Before they are cut into strips, they start off as long rods that are extruded (squeezed under pressure) through a staple shaped die (metal hole) - giving one long staple.
Next, several of the now staple shaped rods are stuck side by side in a flat sheet - if your strip is a full strip, then 100 rods are stuck side by side. They are cut and folded in two places (if the imagine flattening out a strip of staples it may help you to imagine the stage before they are cut)- giving you a finished strip of staples.
hope this helps - saw it on How It's Made!!!