Custom Colored Packing Tape
Custom colored packing tape in your brand color — plain or printed with a logo — for sealing and coding cartons, from 100 rolls. Color matched to your reference and quoted the same working day.
Color is a message that reads across a warehouse
- Stock
- Polypropylene film in stock or matched colors; gummed kraft paper with full-coverage print
- Formats
- 48 and 72 mm; 50 m, 66 m, 500 m
- Color
- Stock colors at no premium; matched to a physical reference on request
Get a price for Colored Packing 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.
Stock colors or a matched color
Polypropylene tape runs in a set of stock colors — red, blue, green, yellow, orange, black, white and a few more — at no premium. A matched brand color is a custom film tint or a full-coverage print, costs more, and needs a physical reference to match to. For most brands, the closest stock color with a printed logo does the job; for a brand that owns a color, the match is worth it.
| Stock color film | No premium; 100-roll minimum; ships fastest |
|---|---|
| Matched film tint | Custom color across the whole roll; higher minimum |
| Printed solid over clear or kraft | Brand color by ink; logo can be reversed out of it |
Color coding a packing operation
- One color per product line, so a mispacked carton is caught at the door.
- One color per destination — domestic, export, a marketplace — for the courier collection.
- A distinct color for fragile or priority cartons that handlers see before the label.
- A seasonal color for a limited edition, so the run stands out in a stack.
Colored paper tape for a plastic-free line
Gummed paper tape is kraft brown or white as standard and takes a full-coverage print in a color, which gives a paper tape in the brand color that still recycles with the box. It is the answer where the packing line has gone paper-only. Our printed packaging tape in paper and film covers the adhesives and dispensers for both.
Print on a colored ground
On a dark tape the logo prints in white or a light color; on a light tape, in black or the brand's second color. A reversed-out logo — the tape color showing through the print — is the cleanest look and needs no extra ink. Fine lettering under about 2 mm fills in on flexo; keep the mark bold.
Colored tape on a dark kraft box reads differently from the same tape on white. Ask for a sample roll before committing to the color.
Widths and where each goes
48 mm for the standard parcel and the standard hand gun; 72 mm where the carton is heavy or the color has to be seen from across the floor. Rolls of 50 and 66 m for hand use and 500 m for a machine. The tape does the same sealing job as clear — the color is in the film, not the adhesive.
Colored Packing 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
- Polypropylene film in stock or matched colors; gummed kraft paper with full-coverage print
- Formats
- 48 and 72 mm; 50 m, 66 m, 500 m
- Color
- Stock colors at no premium; matched to a physical reference on request
- Flexo logo in 1–2 colors; reversed-out or overprinted
- Adhesive
- Acrylic or hot-melt on film; water-activated on paper
- Sample
- Sample roll available before a color is fixed
- 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 colored packing 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: colored packing 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 Colored Packing 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 colored packing 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.
What colors are available?
A set of stock film colors at no premium — red, blue, green, yellow, orange, black, white and others — and matched brand colors on request.
Can you match my brand color exactly?
Closely, from a physical reference. On film it is a custom tint; on paper it is a full-coverage print. Both are quoted separately from stock colors.
Can colored tape have a logo on it?
Yes, printed in one or two colors, or reversed out so the tape color forms the logo.
Is there a plastic-free colored tape?
Yes, gummed kraft paper with a full-coverage color print. It recycles with the carton.
What is the minimum order?
100 rolls for stock colors. Matched tints have a higher minimum, stated on the quote.
Does the color affect the adhesive?
No. The color is in the film or the print; the adhesive is the same as clear tape.
Which width should I choose?
48 mm for standard parcels, 72 mm for heavy cartons or where the color has to be seen from a distance.
Can I use it for color coding?
That is one of its main uses: one color per product line, destination or priority, read before the label is.
Will it look the same on kraft and white boxes?
No — the same tape reads differently on brown and white board. A sample roll shows you both.
Can I get a sample?
Yes, a sample roll in the color before the run is fixed.
How long are the rolls?
50 or 66 m for hand guns, 500 m for machines.
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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