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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.

There is a popular lyric by Drake, which states “started from the bottom now we’re here”. The lean journey is something everyone in an organization has to understand, ponder over and execute in order for a company to thrive. That is why, even employees considered at the bottom of an organization should be encouraged to contribute ideas on how to, more efficiently, run tasks. That is key to ensuring success in the lean journey.

For those of you who don’t know what the lean process is, it is simply a way to reduce waste. For example, in order for tasks to take less time, thinking of different layouts for production, better organization as well as clearer and constant communication is a great place to start. At Spectra Tapes, employees are encouraged to come up with personal goals for themselves. This way, it is easier for a company to know where they stand and where their employees want it to go.

Going lean is a continuous goal the owner and CEO of the company has adopted. No matter how much progress a company makes, there is always something that can be done to reduce waste. There are businesses that follow the lean process who have even taken it to the point where they would ask themselves “do we really need this?” Some examples of questions they would be asking are no more staplers so why are we printing paper? If we need more than one page, why aren’t we printing on both sides?

There is an article to draw inspiration from when starting to go lean. It is called 2 Second Lean by Paul Akers. Like many business owners out there, Paul wanted to grow his business and that meant understanding and fixing issues that arose. That’s when he hired a manufacturing consultant to come in to help with his inventory problems.

They told him that he basically did not know what he is doing. It was then Paul began his lean journey to cut as much waste possible. If you think about it, the less clutter and waste there is, the more productive employees will be. Albert Einstein is known to have said, “The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity”.

Notice how it’s called a lean journey because it is a continuous process to keep learning and getting rid of waste. A company is never done being lean; there is always something more they can be doing.

Tape has come a long way since it was first invented. The purpose of tape  first created roll of tape might not even be what you thought. It was actually intended to make the process of painting a car two-tone much easier.

In the 1920s it was almost impossible to get a very clean finish on a two-tone paint job for cars. The supplies they had at the time left glue residue on the car and made the glue hard to remove.

That is when an employee at 3M invented masking tape after noticing the trouble workers were having. So it was not even to seal packages for shipments like we might have thought. Today, because of the rising popularity of online shopping, there is an increase in the number of items being shipped all across the globe.

With the ease of starting an online business, anyone can simply start a brand tomorrow and begin selling online. But with all that increased competition, wouldn’t you want your packages to stand out from your competition?

When you ship a package out to a customer, a supplier or whoever it may be, the first thing they will notice is the package and not what is inside. Make sure it is a memorable experience since your brand will be top of mind next time they need a product like yours again.

If you ship to a store, your products will be easier to locate and restock with the use of printed packaging tape. One of the biggest reasons people make the switch from a standard tape to custom printed is the reduction of pilferage. It is an economical way to prevent the public from opening up your package, taking a few items and resealing the box.

Since people within your organization only have access to your branded tape, it would be very obvious if someone tampered with your package once it is in transit. There are even different high security tapes, which can be partly customized.

Tape is not the only thing that can be customized since boxes can also have a brand’s logo printed on the sides of them. They are generally more expensive to get done and there needs to be a regular inventory count of each size box to make sure there are enough in stock.

It does not even offer the extra benefit of reducing pilferage and tampering. That is why looking into the option of getting custom printed tape for your business worth the investment.

When it comes to ecommerce, the package customers will receive represents the most direct touch point with them. It is surprisingly even the most under-utilized opportunity for ecommerce merchants.

When it comes to products that don’t get damaged during shipment, companies usually opt for the most cost effective packaging. This would mean the use of fairly bland bags and ordinary boxes is common.

There is so much more companies can be doing with their packages. As you know, first impressions matter and this would bring your brand experience a long way. The extension of your brand into every touch point shared with customers is very important.

This is due to the fact that first impressions form very quickly and they can persist even though someone is faced with contradictory information at a later time. If you think about it, the package sets the tone for what customers will find inside.

