Plastic Tape VS Water Acitvated Tape

If you want to make sure that your company’s shipping costs are minimized, that the items packaged inside your packaging are sent safely and arrive at their destination without problems to the great satisfaction of your customers, try reading the following.

To best protect your shipment, you will need a sealing solution that has a versatile seal guarantee, that is robust, with great tightness and easy to apply, so that the cardboard can withstand the rigors of the shipping process without problems.

When it comes to choosing between plastic, pressure sensitive tape (PST) and water-activated paper tape (WAT), it is a good idea to consider all the active and passive factors that gravitate around the shipping process, from the possibility of theft, to cost-effectiveness, from climatic conditions to different types of packaging, so as to be able to determine which tape will be the best solution for your application.

Pressure sensitive tape and shipping process

Pressure-sensitive plastic tape consists of a film and a right-proof substancewhich adherestoa given surface when light pressure is applied.  The tape is obviously “oil-based” so it must be specially disposed of and can certainly not be considered “environmentally friendly”.  Finally, it is usually applied manually with belt guns.

Theft: The intrinsic characteristics of the PST and its degree of gluing to the surface make it easy to remove or access the cardboard by pushing it down, leaving no trace of entry. Due to its lack of clear evidence of tampering, theft can be a shipping issue.

Cost-effectiveness: Based on an equal comparison of surface area per m2, plastic PST is relatively inexpensive. However, in the vast majority for practicalityissues, many people use different strips of adhesive tape to seal their cartons to try to ensure the safety of closure or to try to create greater strength.  Once several strips of tape are added to the equation, the economic characteristic of PST disappears.

Climatic conditions: The solution that uses PST plastic tape is strongly influenced by the type of environments in which it is used; it does not work well in environments with cold and / or too hot temperatures, high humidity and dusty environments.  These “difficult” but practically daily situations in the shipping process, make you lose the ability to seal the packaging. In addition, dirt or dust on the cardboard, deposited under the plastic tape, compromises the integrity of the seal and consequently of the packaging itself.

Branding: Is branding important to your business?  The packaging with which you ship your products, is the business card that your customers receive as their first contact with your company. It’s certainly expensive to print your logo or a message on PST plastic, and even more so, it becomes depressing to see that all branding efforts are compromised by the fact that several strips of tape are used to try to protect your packaging. Finally and of equal importance is the fact that the above creates a low image profile atthe packaging.

Water-activated paper tape and shipping process

Water-activated paper tape is mainly made from Kraft paper tape or recycled paper of white or natural color. The adhesive is made from starch base. It is generally available in various widths and thicknesses and can be made with different reinforcement possibilities.  The adhesive is activated with water and, penetrating into the cardboard material, gives the tape a permanent bond with the packaging.  It is usually applied with a manual or automatic tape dispenser.  Being of natural derivation, the tape is 100% green and environmentally friendly can be disposed of in a single solution with the packaging; a considerable saving!!!

Theft: Water-activated paper tape discourages theft because it is particularly difficult to remove without leaving obvious signs of tampering.  The fact that it is “founded” literally with cardboard, makes the anti-burglary closure of the packaging guaranteed.  During the shipping process, theft generally occurs because it is easy “to do” and difficult to “spot”.  With the paper tape activated by the water, the anti-burglary is ensured and, in the eventual attempt to tamper, the evidence is immediately detectable.

Cost-effectiveness: Based on an equal comparison of surface area per m2, paper tape is more expensive (in versions with reinforcement) than plastic PST. However, since only one strip of tape is needed to securely seal a carton, the differential between the two compared materials usually disappears as users often employ two or three PST plastic strips.  Coupled with this advantage, companies derive additional cost savings from the lack of theft associated with WAT and the possibility of single-solution disposal of packaging without any separation of materials.

Climatic conditions: The paper tape activated by water does not suffer any criticality; it behaves well in extreme conditions of cold, heat, light, humidity and dirt, maintaining its gluing and sealing properties always at the highest level. Moreover, considering that its bonding capacity must be activated by water, it can be stored for long periods without changing the original structural characteristics allowing, among other things, also the possibility of supply programmed over time with an advantage over purchase costs.

Branding: Branding is a critical and fundamental element for the growth of companies.  Using water-activated tape, a company can easily customize the packaging with its own logo or a promotional message directly on the color or black-and-white ribbon. This possibility, combined with the high professional image given by the extreme cleanliness of the closure with a single strip of tape, keeps the visibility of the brand high and the center of attention when the packaging arrives at the customer’s home or office.

Correctly choosing the type of tape to be used for closing the packaging is a fundamental element for a considerable appreciation of the end customer and, more importantly, for the efficiency of company costs.  Correctly identifying the type of tape to be used can guarantee the safety of the product, the company’s economy and the compliance with the eco-sustainability of the packaging, improvingthe positioning of the Brand in the final appreciation of the Customer.  The advice is to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of eachpossibility before deciding what kind of material to use to seal the packaging at best, without losing sight of the environmental impact that the choice can generate.

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