Paper tape, sometimes referred to as water-activated or gummed tape, is made from, you guessed it, paper! This makes paper tape the ideal choice for environmentally conscious users as it is fully recyclable.
Paper tape uses a water-activated adhesive which requires the use of a gummed tape dispenser – although technically it is possible to use a sponge, or some other kind of wet substrate to activate the tape, this would be incredibly tedious and would drastically slow your packaging operation. Dispensers also have the dual benefit of dispensing tapes in set lengths, so you don’t have to do any cutting of your own. Because this tape forms a paper-to-paper bond with the case it is being used to seal, it makes the packaging tamper-proof; it is impossible to remove the tape without damaging the box, making it obvious when there has been an attempt at tampering.
As mentioned previously, water activated paper tape holds a better seal than plastic tape because of the bond that is formed between the tape and the paper surface. Note though – this tape can only be used when sealing paper boxes or containers. Paper tape cannot bond with non-paper material so if you are sealing plastic bins, for example, then plastic tape is your best bet.
Reinforced or Non-Reinforced?
As with plastic tape, there are two distinct types of paper packing tape with two very different levels of adhesive strength. These are (cleverly named) reinforced and non-reinforced.
Non-reinforced paper packing tape relies on the paper-to-paper bonding adhesive discussed earlier and is sufficient for packages weighing up to 40 pounds. Reinforced paper tape uses the same paper-to-paper bond but has a series of fibreglass strands which run the length of the tape itself. This adds additional strength to the tape and allows for sealing of any packages in the 40 to 60-pound range.