The package will raise the expectations of the product found inside. This then influences how the customer perceives the product found inside. Another thing to think about it just how the package looks once it is in the customer’s mailbox or doorstep.

All of these have to be taken into consideration to build a strong brand and create strong customer touch points. Companies who neglect their packaging but do make an effort to cultivate an image of the brand are not fully cultivating their image.

There are so many creative ways brands can create more value and add personalization through their packaging. One of the ways this can be done is with the use of custom printed packaging tape.

Instead of customers receiving your package and thinking “Oh I got a box, who is it from”, they will instead think “Oh I got a box from Brand X”. The latter is more memorable and has a lasting impact.

Custom printed tape has many more advantages such as reducing pilferage and tampering of your packages. It is no secret which company is shipping out their products therefore during delivery, you never know just who may come in contact with your boxes.

When brands use a tape easily found on the market, it is easy to reseal it and make it as though no one went through the package to begin with. Although with printed packaging tape, it would be obvious someone tried to reseal it.

There are various companies offering services to ensure shipments get to their destination safely and securely but they can end up costing a pretty penny. There are other alternatives companies can turn to if they need their shipment to reach the destination

There are many products such as jewellery, medical equipment, and consumer electronics, which are evidently worth a lot of money. Therefore it is imperative to be able to track and be sure packages, especially of this kind, are not tampered with. High security tape will allow companies to know for a fact if their packages have been tampered with. It would be very obvious if there has been a breach in your shipment thus appropriate action can be taken.

Since there are various security products available such as stock messages, sequential numbering, non-removable void and opened messages, it is good to understand which is best fit for your use.

High security tape is designed to reveal a tamper-evident message of either “void” or “opened” when the seal is removed from the surface. The residue left behind once the tape has been removed is practically impossible to erase. High security tape is even resistant to hot and cold temperatures.

To be more secure, it is even possible to customize the visible and hidden messages on high security tape. Keep in mind with customization comes extra cost but this will ensure your tape cannot be bought elsewhere. There is another version of this tape that has a number sequence every 6” and perforated so it can be used like a label for full security and immediate identification.

When applying high security tape, be sure the surface of the item is clean and dry. It is possible to use high security tape on stainless steel, painted metal, polyester, PVC and glass. The surfaces of these materials have to be free of dirt, oil, grease and other contaminants.

There are many industries in need of this product such as financial institutions, lottery, couriers and corporate security. To be sure packages arrive to their intended destinations without incident, this tape will leave no doubt the box has been opened or stayed sealed the whole time.

If you need additional information on high security tapes and which would be better suited for you, contact Spectra Tapes to get more informed.

Polypropylene, poly or polypro for short, is the most commonly found packaging tape on the market. This is due to its reasonably low cost and its reliability to stick to most carton boxes. It’s important to note that polypro will have a harder time sticking to heavily recycled boxes. Another characteristic of polypro is that it is noisy when applying it on packages.

Just to be clear, polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer that has a lot of uses namely in packaging and labeling. A hot melt adhesive is added to the polypro to make it the end product. This means it can stick to almost any surface such as foam, fabrics and cardboard. Therefore, once it has been applied to a box, it fuses to it.

It is even possible to customize polypro packaging tape to have your company logo or message printed onto it. Since polypro comes in various colors, it is recommended to stick to clear, white or tan for the colors to show as desired.

If you want to stand out and have colored poly, it is possible by flood coating a white roll tape. What this means is that if the tape is blue to begin with and the image to be printed is yellow, the end result will be green. But keep in mind that you can’t just print on any color on top. It is recommended to stick to back only.

Since polypro packaging tape is made with a hot melt adhesive, be aware that when the tape sticks together, the adhesive will make the print come right off if pulled apart.

Depending on your needs, polypro comes in different sizes and thickness. When it comes to the latter, it is more common to see the word micron instead when referring to the thickness of the tape. When talking about printed tape, the thicknesses available are 30, 40 or 50 microns. The most commonly bought one is 30 micron. It is recommended to go thicker if the shipments being sent are heavy.

