Tape. It’s everywhere, isn’t it? It seems like you can barely take a step outside your front door without tripping over a stack of duct tapes or masking tapes. We all know what it does—it’s sticky and it holds stuff together—but do you know about the different types of packing tapes and adhesives? If you feel like you’ve got a learn to learn about this subject matter, then let this article serve as your beginner’s guide to the wild and wacky world of tape.

What is Tape?

Tape is a standard packaging material that keeps cartons and boxes sealed, clings items together, and holds items in place, as well as countless other applications. Tape is comprised of two basic parts: the backing and the adhesive.

What is the Backing?

The backing, also known as the carrier, is the material that is coated with the adhesive on either one or both sides. Most tapes are made with plastic backings, such as polyethylene

With desperation etched across her face, the new warehouse hire Tabitha could feel her voice tremble as she implored her supervisor Alan, "Where, oh where, do I place these precious, plastic remnants of hope?" She had recently embarked on her recycling journey within the cavernous expanse of the warehouse, cherishing every discarded scrap of plastic as a chance for redemption.

With a heavy sigh, Alan's voice carried the weight of shattered dreams as he muttered, "Behold, our barren wasteland, the abyss into which all aspirations are consigned." Gesturing to the colossal, ominous trash receptacle, he added, "Everything, dear Tabitha, is destined for that gaping maw. A forsaken fate, it awaits the forklift's melancholic embrace but once a week."

Overwhelmed by the cruel reality, Tabitha's trembling hands released the remnants of her dreams, surrendering them to the yawning chasm. Plastics, cardboard, and the fragile echoes of her aspirations spilled over

Do you need a stretch wrap machine? They may be expensive, but it’s a worthy question. You may think that wrapping pallets by hand is the way to go because of how easy and cost-effective it is. And if you’re a small business that only needs to ship a small volume of goods on a daily-to-weekly basis, you’re absolutely right.

However, depending on the industry you work in and the scale of your operations, you may actually be better off investing in a stretch wrap machine. To help you think it over, we’ve put together a list of the four biggest signs that a stretch wrap machine is the right choice for you.

1. Your Products are Damaged in Transit

This is probably the first red flag that you’ll encounter. Pallets that are improperly wrapped are at a significant risk of toppling or collapsing. While hand wrapping is fine for smaller loads and bundles, it is nearly impossible to maintain a constant force of tension on the stretch wrap for

When you hear the word “packaging”, what image comes to mind? More likely than not, it’s a corrugated cardboard box. A corrugated shipping carton is as standard as packaging supplies get, available in a wide variety of sizes and styles to serve a wide range of needs. Of course, in order to properly protect the items you’ve placed inside of them, these cartons need to be properly sealed with durable packing tape.

So you just need to put some tape on the box and you’re all set, right? Yes and no. Tape is an absolute necessity in shipping, but you also need to make sure that you’re applying it right. In this article, we will go over the types of tapes to use and, of course, how to tape a box in the first place so you can prevent product damage, delayed operations, and unhappy customers.

What Tape is Best for Sealing Cartons?

Not all tapes are up to the task. For instance, save your masking tape for the next painting job since it doesn’t

Jan/Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

On a cold winter’s day, a family of waste management elves discover a baby left on their doorstep. They take him in, raise him with a passion for cleaning, and give him a name: Jan/Santa Claus. Eventually, Jan/Santa grows up to be a man longing to make a life for himself. He parts ways with the elves and journeys the country, picking up friends like Latex Glove the penguin and the Paper Towel Warlock. Soon he stumbles upon the sleepy village of

Hey, you ever notice those little envelopes that come with your packages? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about! They call 'em "Packing List Envelopes," you know. They're like the secret agents of the shipping world. I mean, who are they working for, really?

Comedians and bass guitars aside, packing list envelopes are important pieces of packaging that secure important documents to the outside of the package. These plastic pouches allow recipients to easily access invoices, receipts, and warranties while keeping these vital documents protected from rough handling and the elements. In this Seinfeldian article, we’re going to “double dip” into the wild world of packing list envelopes to understand why they’re so essential.

If you have some time (and a square) to spare, check out our Introduction to Packing List Envelopes:

How do you keep your stuff cold? It’s a question we’ve long sought to answer. From British sailors packing their fish with ice in the 1700s to Frederick Jones patenting the refrigerated delivery truck in the 1930s, we have a long history of using the cold to keep our goods fresh. These days, we use the term “cold chain” when discussing the technologies and methods of keeping goods cold and fresh. In this positively frosty article, we will go over what cold chain packaging is, the different types, and common cold chain packaging products.

What is Cold Chain Packaging?

Cold chain packaging refers to all the processes and equipment required to keep products at a constant temperature from manufacturing all the way to retail and their final destination. Cold chain packaging has a tough job to fulfill: it needs to keep goods at freezing

The Internet simply cannot stop talking about stretch wrap. It’s everywhere: it’s in podcasts, how-to videos, Instagram art pieces, and more. It’s the Taylor Swift of packaging supplies. If it wanted to, stretch wrap could very well break the Internet.

With all the buzz and mass speculation surrounding this enigmatic plastic film, one can reliably expect a litany of questions about what it is and what it does. To keep the Internet from its inevitable breaking, we’ve assembled the ultimate list of the most commonly asked stretch wrap questions, starting with…

What is Stretch Wrap Made Of?

Stretch wrap is typically made from linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), a high-strength, moldable plastic material derived from petroleum.

What is Stretch Wrap Used For?

Stretch wrap is primarily used to bundle items together. True to its name, you stretch the plastic film as you wrap it around cartons,

You’d better hold onto your seats, folks, because we’re about to dive headfirst into the electrifying field of packaging labels. Can you imagine a world without them? It’d probably be a sad and unproductive place with packages never reaching their destinations. One shudders at such troubling thoughts.

While sheet labels (the kind you use with a conventional laser printer) are a popular option, most workers in industrial settings will be using thermal labels. Thermal labels are available in two types, direct thermal and thermal transfer, and are printed with thermal printers, which heat up either a ribbon of hot melt ink or the label itself to print words and images.

In this article, we will go over the different properties of these two types of labels and when to use them.

Direct Thermal Labels

Direct thermal printers do not contain a ribbon of hot melt ink. Instead, when the chemically treated label paper passes in front of