Indispensable desk accessories

Unfortunately, the computer has still not managed to get rid of all our everyday paperwork. As long as this remains the case, we will be dependent on appropriate tools for dealing with paper - just as we are on pens and pencils.

The two most important office aids (besides the obligatory paper clip) are undoubtedly a hole punch and a stapler.

A stapler (also known as a staple gun or staple monkey) is used for both permanent and temporary bundling of loose but related sheets; for example, the pages of a long letter or a multi-page invoice.

In the handle of a stapler lies a U-shaped bar of staples that are pressed forward by a spring against the impact hammer - usually a flat plate of hard metal. By applying pressure from above, this plate separates a staple from the block and presses it through the paper against the base plate. This can be rotated and has 2 settings with different effects on the result of the joint:

Loose stapling: The ends of the staple are bent outwards and the staple is stuck in the paper like a needle. This method is less stable and reliable, but the staple can be removed easily and the sheets removed in this way. If the two holes that appear during stapling do not bother you, it is an alternative to the paper clip.

With permanent stapling, the ends of the staple are bent inwards. There are no openings through which the paper could escape, and the small metal bracket cannot be removed without tools. Or without breaking your fingernails.
However, since it can happen that a paper stick stapled together in this way has to be released again, there is of course a suitable tool for this, similar to pliers, with sharp claws at the ends: The staple remover. The claws are placed on the fastening side of the staple and spread the bent ends apart; the same claws can then be used to pull the staple out of the paper from the front. Sounds simple, is simple - and is guaranteed to work without having to make an appointment for a manicure afterwards.

The other tool you can't do without at your desk is the hole punch.
All documents end up in the archive sooner or later, where they are regularly filed away in binders. These folders use ring mechanisms to hold the sheets in place - and you need holes in the paper for these mechanisms. Anyone who has ever tried to simply impale a single sheet (let alone a whole bundle of paper) on the open mechanism knows that this endeavour is doomed to failure and will most likely end with a destroyed document.

So you need a device that punches the 2 (or 4 in the case of ring binders) holes cleanly into the paper at the right distance from each other and with a suitable diameter, and that is quick and easy to operate. That is exactly what a hole punch can do!
At its core, the hole punch consists of 2 hard metal rods with sharp ends that cut through the paper in a circle when pressure is applied to the handle. Cutting is the important keyword here, anything else would damage the paper! In fact, a hole punch works more like a pair of scissors than like a simple hole punch - the counterpart to the punch is located in the bottom of the device. This is the only way to make the necessary holes in several sheets of paper at the same time cleanly and without tearing.
Practical: The small, circular pieces of paper that are punched out by the punch do not fly around loose, but land in the base of the punch, which is usually closed from below by a plastic lid. When the container is full, you simply remove the lid and empty it over a wastepaper basket. Of course, you can also collect the homemade confetti for the next company party - your boss will certainly appreciate this kind of social commitment!