Have worked in a print shop for 5 years now. The cracking might also come from from having folded the sheet not along the grain but across it. Great video in anycase :)
I bought this just recently as well! I agree with all your tips, I have done the same things as you. Another tip (it could be just an issue with mine), the edge of the stapler left black marks on the inside pages somehow - so I added masking tape to the edges to cover them up. I make 64pg + end page + cardstock cover notebooks, so I bought heavy gauge staples in 8mm.
Yessss! I live on a somewhat remote island, where we don't have access to all the tools. But a few years ago, I was able to come back to the States, and was on my way out the door at Walmart, and spotted one of these staplers on a Returned-Discount shelf. It was $10! It has been a great help in making booklets!
As a fledgling desktop publisher, back in the very early ninteis when that was still a thing, my wife was delighted when the graphics lab at her school was throwing out their old saddle stitcher. They said she could have it but she would have to pick it out of the trash, they couldn't just give it to her. It's a Swingline in industrial gray. There's an entire shield on the bottom part with an extendable guide to help align the edge of the booklet. Also the rubber 'feet' on the bottom are more substantial. Also the metal of the saddle seems to be of a heavier gauge. Although we ended up not using it very much in our work, it was just the tool we needed when we needed it. We used it mostly for plain paper booklets. I never thought of double-scoring the fold. I'll have to try that. I've lost track of the book press she made in a bookbinding class she took, but this saddle stitcher was always her prize and I found myself using it again just last week when I found a PDF guide that was clearly laid out to be put together as a booklet. So quick, so easy, and the result looks quite nice. Just the thing when you don't want to take the time to actually stitch a binding. Thanks for the review!
I almost bought this stapler but went instead with a long-reach stapler, which I absolutely love. I chose it because it takes up less space than a saddle stapler like yours; but I really like how the saddle stapler puts the staple right on the fold (with a long-reach stapler the placement is not as exact). Thanks so much for this review!! 💕💕
I have used this same stapler in my former job (church secretary) and used it weekly. It is a great stapler and of very good quality. We only did regular folded copy paper (not cardstock), and it worked just great. I agree that you need to staple quickly (without hesitation). Also like the "roundness" of the staple from the inside of the booklet (agree that it makes your booklet more stable). I would LOVE to have one of my own for home use--maybe someday! Thanks for another great video, Jennifer!
I recently purchased this stapler for a Christmas project of travelers notebooks for my church family. This stapler was a time saver. Wished I had bought it a few years ago when I first started doing my travelers notebooks inserts. Love it.
Yes! Bought one a couple of years ago to make my TN inserts easier to put together. Absolutely love it!! I find I have to shift the crease a little towards me to get the staple to go actually dead through it instead of slightly to one side, so a bit of a test and learn curve, but I'm super happy with mine!!
I used to use one of these at work! (Periodicals staff at the library - we used it to staple newspaper pages together before we put them out on the shelves) We no longer use it in the office, and I sometimes wonder if anyone would notice if it just happened to come home with me... :)
I have a small swing-out swivel stapler I use for booklets and other things that a regular stapler cannot reach, and I love it! It came in complete Japanese packaging, so I'm thinking it's state of the art Japanese Stationery gear :). I can use it like a regular stapler, or turn the little swivel arm piece out at the front 90 degrees and get so much more reach! All of that and it takes up half the room of a long-arm stapler. When I got it from Amazon last year it was $7.99. :)
Wow that’s a funky looking stapler! Where I used to work, we had an electric saddle stitch stapler…. It was great, but sometimes it would try to shoot you if you leaned too close while reaching to get something out of the cupboard behind it haha! I use a long arm stapler at home, but I miss the electric one!
I haven’t made a saddle stitch book in 8 years. You gave such great tips in your video. Now I’m wondering if I can use my sewing machine to sew signature sheets for my junk journals.
A teacher had one of these when I was in school and I believe they made booklets on occasion or it was just easier to use since it was a big stable stapler to work with. I made the same mistake too of hesitating and they told me you just gotta slam it. Admittedly it was a bit scary cause of the noise + the room was one of those awful trailer classrooms so it just made it louder.
I actually tested glue and tape before folding but it didn't help 😅 but bookguard tape over the spine works to cover everything and looks nice as an option.
I have been making notebooks of various sizes recently by recycling file folders for covers--using the same kind of stapler--got it used years ago. Also use standard staples. For fun I have added printed duct tape on the binding. A solid color of tape might work for the paper that cracked. Then you would have to figure how to make the inside look finished....
I see this was a year ago, but… I recently learned about paper warp - if you curl/bend the paper short way then long way, one gives much easier and the other is stiffer… my understanding is that the stiffer way, if creased, is what cracks! I would be so curious with the glossy paper used here if that would make a difference 🤔🤔🤔
How do you make 1300 pages of regular ream paper that’s glued on one edge, and make it so the binding doesn’t split when you open the book up flat? Love your channel! 👏👍
Ma'am pls make a video on the problem faced in Coptic stitch binding.Coptic stitch is my favourite binding method.But I faced some issues in this method, mainly the thickening of book to the binding side.Once I have finished binding the thickness of the book is not even,it slopes to the right side of the book.Pls ma'am 🙏🙏🙏
well .... ... i do not know the correct name of this tool ... in allemande it is called "upholstery tucker" it is working with a kind of motor, powwered by an accumulator. it is able to staple about 60 sheets of paper plus a thin cardboard. i made a kind of template clichée and by using this i am able to make real thik broshures. in this case it is a stupid idea to fold the papersheets, just staple them together at the edge... wrap a cardboard around and that's it. and such a tucker is made to use for so many other things, too.
