Swingline Optima 40: Neater Stacks of Finished Packets

Product guide October 27, 2026

The full-size Optima 40, model S7087845 (87845), is the version covered here.

The Optima 40 folds staple legs flat for neater document stacks. Match its 40-sheet rating to 20 lb paper and its magazine to compatible ¼-inch staples.

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Stapling reports or handouts that will sit in a pile? Choose the Swingline Optima 40 for its flat-clinch finish: it folds the staple legs flat against the back of the paper for neater stacking. The important limit is the paper itself. Its 40-sheet rating applies to 20 lb paper, not every packet that happens to contain 40 sheets.

Swingline Optima 40 full-size stapler in black and silver with an orange base — The full-size Optima 40, model S7087845 (87845), is the version covered here.

Look at the back of the packet

An ordinary curved clinch leaves rounded staple legs underneath the sheets. Flat clinch folds those legs closer to the paper. That is the reason to choose this design for finished packets you plan to stack or file together.

Concept diagram comparing inward-curved staple legs with legs folded flat against the paper back — Concept diagram, not a product test. Shapes and clearances are exaggerated, not to scale.

This is a finishing choice, not a promise of a particular reduction in stack height. The maker describes neater stacking; we have not measured how much flatter a pile becomes. For an individual handout, the difference may matter less than it does across a stack of stapled reports.

Read “40 sheets” together with “20 lb paper”

Cardstock covers, heavier paper and mixed materials fall outside that stated rating. A packet with thick covers needs a separately verified capacity rather than a sheet-count shortcut. Flat clinch also does not increase the stapler’s rated capacity.

Optima 40 stapling the corner of a paper report on a desk — The rating is up to 40 sheets of 20 lb paper. The photo does not establish a sheet count or operating force.

Match the consumable before ordering

The exact listing recommends Swingline Optima Premium or S.F. 4 Premium staples with ¼-inch legs. The full-strip magazine holds 210 staples. Check that specification on your refill box; a longer staple is not an upgrade for this model.

Staple strip being placed in the extended front magazine of the Optima 40 — Choose compatible ¼-inch-leg staples. Staples shown in the photo are not a promise of included supplies.

Refilling uses a rear button that releases the front-loading QuickLoad magazine. This keeps the refill step separate from the flat-clinch benefit: one changes how you load the stapler; the other changes the finished staple underneath the packet.

Rear QuickLoad release button being pressed on the Optima 40 — QuickLoad opens from the front using the rear release button.

Choose the full-size Optima 40 marked S7087845 or 87845, not the similarly named compact model. The selected listing identifies one stapler; check the offer rather than assuming a supply of staples is included.

View the full-size Optima 40 on Amazon

Based on model-specific manufacturer information, the matching listing and original product photos, not hands-on testing.