Compiled from 4 sources; we haven't tested this product ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
The Zenith 548/E is an all-metal plier stapler from Balma, Capoduri & C. in Italy, descended from the 548 first built in 1948. It staples 15 sheets with 6/4 staples or 30 with 6/6, reaches 47 mm into the page and weighs 240 g. It comes in five colorways; The Journal Shop listed it at US$50 on November 5, 2026.
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Notes on these facts
Made by Balma, Capoduri & C. S.p.A. (Voghera, Italy). Made in Italy: The maker's history page says the company adopted the Made in Italy mark in 2011 to show its exclusively Italian manufacturing. The 548/E page itself does not repeat the country. Source. Price: example listing.
Colors: names per Zenith (maker's 548/E page and colour chart), checked November 5, 2026. The maker's page says five color combinations and shows five chips without names; the names are The Journal Shop's (it lists four colored versions and the aluminium one separately, and says four colors). Swatches are the body color sampled from the chart chip, except Blue, which comes from the maker's product photo. Tints are representative, not measured. Shops stock different colors.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
The maker lists the 548/E at 15 sheets with 6/4 staples and 30 sheets with 6/6 staples (130/Z6), on 80 g/m² paper, with 100 staples per load.
It reaches 47 mm into the paper, weighs 240 g net and loads from the rear with a pull-out pusher; the body is painted metal with nickel-plated finishes.
The maker offers it in five colorways and says each stapler is tested individually and carries a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects.
The maker dates the first 548 to 1948 and says it won an honorable mention at the Compasso d'Oro in 1954; it made a limited 548/E for its 90th anniversary in 2014.
The Journal Shop listed the standard colors at US$50 on November 5, 2026, in our $$$ band ($20 to $75).
What is the Zenith 548/E plier stapler?
It is an all-metal plier stapler from Zenith, the brand of Balma, Capoduri & C. in Voghera, Italy. The maker says its first plier stapler, the 548, went into production in 1948, and that the 548/E is the version it sells today, “used every day by millions”. It describes the body as painted metal with nickel-plated finishes, in lead-free enamels chosen to resist wear and corrosion.
The 548/E sits beside the 590, the lighter plier stapler in the same range (186 g, loaded from the top, with 200 staples per load). We read the maker’s pages and The Journal Shop’s listings on November 5, 2026.
How many sheets can it staple, and with which staples?
15 sheets with 6/4 staples and 30 sheets with 6/6 staples, on 80 g/m² paper.
The 47 mm figure is the depth the head reaches into the paper, so it can staple well in from an edge, not only at a corner. The maker also lists an anti-jamming feature and a pull-out pusher for loading, and gives no thickness limit in millimetres, only the sheet counts above.
Which colors does it come in?
Five combinations, says the maker. Its page shows five chips without names: green and black, a blue pair, grey, red and black, and aluminium. The Journal Shop names four colored versions Green-Black, Blue, Grey and Red-Black and says “four colours”; the fifth chip is the aluminium finish, which the shop sells separately as the 548E-2. We use the shop’s names and the maker’s chips together and flag the mismatch.
The swatches in Product facts are sampled from the maker’s chart, except Blue, which comes from the maker’s product photo. The maker’s history adds colors over time: a Pastel line in 2016 in three super-matt shades, an Antibacterial version in 2021 and a Gold finish in 2019. We did not check which are on sale now.
How does it load and unjam?
From the rear. The maker lists loading with an extractable pusher, so you slide the pusher out, drop in a strip of staples and slide it back. Its instructions page covers three topics: operating the device, the anti-jamming feature and removing the guide. We have not tested a jam, so we cannot say how easy it is to clear.
How is it different from the 590 and the older 548?
The 590 is lighter and holds more; the 548/E is heavier with a deeper reach. From the maker’s own pages:
548/E: 240 g, 100 staples per load, 47 mm depth, loaded from the rear.
590: 186 g, 200 staples per load, 46 mm depth, loaded from the top by lowering the handle and lifting the cap; a plastic cap on a metal body.
Both take the same 130-series staples and the same sheet counts (15 and 30). The Journal Shop also sells a plain 548 at US$76, which is the earlier model without the /E; we did not read the maker’s page for that listing.
Who makes it, and how long has the line run?
Balma, Capoduri & C., founded in Voghera in 1924. The maker’s history page says the first Zenith staplers and staples appeared in 1926, the first plier stapler (the 548) in 1948, and the 590 plier stapler in 1990. It adds a 1958 staple remover, the 580, and a 1995 plier stapler, the 595, that takes four staple standards for thicker paper. The Pastel colors arrived in 2016 and an Antibacterial 548/E in 2021.
The company says it also makes its own staples, on more than 150 automatic machines it designed itself, from a single ground wire that is cut, bent and glued. That matters for the 548/E because it runs on Zenith’s own 130-series staples; the maker does not say whether other brands’ staples fit, so use the listed ones.
Who is the Zenith 548/E for?
It suits people who collect or keep long-running desk tools, since the maker has made the line since 1948. For Collecting, the maker dates the first 548 to 1948 and made a limited 548/E for its 90th anniversary in 2014.
Skip it if you want a stapler you can load from the top or one with a stated length: the maker gives rear loading only and no body length. For a lighter flat-clinch stapler see our MAX Vaimo11 Flarme guide, or browse best desk accessories.
What does it cost, and where is it made?
The Journal Shop listed the standard colors at US$50 on November 5, 2026, in our $$$ band ($20 to $75). The same shop listed the Raw version at US$56, the Gold at US$123 and the aluminium 548E-2 at US$58. The maker sells through stockists and publishes no price.
Made in Italy, per the maker: its history page says the company adopted the Made in Italy mark in 2011 for its exclusively Italian manufacture, and it says it designs and builds its staple machines in-house. The 548/E page does not repeat the country. The maker also credits the 548 with an honorable mention at the Compasso d’Oro in 1954; we did not check that against the award’s own records.
Frequently asked questions
How many sheets can the Zenith 548/E staple?
The maker lists 15 sheets with 6/4 staples (130/E, 130/Z, 130 LM, 130/LL) and 30 sheets with 6/6 staples (130/Z6), both on 80 g/m² paper. Loading capacity is 100 staples of either kind.
Which staples does it use?
Zenith's own 130 series: 130/E, 130/Z, 130 LM and 130/LL for 6/4, and 130/Z6 for the 30-sheet 6/6 staples. The maker sells them as its art. 130 and 130/Z6 lines.
How far into the paper can it staple?
47 mm, the maximum stapling depth the maker lists, so it can place a staple 47 mm from the paper edge.
How heavy is it, and what is it made of?
240 g net. The maker says painted metal with nickel-plated finishes, using lead-free enamels chosen for wear and corrosion resistance. It states no length or width.
How do you load it?
From the rear: the maker lists loading with an extractable pusher, and its instructions page covers operating the device, the anti-jamming feature and removing the guide. We have not tested it.
What colors does it come in?
Five combinations per the maker: its chart shows green and black, blue, grey, red and black, and aluminium. The Journal Shop lists the colored versions as Green-Black, Blue, Grey and Red-Black.
How much does it cost?
The Journal Shop listed the standard colors at US$50 on November 5, 2026, the Raw version at US$56 and the older 548 at US$76. Prices change.
Is there a warranty?
The maker says every Zenith stapler is tested individually and carries a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. It does not give the terms, so check them before relying on it.
