A stapler that leaves neither staples nor holes

You reach for a stapler to fasten a few pages and discover it is empty. Later, before discarding the pages, the metal staples need removing. Kokuyo's Harinacs Press binds paper without that small consumable. A press of its lever leaves a narrow crimp near the edge, with no metal staple or punched hole.

Different mechanisms share the Harinacs name. Some models cut and fold a small section of paper to make a fastening. The Press instead grips a narrow area by pressing the sheets firmly together, using what Kokuyo calls its Press Lock mechanism. It applies force to the paper itself rather than adding a replacement fastener.

The stated capacity is about five sheets of copy paper. That does not mean five sheets of every material: thickness, surface finish, and coatings affect the result. It is suited to temporarily gathering a few pages rather than replacing a heavy-duty office stapler.

To use it, insert a corner or edge and lower the lever. It can be held in the hand or used on a desk. Checking where the narrow crimp will fall helps keep it clear of the text. The action of gathering papers is familiar, but no staple is inserted.

Separating the sheets needs no staple remover either. Kokuyo advises rubbing the pressed area with a hard object such as a pen cap. The paper is not restored to an entirely unmarked state, but the fastening can be released without a large hole. Kokuyo also notes that stacked sets avoid the raised bulk caused by metal staples.

The device removes steps around fastening rather than the fastening action itself: refilling staples, checking the supply, and extracting them later. Within its roughly five-sheet capacity, a small crimp at the edge takes their place. The change on the desk is modest, but there is no metal fastening beneath the fingers as the pages are turned.

Image description: Using the Harinacs Press · KOKUYO
Image source: https://www.kokuyo.com/en/stationery/series/harinacs/press/