The position of the staple is horizontal, not more than 2 centimeters or 0.7 inches from the left margin

If the binding method is using a staple, the staple needs to be horizontal, not at an angle.  

MORE THAN ONE STAPLES (3 is the answer)
The staple can be vertical if more than one location on the left margin is bound by staples.  

Non-standard position of the staple.
CORRECTION:  make the stable horizontal in line with
the top margin.   The spacing to the left margin appears within
standard recommendations.

When binding with one staple, the staple should be horizontal.  

When binding on the left margin with three staples, the staples should be spaced equally with a distance of at least 3 inches (7.5 cm)  and not more than 4 inches (10 cm).   

Binding with more than three staples is not standard.  

Binding with two staples is not standard.


The position of the single staple is not more than 2 cm or 0.7 inches from the left margin.
The position of the single staple is not less than 1 cm or 0.4 inches from the left margin.

The position of the single staple is not more than 1 cm or 0.4 inches from the top margin.

The position of the single staple is not more than 0.5 cm or 0.2 inches from the top margin.

The use of the staple appears in a style guide published by Metropolitan State University, Minnesota.

https://www.metrostate.edu/sites/default/files/2018-06/APA-6thEdition-CPS-Campus-1.pdf

• use a staple to fasten your paper together (no fancy folder, paperclip, etc.)

• Note that the position of the staple is not made clear.   The purpose of this blog post is to clarify the position of the staple.  

LINK