Custom Packaging Tape
Custom printed packaging tape — paper gummed or polypropylene, 48 or 72 mm wide — with your logo repeated along the roll, from 100 rolls. Proof and price the same working day.
The cheapest way to brand a plain brown box
- Stock
- Kraft gummed paper (plain or reinforced); polypropylene film 28–32 micron
- Formats
- 48 mm and 72 mm widths; 50 m, 66 m and 500 m rolls
- Flexo 1–3 colors; repeat every 150–300 mm
Get a price for Packaging 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.
Paper gummed tape or polypropylene
For a brand that cares about the unboxing and the recycling bin, gummed paper. For a warehouse sealing hundreds of cartons an hour by hand gun, polypropylene.
| Water-activated paper (gummed) | Bonds into the board; tamper-evident; recycles with the box; needs a dispenser |
|---|---|
| Reinforced gummed paper | Fiber strands in the paper; for heavy cartons and export |
| Polypropylene, acrylic adhesive | The everyday hand-gun tape; clear or colored; cheapest |
| Polypropylene, hot-melt adhesive | Stronger tack for recycled-content board and cold stores |
Printing along a roll
Tape is printed flexo in one to three colors, with the design repeating every 150–300 mm along the length. On paper tape the print sits on the kraft face; on polypropylene it is printed on the film under the adhesive or on the outer face with a protective layer. Logos and text print cleanly; halftone images do not, and are not worth trying.
The repeat is set so the logo appears whole at least twice on a 300 mm strip across a box top. We confirm it on the proof.
Widths, lengths and the dispenser question
- 48 mm (2 in) — the standard for parcels up to about 15 kg.
- 72 mm (3 in) — export cartons, heavy or double-wall boxes, and a bigger print area.
- 50 m and 66 m rolls for hand guns; 500 m machine rolls for a case sealer.
- Gummed paper needs a water dispenser — a manual one costs little and pays back in tape saved.
Tape as the tamper seal
Gummed paper tape bonds into the fibers of the box and cannot be lifted and re-stuck without tearing the board, which makes a printed gummed tape a tamper-evident seal as well as a brand mark. Polypropylene tape can be peeled and replaced cleanly. Our shipping boxes made for e-commerce are the cartons the tape most often goes on.
Recycling, and what to say on the box
Gummed paper tape recycles with the corrugated and needs no removal, which lets a box carry a simple "recycle whole" message. Polypropylene tape should be removed before recycling in most streams, and most people do not. If the recycling claim on your box matters, the tape is part of the claim.
Packaging 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
- Kraft gummed paper (plain or reinforced); polypropylene film 28–32 micron
- Formats
- 48 mm and 72 mm widths; 50 m, 66 m and 500 m rolls
- Flexo 1–3 colors; repeat every 150–300 mm
- Adhesive
- Water-activated starch; acrylic or hot-melt on film
- Tamper evidence
- Gummed paper bonds into the board and tears if lifted
- Recycling
- Paper tape recycles with the box; film tape removed first
- 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 packaging 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: packaging 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 Packaging 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 packaging 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 is the minimum order for printed tape?
100 rolls in one design and width.
Paper or plastic tape?
Gummed paper for a branded unboxing, a tamper seal and a box that recycles whole. Polypropylene for speed and cost on a hand gun.
How many colors can be printed?
One to three spot colors. Logos and text print well; photographs and fine halftones do not.
Does gummed paper tape need a dispenser?
Yes, a water-activated dispenser. Manual ones are inexpensive and use less tape than a hand gun does.
Which width should I use?
48 mm for parcels up to about 15 kg; 72 mm for export, double-wall or heavy cartons.
How long is a roll?
50 or 66 m for hand use, 500 m for a case-sealing machine.
Is printed tape tamper-evident?
Gummed paper is: it bonds into the board and tears the surface if lifted. Polypropylene can be peeled and re-stuck.
Can the tape be recycled?
Paper tape recycles with the box. Polypropylene tape should be removed first in most streams.
Will the print rub off?
No. On paper it is printed into the kraft face; on film it sits under a protective layer or the adhesive.
Can I have a colored tape with white print?
Yes, on polypropylene in standard colors, and on kraft paper with a white or light ink.
How often does the logo repeat?
Every 150–300 mm, set so the logo appears whole at least twice across a box top. The proof shows the repeat.
Do you ship outside the US?
Yes — United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, quoted in the delivery currency.
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