Not all boxes will be packaged in room temperature settings. In some cases, tape needs to be applied in freezer or cold temperatures. For those instances, cold temperature polypro and acrylic is a good alternative to use. Acrylic is the most common one to use for freezing temperatures. Note that is sticks best 24 hours after it has been applied.

There are general rules of thumb to follow when using packaging tape in your line of business. First of all, when opening a box of tape, never open it with a box cutter. The slightest cut can cause it to break at each turn.

The amount of product in a box is also key to ensuring the tape sticks and stays on during shipping. If a box is under stuffed, it can lead the tape to start unbinding on the box. This is caused by the stress from other boxes placed above it in shipping. Since the box will cave in due to lack of items, the tape will not be able to do its intended job properly. On the other hand, if a box is overstuffed, the tape will also start to unbind due to the stress from the box.

For those of you who own a business and still aren’t using custom printed tape, it is time it to re-think your decision. There are many benefits companies can enjoy when they make the switch to custom printed tape.

But this decision can be very overwhelming if you do not have much knowledge of tape. There are four kinds of tape that you can have your logo or message printed on them. Depending on your business needs, it is wise to understand which is best for you.

The most common tape people use is called polypropylene, polypro or poly for short. It comes in different colors, thickness, width, length, amount of adhesive needed and what temperature application it will be used for. It is recommended to stick to white, clear or tan for customizing tape. If you need another color tape, it will be very costly, as the tape has to go through the press twice. For example, if the tape is already colored blue and you want a yellow image, the end result will be green since the colors will mix in together.

Depending on how heavy the shipment is, you can choose the thickness of the tape, the width and how much adhesive you may need. Most people go with the standard 30-micron polypro tape mainly because of its affordability and it gets most ordinary jobs done. Side note, a micron is a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter. Just keep in mind the more recycled a box is, the harder it will be to stick to poly.

Then there is PVC, polyvinyl chloride, which is made up of a hard vinyl film and a natural rubber adhesive. Unlike regular poly, PVC is generally a higher quality tape since it is recommended to use for heavier shipments. You can even hear the difference between the two since poly is noisy when unwinding and PVC is quieter. A common use for PVC is to close food bags at grocery stores. The tape is comes in several colors and binds together once stuck.

Acrylic is another very popular kind of tape that can be customized. The film is not pintable so we print on the adhesive side. It is recommended not to have more than 30% visuals in a given surface when it comes to acrylic. Also note that the adhesive sticks best 24 hours after application.

Gummed tape or water-activated tape has gained a lot of popularity due to Amazon. It was on its way out until the e-commerce giant started customizing it. The way it sticks on boxes is with the use of water, as the name applies. Be sure to apply a decent amount of water if you do not have a proper dispenser or machine to get the tape to stick on the box properly during shipping.

There are general rules of thumb when it comes to tape. No matter what your tape needs are, it is recommended to store them at an ambient temperature of 20 degrees Celsius or 68 Fahrenheit. But if a tape is known to be applied in cold or freezing temperatures, it is possible to store it in these temperatures as well. When opening a box of tape, make sure not to use a box cutter since even the slightest nick can damage the tape and it will keep breaking at every turn.

Also be conscious of how much product you are stuffing in the boxes. If there is too little, the tape can start to unbind due to sagging from the weight from other boxes during shipping. On the other extreme, if the boxes are stuffed too much, the tape will also start to unbind. In those overstuffing situations, it is better to use 3-inch tape.

There are hundreds of different decisions to make as a business owner such as where to open shop, which is the optimal target audience and what social media sites to focus on. When it comes to packing up shipments, you will have to think about tape. It may seem like such an insignificant decision but when you contemplate about all the benefits of custom printed tape, it is worth thinking twice about it. Read about what those are here.

