|

Adhesives and Tape Runners for Scrapbooking and Crafting

Adhesives and tape runners for scrapbooking are vital and finding the best ones will save you time and money. I will cover all the different types of adhesives used in paper crafts. Without adhesive, we can’t create and record our memories! 

adhesives and tape runners for scrapbooking and crafts

​TYPES OF ADHESIVES FOR PAPER CRAFTS

If you are new to paper crafting, the adhesive aisle may overwhelm you. There are many types of adhesives and the quality can be hard to determine without trying it out. I will highlight the most popular adhesive categories. 

LIQUID ADHESIVES

Liquid adhesive generally create the strongest bonds. These are much stronger than other types of adhesives like paper runners. I love to use liquid adhesive to hold on heavier embellishments like buttons or chipboard embellishments. These come in bottles or glue pens. There are even gel formulas. Remember when using liquid glue, a little bit goes a long way. 

Don’t just rush out and buy a bottle of Elmer’s glue. You want a liquid adhesive that won’t wrinkle your paper or yellow over time. It is important to get a good quality adhesive that is safe for scrapbook layouts and photos. 

There are also different drying times based on the type of liquid glue you pick. Some will have an immediate permanent bond and others may take up to 24 hours to completely dry. The longer-drying glues will generally be used for more complex mixed-media projects.

Another thing to remember is that these glues come in different finishes. You want to know what it will look like when it is dry. Will it be clear, glossy, or matte?  Here are a few liquid adhesives I like.

  • Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue is a glue that I have used successfully, and it is highly recommended by many scrapbooking professionals. I like that you can get different tips for the bottle and can get a refill bear. Yes, the glue refills come in a bear-shaped container. 🙂
  • Judikins Diamond Glaze is a high-quality dimensional adhesive that dries to a clear glass-like finish. 
  • Arlene’s Tack It Over and Over is a repositional liquid glue. If you are prone to moving items around your page at the last minute, this might be a good option. 
  • I am also loving Simon Says Stamp Craft Tacky Glue. It dries fast!
liquid adhesives for paper crafts

​TAPE RUNNERS FOR SCRAPBOOKING

I can’t imagine how many tape runners I have used up in my crafting life. I bet the adhesive would wrap all the way around the world! There are TONS of different brands when it comes to tape runners for scrapbooking. Different people prefer different tape runners for different reasons. 

​One thing to think about is the size of the tape runner dispenser. There are large ones that don’t have to be refilled as often but are heavier to hold. Or you can get small dispensers. You can buy a refillable tape runner or a disposable tape runner.

The adhesive inside the tape runners is double-sided adhesive. You will put it down on the back of an item, and it will stick to the item and also to the paper you are putting it on. The tape runner adhesive will either be repositionable adhesive or permanent adhesive. If you purchase the repositionable adhesive, it will become permanent on your paper after a little while. Personally, I don’t feel like repositional adhesive is as strong, and I rarely use it. 

If you are using refillable tape runners, be sure to consider whether it is easy to insert the refill. I like runners with simple drop-in refills. Some of the gun-style dispensers are a little more complicated to refill. I do like a refillable dispenser because it seems like a waste to throw away the whole dispenser every time. 

Here are some different tape runners to consider. These are tape runners that are very popular and well tested by many in the paper crafting world. 

  • E-Z Runner has many options for tape runners. The E-Z Runner Grand is a larger dispenser. I love the size of this dispenser, but have quit using it because about halfway through the adhesive gets messed up and won’t come out. I am sick of wasted adhesive. I am using their smaller E-Z Runner dispenser. E-Z Runner is made by 3L Scrapbook Adhesives.
  • TomBow is an adhesive brand that has been popular for many years. Tombow tape runners are high quality. Tombow has a Xtreme Tape Runner that is supposed to be 5X stronger than a regular tape runner. I just saw this product and plan to try it out soon on heavier embellishments.
  • Xyron has the Mega Runner Permanent Adhesive Tape Gun. This is a big adhesive roller that lasts a long time between refills. 
  • Many people are loyal to the Creative Memories tape runners. I used these years ago, and those layouts are still together and going strong.

It is hard to say which is the best tape runner. It is a very personal choice, and everyone you ask will probably tell you something different!

tape runners for scrapbooking

GLUE STICKS FOR PAPER CRAFTING

Sometimes, you don’t want a tape runner or liquid adhesive. Another option is a glue stick. Now, don’t grab one from your child’s desk. That kind won’t be strong enough. You will want to purchase a crafting glue stick. These are an almost instant dry adhesive. 

I would say glue sticks are not as strong as the other adhesives we have talked about. But they are easy to use, and sometimes it is just what you need. I always keep some on hand and typically use Elmer’s Craft Bond Permanent Extra Strength Glue Sticks. 

​Another brand that I haven’t tried but that has great reviews is UHU Stic Magic Blue. This glue stick goes on blue so you can see where you put the glue, but it will dry clear. It rubs on smooth, without clumps, which is very nice. 

paper crafts glue sticks

ADHESIVE DOTS FOR SCRAPBOOKING AND CARD-MAKING

I love adhesive dots as a way to secure small embellishments to my cards or layouts. These are clear dots of strong adhesive that you peel off the packaging and put on the item you want to secure. They come in different-sized dots depending on your needs. 

There are two major brands of adhesive dots and many “store” brands. 

  • GLUE DOTS is a household name in adhesive dots. I use these all the time and can’t imagine crafting without them. 
  • ZOTS is the other name brand adhesive dots brand. These are also great. 

The sizes are generally shown on the package in actual size. 

glue dots and zots for crafts

ROLL SCRAPBOOKING ADHESIVES

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention roll adhesives. These have gained a lot of popularity in the past few years. It is a roll of adhesive, and there are different types and styles. 

  • Double-sided tape is one of the most basic types of roll adhesive. It isn’t in a tape runner-type dispenser; it is just the roll, or it may have a basic dispenser like Scotch tape. 
  • Double-sided foam adhesive will give the item you are securing a little lift off the page and more dimension. I love foam roll adhesive for chipboard to make it stand up off the page. You can also buy foam squares or circles if you don’t want a roll.
  • Mint Tape is a roll of low-tack repositionable tape. It is perfect for holding down dies before running them through your die-cutting machine. It will hold them down but won’t leave a sticky residue behind. 
  • American Crafts has their Sticky Thumb Collection Super Sticky Red Tape. This is a heavy-duty adhesive. I use it to secure ribbons to my page or other heavy items. 
adhesive rolls for scrapbooking

ADHESIVE SHEETS

The last category of adhesive I will mention is adhesive sheets. Adhesive sheets have specific uses and can make life much easier, especially when die-cutting small items. 

Adhesive sheets are very versatile. They are heat-resistant and acid-free. The sheets can be used for all sorts of projects that need adhesive on the back. They can turn lots of things into stickers!

If you like using the Mosaic Moments system for scrapbook layouts, then you know how handy adhesive sheets can be.

tape runners for scrapbooking

Now that I have shown you all about adhesives and tape runners for scrapbooking….what will your next paper craft project be? Do you have a favorite adhesive brand or type? What are your favorite tape runners for scrapbooking? Share in the comments. 

1 Shares

Similar Posts

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.