Gummed tape, also known as water activated or paper tape, has gained a lot of popularity since Amazon, the ecommerce giant, started using it. Gummed tape was on its way out at that point mainly due to the difficulty of application.
There are hand and machine dispensers on the market to make the application process easier. They have to be for gummed tape only since the dispensers for other kinds of tape will not work. Since the adhesive on the tape is not activated yet, these dispensers brush water on them and cut them in the length required to seal the box.
Aside from the fact that it takes more effort to seal packages, there are many advantages to using gummed tape. Between polypropylene, PVC, acrylic and gummed tape, the latter provides the best security for your products. This is due to the fiberglass strands in the tape. They are very strong which makes it very obvious if someone tampered with the package. It is extremely difficult to remove without showing signs of someone previously opening it.
Gummed tape also bonds very quickly to any kind of box no matter how recycled it is. In addition, the other tapes may not all be recyclable friendly but since gummed tape is made out of paper, there is no need to worry about removing the tape first. This is why it is the most environmentally friendly option for packaging.
In addition, it holds securely in all kinds of weather and will stay firm when sealing boxes that are overfilled. Since the tape is wet when applied, be careful closing these packages. Due to the fact that it’s wet, it will shift around and not stick right away. It needs to be first held down until the piece of tape is well bound. After that, it should never unbind. Even if a box is under stuffed, regular tape will start to unbind especially if there are heavier boxes placed on top if it during shipping. But with gummed tape, you will not have that problem.
With the dispenser for gummed tape, it will allow you to choose the exact length you need to seal your boxes. Therefore there is zero waste compared to the other kinds of tape mentioned above because it may take more of these tapes to close certain boxes. But with gummed tape, unless someone applies it wrong, there is no reason to double tape a box with it.