How to Use Water-Activated Tape

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Packing tape is crucial for anyone who ships products on the regular, but the traditional plastic tape we see most often isn’t the best for the environment. Customers can only recycle or compost cardboard packages by peeling the tape off first, and the tape itself can only go to the landfill.

Luckily, water-activated tape (WAT) offers a biodegradable alternative, not to mention one much stronger and secure! With customizable water tapes, you can add a practical yet personalized flair to each package.

Learn more about the basics of water-activated tape, the application process, and the advantages of choosing noissue tapes.

What is water-activated tape?

Also known as gummed tape, water-activated tape is a kraft paper-based packaging tape that features a gum adhesive. When you wet the backing with water, the gum gets sticky and creates a strong bond with the surface of the packaging material.

Water-activated tape is weaved from crossed-synthetic fibers, making it even tougher than regular plastic packaging tape. noissue tapes have enough strength to hold a whole 20 kgs per package without plastic or fiberglass reinforcements, keeping them secure throughout transit.

How to use water-activated tape

Water-activated tape is simple to apply. Just dampen the gummed side with a sponge or tape dispenser, cut the desired length and firmly press down to seal your packaging.

Check out our Beyond the Box video with Ben for more details on using water tape.

Applying water-activated tape with a sponge

Manual application is ideal for small businesses just dabbling with water-activated tapes.

Simply wet a sponge and lightly dampen the adhesive side of the tape. Avoid using too much water since this can reduce its strength. After activating the adhesive, apply the tape to the surface of the packaging and make sure it’s all stuck together.

noissue sends a sponge as a freebie with all tape orders, making it even easier to get started.

Applying water-based tape with a manual tape dispenser

Manual tape dispensers roll the adhesive side of the tape across wet sponges, evenly applying moisture for clean adhesion. You can quickly cut the tape when you need it, making it an efficient tool for businesses that need a quicker way to get their tapes ready.

Check out noissue’s manual water-activated tape dispensers to increase your sticking speeds!

Applying water-based tape with an electric tape dispenser

Electric tape dispensers let you boost your efficiency at scale—perfect for larger businesses with much greater packaging needs. By automatically applying moisture with a brush or foam roller, these tools let you quickly dispense and cut activated tape to your required length.

How to remove water-activated tape

Kraft paper tape is 100% compostable, so your customers can leave it on when disposing of any compostable packaging. To remove it from other types of packaging, simply peel from the end and rip it off.

Once you remove the tape, it loses all its stickiness and can’t be reused. Pulling water-activated tape off cardboard or other surfaces leaves obvious signs of interference, making it an effective anti-tampering measure.

Why choose noissue water-activated tape over traditional packaging tape?

With consumers becoming increasingly eco-conscious, it’s important for brands big and small to up their sustainability game. noissue paper-based water-activated tapes are a great replacement for planet-harming plastic tapes.

Water-activated stickiness 💧

Most pressure-sensitive tapes use gloss or wax on one side to prevent the adhesive from permanently bonding while rolled up. Water-activated tapes only get sticky once they’re wet, and the strong adhesion lies entirely in the starch-based seal. No toxic substances here!

Soy-based inks 🎨

noissue packaging tape is printed with soy-based inks made from soy beans, a renewable resource. Printing with soy inks leaves no nasty petroleum chemicals behind when decomposing. Plus, they produce low levels of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), reducing air pollution during the printing process.

The positives don’t stop there! Soy inks create colors that are more vivid than other inks, so your custom-printed designs fulfil their full vibrant potential.

Totally customizable, totally compostable 🌎

Water-activated tape offers the perfect opportunity to keep your brand at the forefront of your customer's mind. We print up to 100% ink coverage with the CMYK printing model, so there’s no limit to the number of colors you use!

Discover some examples of how innovative brands around the world use custom water-activated tape to create packaging that sticks!

Common questions about water-activated tape

What material is water-activated kraft paper tape best for?

noissue water-activated tape works best with paper-based products like boxes and kraft mailers. They’re perfect for adding an affordable, branded touch to standard stock packaging. Throw a compostable sticker on top for an extra touch of sustainable customization.

If you use packaging with a glossy finish, we suggest ordering a sample to double-check the tape’s adhesive ability. Our Standard Retail &eCom Sample Pack features sticker sheets, roll labels, coated stickers, sticker sheets, recycled mailers, and water-activated packing tape!

How does water-activated tape work?

Water-activated tape is made of paper with a gummed backing. When you apply moisture to the adhesive side of the tape, the surface becomes sticky, and you can use it to seal uncoated materials like kraft paper and cardboard. It’s just like licking postage stamps, but with far stronger adhesion!

How many rolls can I order?

You can order noissue water tapes in boxes of 5, 10, or 50 rolls. Our tape comes complete with a sponge so you can start packaging ASAP!

With low minimum order quantities and free shipping worldwide, we offer a ton of advantages for small and big businesses alike.

What sizes are available?

noissue tape is available in 2-inch and 3-inch widths. Each roll is 164 ft long.

How thick is noissue paper tape?

You can choose from kraft (80 GSM) or white (78 gsm) paper tape, both about the weight of regular copy paper.

That’s a wrap

For strong adhesion that stays kind to the Earth, water-activated tape sticks out for its durability and biodegradable nature.

Seal your boxes and share your brand with noissue custom gummed tape. Just upload your logo or design online to get started. Don’t forget to check out our manual tape dispensers to make the shipping process even easier!

Explore sustainable products for your packaging needs today.