Custom Carton Sealing Tape
Custom carton sealing tape — polypropylene or water-activated paper, 48 or 72 mm — printed with your brand or a handling message, for hand guns and case sealers, from 100 rolls. Proof and price the same working day.
The last thing applied to a box and the first thing seen
- Stock
- Acrylic or hot-melt polypropylene 28–32 micron; gummed kraft paper; reinforced paper
- Formats
- 48 and 72 mm; 66 m hand rolls; 500–1,000 m machine rolls; cores to the machine
- Flexo 1–3 colors; repeat every 150–300 mm
Get a price for Carton Sealing Tape
Send the size and quantity — we reply the same working day with a price, a dieline and a date. Artwork optional at this stage.
- Free dielineThe flat drawing comes with the quote, before you commit.
- Proof before pressNothing is printed until you have seen it laid on the dieline.
- Die kept for reordersTooling is paid once. Every reorder skips straight to press.
- Quoted in four marketsUS, UK, Canada and Australia, in the delivery currency.
Which tape for which line
| Acrylic polypropylene | The hand-gun standard; clear or colored; good in a warm room |
|---|---|
| Hot-melt polypropylene | Stronger tack; recycled-content board and cold rooms; machine lines |
| Water-activated paper | Bonds into the board; tamper-evident; recycles with the box; needs a dispenser |
| Reinforced paper | Fiber strands; export and heavy cartons |
Messages that do a job
Our packaging tape in every stock covers the gummed and reinforced grades in more detail.
- The brand — a logo repeating every 150 mm along the roll.
- "Fragile", "This way up", "Do not stack" — a handling message read by every handler.
- "Checked and sealed by" with a space for initials — a QC seal.
- A color per destination or product line — sorting at a glance.
Print on tape
Flexo in one to three colors, repeating along the roll. Logos and text print cleanly; halftones do not. On polypropylene the print is on the film under a protective layer, so it does not rub. On paper it is printed on the kraft face. The repeat is set so the message appears whole at least twice across a box top, and the proof shows it.
Widths, cores and machines
48 mm for parcels up to about 15 kg on a hand gun; 72 mm for export and double-wall cartons. Rolls of 66 m on a 76 mm core for hand guns; 500–1,000 m machine rolls for a case sealer. Tell us the machine and the roll is made to it.
A case sealer runs on a specific core and roll diameter. Send the model number and the roll is cut to fit.
Tamper evidence and recycling
Gummed paper tape bonds into the corrugated and tears the surface if lifted, which is tamper evidence and recyclability in one. Polypropylene tape peels and is removed for recycling in most streams. A brand that prints "recycle whole" on the box should be sealing it with paper.
Carton Sealing Tape — specification
The rows that are specific to this build first, then what applies to every job we run. Anything not listed is a question, not a limit — send the brief.
This build
- Stock
- Acrylic or hot-melt polypropylene 28–32 micron; gummed kraft paper; reinforced paper
- Formats
- 48 and 72 mm; 66 m hand rolls; 500–1,000 m machine rolls; cores to the machine
- Flexo 1–3 colors; repeat every 150–300 mm
- Tamper evidence
- Gummed paper tears the board if lifted
- Recycling
- Paper tape recycles with the box; film removed first
- Colors
- Clear, tan, white and stock colors on film
- Minimum
- 100 rolls
On every job
- Print process
- Flexo on a roll for volume, digital for short runs and for variable data such as batch codes and names.
- Color
- CMYK plus spot colors. On clear film a white underprint is needed wherever a color must read against the product.
- Tolerance
- Die-cut plus or minus 0.5 mm, and the label drawn 3 mm inside the panel so a slightly crooked application still looks square.
- Tooling
- A cutting die per shape and size, made once and kept. A change of artwork on the same shape needs no new tooling.
- Food contact
- Food-safe adhesives and inks where a label goes onto food packaging or a food-contact surface.
- Sustainability
- Paper labels recycle with a paper pack. Synthetic labels come off first, and the spec says which yours is.
- Artwork
- Vector PDF or AI, 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safe area, fonts outlined. We check every file and send a proof before press.
- Dieline
- Supplied free with the quote, before you commit. Yours whether or not you order.
- Sample
- A plain unprinted sample at the finished size on request, for fit and construction.
- Reorders
- Skip the tooling and go straight to press at a lower unit price.
- Lead time
- Quoted with the price against your fill date rather than promised before we have seen the spec.
- Markets
- United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia — priced in the delivery currency, freight included.
Boards and films we build carton sealing tape on
A label is a face stock, an adhesive and a liner, and each is chosen from where the label lands. The face decides how it prints; the adhesive decides whether it stays there.
Matte paper face
The everyday label. Writable, recyclable with a paper pack, and the right ground for a barcode. Not waterproof.
80–90gsmGloss paper face
Brighter color and a sharper photograph, at the cost of glare and fingerprints. Never put a barcode under a gloss finish.
80–90gsmKraft paper face
Unbleached and tan. One or two colors and white ink; the artisan seal. Colors print warm and muted on it.
70–90gsmClear polypropylene
The no-label look on glass and clear packaging. Needs a white underprint wherever a color has to read against a dark product.
50–60 micronWhite synthetic
PP or PE film: waterproof, tear-proof and dishwasher-tolerant. For bottles, jars, chilled and frozen goods and anything outdoors.
