Extra Staple Set

A set of extra staples, when in the context of a manufacturing defect is when the body of the book is stapled without a cover, with the cover later being stapled separately to the body giving the book a total of four staples.

An extra set of staples is actually a conscious process on part of the Press Master. During every printing there would be a set number of books which were to be printed, as ordered by the publisher. The printing press would be allocated enough materials to print the requested run, and an additional amount with the anticipation of a certain number of books being printed improperly. The improperly printed books would be collected throughout the length of the run, and put aside until the initial printing is complete. If the print run came up short of the requested number, then the improperly printed books that were cast aside earlier would then be sifted through to find any salvageable copies to fill the remainder of the order. The salvaged books would be pieced together one book at a time by hand which includes hand stapling (or stitched, depending on the book) and hand trimming. So, in the end there would be a book which was originally stapled by the staple machine, and would then have a cover added by hand stapling during the salvaging process—which would give a total of four staples.