Custom Printed Tape - Your Comprehensive Product Guide to Personalised Packaging Tape
Custom printed tape is a packaging tape that is personalised with logo and messages in a company's brand colours. There are many different types of printed tape so we'll unpack the different types and give you a guide on which type of printed tape is best for you. Further down our guide to custom printed tape you'll find out which options are eco friendly, and we'll also give you some alternatives to printed tape to explore.
What is custom printed tape use for?
Custom printed tape is used to advertise your brand name and is a cost effective alternative to branding boxes and other packaging. As you need to use tape anyway to seal a box, using personalised printed tape is a low cost option costing only a few pence per box to add your branding. Custom printed tape on a box adds a professional touch and helps your customers to identify your parcels easily. It also adds an extra layer of security too as if you parcel is opened it can't be resealed with your tape again making it obvious that the parcel has been tampered with.
Types of Custom Printed Tape
There are many different types of custom printed tape, with different plastic types, adhesive types, and even printed paper tape for an eco friendly tape option. With custom printed tape it's often worth spending that little bit extra on a better quality tape because it is displaying your brand name and you want that to give a quality message. Also, when personalising the tape, the cost of the material makes a lesser impact on the final price so usually a better quality tape doesn't cost that much more. You can also find out more on our blog post about how to work out which is the best packing tape for you.
Vinyl Personalised Packaging Tape
Vinyl personalised packaging tape is a high quality premium grade packaging tape made from a strong tear resistant vinyl plastic. This strong backing coupled with a high tack solvent adhesive give a printed packaging tape that sticks well in many different applications. Although a little more expensive than most other custom printed vinyl tape, it is the most popular printed tape choice for many companies and will help to portray quality alongside your brand. The options available in vinyl personalised packaging tape are:
Vinyl Personalised Packaging Tape Colours: White, Brown (Buff), Clear, Flood Print - Any Colour can be printed as a flood print
Vinyl Personalised Packaging Tape Sizes: 24mm (1inch), 48mm (2inch), & 72mm (3inch). 48mm is the most popular.
Vinyl Personalised Packaging Tape Lengths: 66m (the standard tape roll with a 3inch core dia), 132m (more on a roll with a 3inch core dia), 150m E-tape (more on a roll with a 2inch core dia)
Vinyl Personalised Packaging Tape Print Options: 1 Colour Print, 2 Colour Print, 3 Colour Print, & 4 Colour Print
Solvent PP Bespoke Printed Packaging Tape
Solvent pp bespoke printed packaging tape is a polyprop backing material with a solvent adhesive. Polyprop is a strong backing tape that has a high tensile strength, but is also a lower cost option to PVC vinyl tape. If you want a good quality tape but need to shave a few pounds of your printed tape order then solvent pp printed tape may well be the option to consider. Solvent pp tape is also a bit noisier than vinyl tape as it doesn't have that silky smooth low noise unwind. The options available in solvent pp bespoke printed packaging tape are:
Solvent PP Bespoke Printed Packaging Tape Colours: White, Brown (Buff), Clear, Flood Print - Any Colour can be printed as a flood print
Solvent PP Bespoke Printed Packaging Tape Sizes: 24mm (1inch), 48mm (2inch), & 72mm (3inch). 48mm is the most popular.
Solvent PP Bespoke Printed Packaging Tape Lengths: 66m (the standard tape roll with a 3inch core dia), 132m (more on a roll with a 3inch core dia), 150m E-tape (more on a roll with a 2inch core dia)
Solvent PP Bespoke Printed Packaging Tape Print Options: 1 Colour Print, 2 Colour Print, & 3 Colour Print
Hot Melt Custom Printed Packing Tape
Hot melt custom printed packing tape is a polyprop backing material with a hot melt adhesive. As we've already explained polyprop is a strong backing tape but this time it has a hot melt adhesive applied to it. Hot melt adhesive is a pressure sensitive version of a hot melt glue, so it performs well in moderate climates but not so well in cold weather below freezing. Although hot melt has its disadvantages in cold weather it is a good quality packing tape for general purpose use lasting longer than economy tape versions and sticking more aggressively. The options available in hot melt custom printed packing tape are:
Hot Melt Custom Printed Packing Tape Colours: White, Brown (Buff), Clear, Flood Print - Any Colour can be printed as a flood print
Hot Melt Custom Printed Packing Tape Sizes: 24mm (1inch), 48mm (2inch), & 72mm (3inch). 48mm is the most popular.
