“Stitched and numbered in the number of a certain number of sheets”, perhaps this only comes to mind when it comes to the need to stitch documents. How to staple documents? The newcomer immediately presents piles of papers tightly held together by bank twine, covered with caustic dust, somewhere in the corner of the office of an accounting officer or personnel department.
However, not everything is as simple and superficial as it seems at first glance. What you need to know to prevent mistakes in this difficult matter? How to stitch documents with photos? We will consider these issues in detail in a step-by-step instruction.
Why staple paper "the old fashioned way"?
There are many government agencies where documents may be required that are not sewn together in a factory way, but manually, using threads. This is, first of all, the tax inspectorate, archives, asking to staple documents with threads when accepting papers for registration of individual entrepreneurs, registering a legal entity or registering papers for tender. How to staple documents correctly, photo number 2 is shown. A thick thread and a thick needle are commonly used.
It is believed that securities filed in this way are more difficult to lose, counterfeit or replace sheets. Because of this, some organizations use this “grandfather” form of fastening important documents. There is one more argument - sometimes the papers are strictly confidential, and managers, fearing publicity or the influence of competitors, trust such work only to a trusted person, respectively, refuse the help of specialized firms.
Important!
Incorrectly stitched documents can cause a refusal to register or re-register an enterprise, acceptance of papers into the archive, lead to the organization being withdrawn from the tender to receive a tender, and affect the decision of the supervisory authority in case the organization is checked.
Are there uniform standards?
At present, there are no clear rules on how to staple documents with threads according to a single template. There are only recommendations and instructions. Basically, enterprises use the methodological developments of the Rosarchive, which were approved by order number 76 in 2009, the requirements of GOST "Office Work and Archiving", as well as the instructions of the Central Bank of Russia.
Preparatory stage
All documents to be stapled must be previewed, if there are pencil marks, delete them. It is important to carefully treat each page, to exclude their gluing together, to ensure a logical and correct sequence of documents in a stack. It is necessary to get rid of sharp elements, pins, staples or paper clips, they can damage the fastening thread and lead to loss of document. You need to number the pages with a simple black pencil, in the right corner, ink is not allowed, including color. You cannot number too close to the text of a document, let alone overlap it. Only the front side of the sheet is numbered. The total volume of the bound document should not exceed 250 sheets, and the height of the stitched and numbered document should be 4 centimeters. An example of how to staple documents with threads is shown in the photo.

The next stage of preparation is the selection of tools. To correctly stitch documents with threads, you will need: an awl, special threads, a cardboard cover, as in the photo. In some cases, a hole punch is used. How and how to staple documents, each specialist decides for himself. It is most convenient to use stern threads or bank twine, in some cases they use woolen threads or laces. Most often they carry the function of decoration. Typically, serious reports use a more rigorous style. Prepare the documents themselves and the form for inventory.
Some subtleties
- Large format sheets, such as A3 or A2, also need to be numbered. To do this, it is fully deployed and numbered according to general rules. Then they fold and gently glue around the corner.
- If it is necessary to file a letter, it is opened, first the envelope itself is numbered, then, in turn, the pages of the letter.
- The document cover is not numbered. Also, the title page is not numbered if there is no cover. However, the second sheet is already numbered with the number "2".
- If the number of sheets is more than 250, then they are divided into volumes. This practice is often found in courts. Each volume must be numbered separately.
- How to stitch documents if it is not possible to specify the sheet number on the top right or the whole sheet is busy? This is often found, for example, when numbering a photograph; in this case, numbering from the back is allowed.
- With erroneous numbering, you can cross out the number. However, the correction must be confirmed by a certified signature.
- If no more than two sheets are missing, then the use of the letter designation for the missed pages is allowed. The digital numbering of the main document does not change, but the number of sheets increases. In this case, it is necessary to warn the person who will accept the documents.
- If you need to number a document that is already numbered, or has a numbering, then it is numbered again.
- If the sheets cannot be separated in the documentation or glued together, they are numbered as one sheet. This happens if, for example, a check, photograph or newspaper clipping is pasted on a document. But at the same time it is necessary to draw up an inventory, and in the column “Note” or in the certification label, it is necessary to clarify which documents were pasted, on which page and what was contained in them.
What documents are most often stapled together? First of all, constituent and installation documents. They most often have a small volume, they are easier to pierce with an awl, and stitching is easy. There are several technologies for stitching, you can make two punctures, three or five. Three holes are the most common option. Five punctures will come in handy when some documents have a smaller format than the others; joining five punctures will help to fix them better. Five-hole stapling is used if documents are of high value, this will reduce the risk of spoofing.
How to stitch documents correctly: step-by-step instructions
- Fold sheets into a stack, align along the edges.
- Check the order of the sheets.
- Mark with a pencil the places of future punctures symmetrically in the center on the left side of the sheet. This can be done both on one sheet, and on all.
- It is necessary to deviate from the text at least 1.5 centimeters.
- Labels must be strictly vertical, a distance of up to three centimeters from each other is allowed.
If the document is large enough, then it is more convenient to pierce it with an awl. Usually start from the top hole.
If it is not possible to use the factory cover, as in the picture, then the first and last sheet can be glued with a thin strip of cardboard to prevent damage to the pages. It is important to choose the correct thread length, usually from 50 to 80 cm.
Classic three-hole thread stitching
We will analyze the option of how to staple documents step by step in three holes. This is the classic and most common version of paperwork for archiving or for verification. As in this case, the right way to staple documents with threads, it is better seen in the photo.
We start the needle with the thread down under the stack of documents, we bring it out through the hole at number two. We must not forget about the small "tail" with a length of 7-8 cm, it is still useful. On the front side we direct the needle into the upper hole, then return the needle to the lowest hole No. 3. Next, the needle “dives” into the central hole, as a result, both threads remain from the bottom. Now they can be knotted.
Further, the document must be certified, a sheet of paper is glued, the seal and signature of the person in charge are put on top. How to stitch documents and fasten the knot with threads, as seen in the photo.
In addition, an inventory is pasted on the back of the last sheet. The inscription can be done by hand or use ready-made templates, as in the photo.
How to staple documents in four holes?
Four-hole firmware technology is almost identical. The only difference is that the document is stitched from top to bottom. This is like basting when sewing. Only in this case is it repeated in the reverse order, first from top to bottom, then from bottom to top. Thus, the ties are uniform without gaps, as if sewn on a giant sewing machine.
Special cases
Sometimes it is allowed to connect documents not vertically, but to a corner. Basically, these are financial reporting papers, involving the attachment of cash tapes, checks on the right side. Such documents are stapled on the corner. The steps are the same as in the standard assembly of documents, only the holes are pierced at the corner. Usually there are two. The sheet adheres exactly to the corner. Further, the procedure is similar - it is assured, stamped.
Conclusion
In the process of preparing and stitching a document, it is important to think in advance how to stitch documents in order to avoid all kinds of force majeure. For example, sometimes it is required to make a copy from documents already stitched and submitted to the archive. You should worry about such moments in advance. Usually, specialists in the human resources or accounting department can pre-guess which document must first be driven through the copier. This greatly simplifies the work and saves time.