50–80 micronDirect thermal
Prints black with heat and no ink, for shipping and batch labels. It darkens in heat and fades in sunlight, so it is not for retail.
60–80gsmAdhesives
Permanent for corrugated and long-stay labels; removable for a clean peel; freezer-grade for anything applied cold or stored below zero.
Water- or solvent-basedLaminate and varnish
A film or a coat over the print for scuff and moisture resistance. It also stops a pen working, which matters on a label meant to be written on.
Matte, gloss or noneNot sure which? Say what goes in it and where it is sold — the material follows from that. Our notes on recycled, recyclable and compostable cover which claims each stock can honestly carry.
- 01
Send what you have
A dimension, a photograph beside a ruler, or the product itself. No technical drawing needed — that part is ours.
- 02
We quote and draw
A price, a dieline and a date come back together. If a different build would suit the product better, that is in the reply too.
- 03
Approve the dieline
The flat drawing is yours to check: which panel is the front, where the folds fall, how deep the cavity really is.
- 04
Artwork on the dieline
You place your design on the flat we sent, or we place it for you, and you see a proof before anything goes to press.
- 05
A sample if you want one
A plain unprinted sample at the finished size shows fit and construction — the things a drawing cannot.
- 06
Cut, printed, shipped
The die is cut once and kept, so every reorder skips the tooling and goes straight to press at a lower unit price.
Format
Vector PDF or AI where possible. Raster artwork at 300dpi at final size, in CMYK.
Bleed
3 mm past every trim line, so a fraction of drift on the cutter never leaves a white edge.
Safe area
Keep type and anything important 4 mm inside the cut and away from every fold.
Color
Convert to CMYK before sending. Uncoated stock prints lighter; a spot color is the only exact match.
Fonts
Outline them or supply the files. A missing font substitutes silently and the proof will not match.
Barcodes
On a light, matte, unvarnished patch with the quiet zone clear — a code on gloss fails the scanner.
Not set up that way? Send it anyway — fixing a file is a short conversation, and we check every one before press. Our guide to preparing print files covers each point.
A label is finished for what will rub against it and whether anyone writes on it.
Matte laminate
Scuff and moisture resistance. Stops a pen working, so not for a label meant to be filled in.
Gloss laminate
Deeper color and a wipeable face. Never over a barcode.
Varnish only
A thin coat instead of a film, so a paper label still recycles with the pack.
Hot foil
On a small label the block is tiny and the effect is out of proportion to the cost.
Embossed label
Raised shape on a face stock, usually on a bottle or a jar where it is felt.
Textured face
Felt, laid or cotton label stock for wine and spirits. Prints softly and tears with a fiber edge.
Not sure which suits the shelf it sells from? Say where the product is sold and we suggest one — our notes on specialty finishes show them on real boxes.
Sizing a label to the panel it sits on: carton sealing tape
A label is cut to the surface, not to a standard size. Send the container or the box — or its dimensions and the panel you want covered — and the label is drawn to fit with the tolerance an applicator needs.
- Flat panel
- The panel less 3 mm each way, so a slightly crooked application still looks square. Rounded corners resist lifting.
- Wrap-around
- The circumference less 5 mm, so the ends butt rather than overlap. A wrap that overlaps its own print reads as a mistake.
- Corner radius
- 2–4 mm. A square corner lifts first and, on a shipping label, jams a sorter.
- Barcode area
- A white matte area with the quiet zone clear on both sides. Verified on the printed label, not on screen.
- Roll direction and core
- Set to your applicator: the wind direction, the core size and the number of labels per roll. Send the machine model.
- Application temperature
- Cold or damp surfaces need a specific adhesive. A standard permanent applied at 2°C often does not stay on.
Not sure your numbers are right? Send the product dimensions rather than the box dimensions and we work the box out — the full method is in our guide to measuring for a box.
Interactive · five steps · no sign-up
Spec your Carton Sealing Tape
Pick a shape, type a size, choose a face stock and a finish. The preview on the left redraws as you go, and the spec lands with us exactly as you set it.
Frequently asked questions
Got a question about carton sealing tape? The answers below cover what we get asked most. If yours is not here, send it with a brief, message us on WhatsApp, or call +1 503-461-4788 — we reply the same working day.
Which tape should I use on a hand gun?
Acrylic polypropylene in 48 mm on a 66 m roll for most; hot-melt for recycled-content board or a cold room.
Can the tape be printed with a warning?
Yes — "Fragile", "This way up" or a QC seal, repeating along the roll in one to three colors.
Does printed tape work on a case-sealing machine?
Yes, on machine rolls cut to your sealer's core and diameter. Send the model number.
Is it tamper-evident?
Gummed paper tape is: it tears the board if lifted. Polypropylene can be peeled.
What is the minimum order?
100 rolls.
Which width?
48 mm for parcels up to about 15 kg; 72 mm for export and double-wall cartons.
Will the print rub off?
No. On film it sits under a protective layer; on paper it is printed into the kraft face.
Is the tape recyclable?
Paper tape recycles with the box. Film tape should be removed first.
Can I have colored tape?
Yes, stock colors on polypropylene, for coding by line or destination.
How often does the logo repeat?
Every 150–300 mm, set so it appears whole at least twice across a box top.
Do I need a special dispenser for paper tape?
Yes, a water-activated dispenser. Manual ones are inexpensive.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes, to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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