I read this question in this weeks edition (2 Dec) of New Scientist.
“Why do staplers have a rotating plate in the base so you can make the staples fold inwards or outwards? Outward facing staples don’t hold the paper together as well, so what’s it for?”
If you only need to have a set of papers temporarily attached to each other, an outwardly-bent staple is easier to remove and will not damage the papers as much as an inwardly-bent one.
The issue was discussed in this thread:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=41230
Thanks !
How come I couldn’t find the thread when I searched earlier?
The search function currently defaults to threads which have been active within the past five days. To run a search of the entire GQ, archives, one has to adjust that to “all threads.” When doing so, one also wants to restrict the forum, or the search takes forever.