logo tapes and differences
Choosing the right tape for your needs is an important factor to keep your packages safely sealed. Three most popular tapes for packaging are hot melt, acrylic and solvent tapes. What are the differences and how to pick the right tape for you?
What to keep in mind?
Most important things to keep in mind while picking a suitable tape are the user comfort, adhesive, durability (pressure, viscosity, environmental conditions) and strength to keep the package sealed and in shape.
Tapes main factor is to have a good tack that can handle different external factors. Hot melt tapes tend to have the best adhesive which can handle transportation, pressure and keep the package sealed. With a great adhesive and pressure resistance they are also perfect for storing packages.
Environmental conditions are the second factor which can make tapes act differently. This means cold weather, high humidity and dust, which all make a difference. Acrylic tapes have the lowest viscosity which provides a great tack in humid and dusty conditions. Recent developments in hot melt technology has made it resistant to low temperatures. They are also best choice for closing recycled cardboard.
Tapes can be used manually or using the proper tools. Acrylic tapes are excellent for manual use as they unroll quietly and they offer a great grip on corrugated cardboard. Hot melt tapes are suitable for using tape gun dispenser for their easy unrolling, instant tack and excellent strength.
Which tape to pick?
Acrylic tapes – made with water based acrylic adhesive and is one of the most popular tapes on the market. In a medium price range and suitable for all purposes – cardboard, metal, glass, wood and plastic. Excellent temperature resistance, good transparency and no yellowing are the advantages of an acrylic tape.
Hot melt tapes – adhesive based on synthetic rubber, hot melt tapes are popular thanks to their strenght, durability and tear resistance. It is mostly used for closing corrugated cardboard packages thanks to its low price, quick tack and good corrugated support. Although this tape might yellow in time, it does that slower than solvent tapes. Many companies prefer hot melt tapes because their production is much more environmentally friendly and produces less waste.
Solvent tapes – based on natural rubber, these tapes tack fast and strong. Solvent tapes are perfect choice for closing structural or irregular cardboard and extreme environments. These tapes can handle temperature changes and have an excellent grip.
If you have any questions about picking suitable products, go check out our Frequently Asked Questions post HERE.
If you have any further questions or you already found an answer then send us an e-mail to or fill in our contact form.
