/22 "2013-01-18T19:15:00Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > A really bad-ass one, like [this](http://www.amazon.com/SilverHooks-Pink-Crystal-Stapler/dp/B005XE5KLM/ref=pd_sbs_op_31). Needs more sparkles. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/23 "2013-01-18T20:19:24Z")
I voted “Other”. I have a couple of Japanese staple-less staplers. They pierce the pages and crimp the bits together, even folding tab A into slot B. It works really well, but only up to 4 or 5 sheets. For anything more than that, or if I really really need the connection to last under a lot of handling, I’ll use staples. Short term, paper clips are fine. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/24 "2013-01-18T20:23:46Z")
Pneumatic staple guns. Accept nothing less. ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/25 "2013-01-18T20:39:05Z")
Staples. With the legs folded in. I don’t even know why staplers give the option of folding them out. > [@apollonia](#): > > When I was teaching there was nothing more infuriating than students who couldn’t get it together enough to staple or paper-clip their papers together. Handing in a bunch of unattached (or dog-eared, or “paper-stitched”) papers was rage-inducing. > > The papers would inevitably come apart, get loose, and create a mess. No matter what. EVERY TIME. I think I’m unique in preferring students to not attach their papers together in any way. I especially hate paper clips for this though since pages from other students’ work get mixed in with them making everything a pain. Dog-earing is just a waste of time. I don’t know why students think that’s a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/26 "2013-01-18T20:59:18Z")
The correct answer in most cases is stapler, but I usually have to actually do things with my documents, so staplers are a pain in the ass. Paper clips are silly because they fall off if somebody turns a desk fan off. I go with binder clips. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/27 "2013-01-18T22:11:26Z")
> [@RadicalPi](#): > > Staples. With the legs folded in. I don’t even know why staplers give the option of folding them out. > > I think I’m unique in preferring students to not attach their papers together in any way. I especially hate paper clips for this though since pages from other students’ work get mixed in with them making everything a pain. Dog-earing is just a waste of time. I don’t know why students think that’s a good idea. Stapling with the legs turned inward is for permanent fastening. For temporary fastening, using the option of turning the legs out is better, as the staples are easier to remove. Also, you can use this option to pin fabric together, as well as paper, which I think is incredibly neat. If I can find my little gadget that makes a fastening from the papers themselves, then I use it. If I can’t, then I use a stapler or paper clip or binder, depending on what’s handy and how long I need for the papers to stay together. When I had my hysterectomy, I was horrified at first to find that the surgeon had used (surgical) staples to close the abdominal wound. However, the staples seemed to come out easier when it was time for removal. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/28 "2013-01-19T01:10:44Z")
depends on how many pages, staples for a few and clips for more. also depends on the purpose. staples wreak sheets if a large number or used for lengthy times. if papers are better or easier used separated then clipping is best. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/29 "2013-01-19T01:41:51Z")
Nothing but [the best](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSLh7ctcYBk) for Dopers. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/30 "2013-01-19T03:13:57Z")
> [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](#): > > Wow, what an exciting thread. I’m definitely glad I joined up. Maybe later we can buy some cold cuts and talk about our sons who died in the Spanish-American war. If you don’t have anything to say about the OP, you don’t have to reply. Please keep the off-topic, drive-by, snarky replies out of the threads. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/31 "2013-01-19T13:23:55Z")
Even though I use them, I mostly hate paperclips. Inevitably, they get caught on other documents and either get pulled off the papers I want to hold together, or they assimilate other papers into the collective. I prefer staples or more positive clips. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/32 "2013-01-19T15:46:52Z")
Depending on how many pages, I use a stapler, big stapler, or binder clips. Fasteners are used instead of binder clips if I’m sending copies outside the office. Paper clips are only used if I anticipate I might need to make more copies of the document. The big stapler is used only if I anticipate I’ll _never_ have to make more copies of the document. Taking off the big staples is a real bitch. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624/33 "2013-01-19T16:14:54Z")
Staple or paper clip if it’s a few pages. Binder clip or comb binder (🆒) for more pages. No dogear or folded corner. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fastening-papers-together/647624.md?page=1)