Question about binding my first zine with a stapler that totally backfired

I spent 45 minutes trying to staple 20 A5 pages together with a normal office stapler before I realized the arm can't reach the center fold. Has anyone here found a cheap long-reach stapler that actually works for zines under $30?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_wendy7d ago

Just grabbed a $20 long reach stapler from a craft store and it works fine for 20 pages of printer paper, you just gotta press down hard at the end. Maybe split yours into two 10 page booklets if the paper is thick, that solved my jamming issues lol.

maxhart7d ago

I mean, "the arm can't reach the center fold" hits home hard because I had the exact same problem with my first zine. I spent a good 20 minutes flipping it around and trying to staple from the back, which just made a mess. But honestly, I'm curious about what kind of paper you're using. Are you working with standard printer paper or something thicker like cardstock? Because I've found that even with a long-reach stapler, if the paper is too heavy it just jams up or doesn't punch through cleanly. And with 20 pages at A5, that's already pushing it for most cheap staplers even if they can reach. Maybe try splitting it into two smaller booklets of 10 pages each and then binding those together, idk. What style of zine is it anyway?