Hot Melt Custom Printed Packing Tape Lengths: 66m (the standard tape roll with a 3inch core dia), 132m (more on a roll with a 3inch core dia), 150m E-tape (more on a roll with a 2inch core dia)
Hot Melt Custom Printed Packing Tape Print Options: 1 Colour Print, 2 Colour Print, & 3 Colour Print
Acrylic Low Noise Printed Parcel Tape
Acrylic low noise printed parcel tape again uses the high strength polyprop backing material, but this time with an acrylic adhesive. Acrylic adhesive is a low cost adhesive that is also better for the environment as it breaks down in water without leaving harmful residues. It is great for many parcel shipping applications though as the aggressive adhesive grab is adequate for most short term taping and securing of packaging. Where acrylic is not so good is for items that will go into long term storage as it tends to lose its tack over time. This packaging option has a silky smooth low noise unwind making it a great choice for using in a busy packing area. The options available in acrylic low noise printed parcel tape are:
Acrylic Low Noise Printed Parcel Tape Colours: White, Brown (Buff), Clear, Flood Print - Any Colour can be printed as a flood print
Acrylic Low Noise Printed Parcel Tape Sizes: 24mm (1inch), 48mm (2inch), & 72mm (3inch). 48mm is the most popular.
Acrylic Low Noise Printed Parcel Tape Lengths: 66m (the standard tape roll with a 3inch core dia), 132m (more on a roll with a 3inch core dia), 150m E-tape (more on a roll with a 2inch core dia)
Acrylic Low Noise Printed Parcel Tape Print Options: 1 Colour Print, 2 Colour Print, & 3 Colour Print
Printed Paper Tape - The Eco Friendly Packing Tape
Printed paper tape is a trending packaging tape choice and it one of the most popular printed tape options for online stores because of its eco friendly attributes. Printed paper tape is a packaging tape that is made from a paper backing with either a pressure sensitive adhesive or a gummed adhesive. Printed paper tape is recyclable and biodegradable so is the perfect option for sending that eco friendly message. Both are good quality strong tape options with printed gummed paper tape outclassing most tape options for strength and adhesive grab. The options available in printed paper tape are:
Printed Paper Tape Colours: White, Brown (Kraft)
Printed Paper Tape Sizes: 24mm (1inch), & 48mm (2inch), 48mm is the most popular.
Printed Paper Tape Lengths: 66m (the standard tape roll with a 3inch core dia), 132m (more on a roll with a 3inch core dia), 150m E-tape (more on a roll with a 2inch core dia)
Printed Paper Tape Print Options: 1 Colour Print, 2 Colour Print, 3 Colour Print & 4 Colour Print
Is custom printed tape recyclable?
There are different types of custom printed tape and yes one of them is recyclable. The recyclable printed tape that you want to choose is printed paper tape. Printed paper tape is made from a paper backing material allowing it to be recycled along with a cardboard box. The paper tape is broken down in the recycling process and mixes in with the rest of the paper in the pulp. Although plastic tape is in theory recyclable it is often stuck to other different types of plastic or to cardboard which means it can't be recycled. Unfortunately, most plastic tape ends up as landfill waste, the only way to help your printed packing tape be recycled is to choose recyclable printed paper tape.
Recyclable Gummed Printed Paper Tape
Printed gummed paper tape is the best eco friendly printed tape choice. It is made from a paper backing that is biodegradable as well as being recyclable. The gum adhesive is water activated and water soluble so will all break down naturally into the environment without any negative impacts. Gummed printed paper tape is also a very aggressive adhesive tape, especially good at giving a tamper evident closure to cardboard boxes that is extremely difficult to break into without leaving an obvious trace.
Printed Tape Printing Designs
There are three different types of tape print that you can choose from, the positive print option is the most common and cost effective but the other two give your printed tape design a bit extra punch and look great especially with bright or bold colours. Reverse print designs are good for colour coding boxes and pallets because of their high ink coverage.
Flood Print: white tape with a flood coat colour print and text or logo printed in additional colours
Positive Print: white tape with text or logo printed in additional colours
Reverse Print: white tape with a flood coat colour print or text or logo in white
The Custom Printed Tape Order Process
When you order custom printed tape the order process will follow something like the following process. Our friendly team will guide you through the whole process to make sure everything is going through smoothly.
Choose the best tape for your application: This is a very important step and one that you might need our team to help with. We can send samples of the different grades that we describe above so you can test them out if you are unsure which one to choose.
Design the artwork: When the type of tape has been chosen, we need to get the print design sorted. We can either give you a template for you to design your own artwork, or you can send us your logos and we can create the artwork for you. There's no cost for creating the artwork, just send your logos across and give us a quick description of what you need it to look like and we'll handle the rest.
Proof the artwork: When the artwork has been agreed by you, we'll get it converted for print. This is a process which takes the artwork and converts it into the correct format for making the printing plates. After this is done, we'll send you a final artwork proof for you to sign off.
Delivery: Normally your tape will take just over 2 weeks from final artwork proof to deliver to you. We'll usually deliver by parcel courier with a tracking reference so you can make sure you are available to receive your brand-new printed tape delivery!
Custom Printed Tape - Product Guide