This. I just carry a pen, needle (foldable cushion thingy), thread, and my smartphone around university. Or I would if everything wasn't remote right now.

As long as you have access to printers, paper, and a way to store the latter, you don't really need more.

Can't just shove your ordinary stapler into your pocket, though I have seen tiny models. So it's really nice if you don't want to carry around a bag.

Seems like an invention that probably already exists: a pocketable handheld stapler, you load a single staple, push the device into the groove of some folded pages, staple exits the guide and pierced to other side (probably stabbing you!), tool is applied in a different way to bend over the staples from said other side. Booklet!

Not a portable solution, but I've definitely done something like this for making booklets.

1. Open up a regular stapler surface mode. 2. use a flattened shipping box as a backing surface, to give your fingers a break from the stabbing. 3. Staple through. 4. pull the paper and the staples up. 5. Start bending the staples down with pliers, to get a nice distinct fold started. 6. Bend the rest of the way by hand. 7. Masking tape the edge. (or, for more visual flair, washi tape).

I imagine you could also do something like hammer the staples a bit, but the tape really helps ensure the staples don't catch.

The staples won't have inward curve that staplers usually apply as the standard anti-catch measure, but I like this actually--combined with the tape, everything sits more flush.