It is normal that the average person does not know much about the different kinds of tape and which is best for their needs. There are three main kinds of tape that can be printed on. These are polypropylene, PVC and acrylic. If you need advice on which one to use for your business needs, a representative at Spectra Tapes would be glad to help. Or read this article about the different kinds.

To prepare your order, it would have to be done through the spectratapes.com website. Depending on the kind of tape you chose, there are different colors your message or image can be printed on and different colors of ink. It is up to your design team to figure it out and pick the best one in regards to your brand. Just keep in mind the more colors of ink used, the more costly your order will be. Again, if you are experiencing any kind of trouble or difficulty in this process, don’t be shy to contact us.

Before you upload your logo or message, be sure they are of high resolution. The supported formats are AI, EPS or vector. To ensure complete customer satisfaction with the custom printed tape, Spectra Tapes will contact you if there is ever a problem with the quality or resolution of the image.

Once an order goes through and the quality of imagery is acceptable, Spectra Tapes then prepares an approval sheet. This is a document where the proof of the visuals is placed it on along with the other details of your order such as the width and length, type of tape and the unwind direction. This sheet would have to be signed and dated off by the customer for your order to go into production.

The first step to making custom printed packaging tape is making the plate. A plate will contain the visuals the customer has ordered to be able to print it onto the tape. This is a one-time fee if a customer would like to print the same visuals again in the future. It is kept in a file to retrieve as soon as a second order comes in. The final step is pretty simple since it is where the order goes to the press.

An increasing amount of companies are making the switch to custom printed tape to pack their shipments. If you do the math, your brand will benefit greatly more than the expense.

1. Clear way to identify and track your company’s products

When you look in a batch of shipments, it will be obvious where your boxes are since they will stand out from the bunch. This will help to get them located in the event your package gets lost or misplaced in transit.

2. Marketing tool to reinforce your brand visibility

Think about all the people who will come in contact with your package when in transit. These people are consumers too and they will be subject to your visuals when they come in contact with your package. In addition, it will help people recall your logo and be more visible against that of your competitors.

3. Economical way to reduce theft

There are solutions out there to make sure no one steals the contents of your shipment but it may get expensive. Using custom printed tape is your best bet to discourage tampering and pilferage while still being on budget. This is due to the fact that only people working in your company will have access to the tape. If it opens up during shipment, it would be obvious someone tried to repackage it.

4. Printed tape can alert/warn of important handling requirements

On the tape visuals, it is possible to add handling requirements. This way, the delivery person and the handlers will understand right away how to manipulate your shipment.

5. Eliminate the need for costly printed boxes

Printed boxes are another way to stand out and look more professional in the eyes of your customers and the public. But carrying them in different sizes is costly as well as taking up extra room and it doesn’t have as many benefits as custom printed tape.

6. Easily identifiable labeling method for shipping

Instead of reading the small label on the box as to which company a package is coming from, it is easier for it to be processed with custom tape right across. In addition, the first thing a customer will notice when they receive your shipment is the packaging. You have a chance to set a good impression by astonishing them with visuals and, if done right, they might even want to take a picture and share it with their social media circle.

7. Highly competitive rates

Spectra Tapes has one of the most competitive rates for both carton sealing tape and custom printed tape. Depending on your order size and where it is being shipped it is worthwhile to get a quote.

8. First quality materials and service

High quality products are used and sold to customers. Spectra Tapes knows the importance of keeping a good relationship with clients. If you are ordering custom printed tape, an order is thoroughly reviewed and recommendations are made to ensure customers will be satisfied with the end product.

9. Fully knowledgeable customer service, sales and technical teams

Unless someone has worked with tape before, they will not be very knowledgeable about how to use it, store it and the different kinds available depending on the needs of customers. There are even different size lengths, widths and thickness which can get very overwhelming to the average person. Spectra Tapes has a team of dedicated employees who can help you with all your questions.

10. Fast, efficient, flexible service

Once you place your order and sign off on the approval sheet, it will take 2-3 weeks to receive your shipment. That is the average lead-time after an order gets sent to print.