Being tacky won't work for most designers. We all know that clients shun tacky invitation designs and quickly spread the word to friends and family.

But, did you know that understanding the art of tackiness can actually help enhance your projects?



I'm referring to the adhesive tapes we use with our ATG guns. As you know, most stores carry Scotch #924 transfer tape refills. This tape will work for general projects using common paper stock.

What many designers don't know is that 3M also carries adhesive transfer tapes that are specially designed for embellishments, glossy coated surfaces (like resin, etc), temporary glues (for packaging) and other high strength permanent options.

Below is a summary of applications suggested by 3M.

924 | Scotch ATG Tapes

Tape 924 is ideal for bonding a wide variety of similar and dissimilar materials such as metals, glass, wood, paper, paints, and many plastics. Some application ideas include:

• Mounting promotional items, posters, etc.
• Core starting.
• Mounting picture.

969 and 976 | Scotch ATG Tapes

Tapes 969 and 976 are ideal for bonding materials with glossy coatings where an aggressive adhesive with high initial adhesion is desired. Some application ideas are:

• Folders and boxes.
• Attach fabric swatches in sample books.
• Assemble point-of-purchase displays.

926 | Scotch ATG Tapes

Tape 926 is ideal for applications requiring high bond strength, high shear strength and high temperature performance. Some application ideas are:

• Nameplates on award plaques.
• Bonding foam insulation.
• Bonding folders and boxes that have a higher degree of memory.

970XL | Scotch ATG Tapes

This adhesive is ideal for adhesion to many paper materials, but it also works well on many other surfaces. Some application ideas are:

• Pressure-sensitive edges for posters and point of purchase sales advertising.
• Mounting photos pre-press, prior to color scanning in lithography
• Mounting of novelty items, photographs, notepads, etc.

928 | Scotch ATG Tapes

Many repositionable, reusable, or reclosable uses, such as:

• Reclosable bags or envelopes.
• Core starting and end tabbing of papers, foils, and films.
• Novelty items.
• Removable stickers and labels.
• Point of purchase displays.
• Book inserts.
• Mounting promotional items.
• Removable/changeable advertisements.
• Temporary hold for protective packaging materials, such as foam or cardboard used during shipment of manufactured goods.

For more tips on wedding and invitation design, click here: Invitation Design