'The Tackifier' Blog by FindTape

For many of us, war seems a distant prospect. But for millions of U.S. military men and women and their families, it is an ever-present and lasting reality. More than 2.5 million people have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, and more than 50,000 have come home wounded. On the homefront, their families bear the brunt of the war's implications, including economic hardship and health issues. For many, it's a daily struggle.

These men and women and their families need our help, and I'm very excited to announce FindTape.com's support of Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that provides emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors.

But before I tell you what we have planned, I'd like to explain why our support of military families means so much to me.

Many divisions of the U.S. military are customers of FindTape.com, and we're proud to serve them. But the decision to support military families is a very personal one, for several reasons.

Both of my grandfathers served in combat in World War II, and the stories they told about the war and the heroism of our soldiers always filled me with a strong sense of pride.

Until one of my closest childhood friends, Robert Valley, joined the 82nd Airborne, war was a distant prospect for me too. As a veteran of both Operation Just Cause in Panama and the Gulf War in Iraq, Robert made war a reality for me too. (As it happens, Robert also has close ties to FindTape.com. He's the owner of JV Converting, the primary tape converter we work with.)

I started FindTape.com while I was still living and working full-time in New York City, and I was working in lower Manhattan during the attacks on 9/11. This experience heightened my appreciation for the men and women who have defended the causes of freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm grateful for their courage and the sacrifices they and their families have made in defense of our nation.

It's in honor of these connections – my grandfathers, my childhood friend, and all of those who have served and are serving – that I've dedicated our charitable efforts at FindTape.com toward supporting military families.

I've chosen to partner with Operation Homefront because the support offered by this nonprofit organization makes an enormous difference for military families. In 2014, 92% of Operation Homefront's expenditures - $49 million - were spent on programs for military men and women and their families. This remarkable focus on making the lives of military families better is very inspirational.

So how do we plan to support Operation Homefront?

During the month of May, we'll help Operation Homefront raise awareness about the needs of military families due to financial hardship, death, injury, or physical or mental detriment as a result of service since 9/11. Follow this blog and our social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest – to learn more about the efforts Operation Homefront and others are making to improve the lives of veterans and military families.

We’re also pledging to donate a percentage of our merchandise sales – up to $10,000 – over Memorial Day week to Operation Homefront. From May 22 to May 28, 2015, for each purchase a customer makes on FindTape.com, we'll donate 10% of the total merchandise price to Operation Homefront.

It's our way of saying thank you for the courage military servicemen and women show and the daily sacrifices they and their families make in service to our country.

About Operation Homefront

A national nonprofit, Operation Homefront leads more than 2,500 volunteers with nationwide presence who provide emergency and other financial assistance to the families of service members and wounded warriors. Operation Homefront has provided assistance to thousands of military families since its inception in 2002. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity watchdog groups, nationally, 92 percent of Operation Homefront's expenditures go directly to programs that provide support to our military families.

Will This Adhesive Tape Hold? Testing the Adhesive Strength of Double-Sided Tape.

You may not believe it, but double-sided adhesive tape has remarkable – even Herculean! – strength. Some pressure-sensitive tape is even used as a replacement for rivets in buildings or in manufacturing. In other words, it's not just for mounting frames and other wall hangings.

Double-sided tapes are available in different backing or carrier types such as film, tissue, cloth, paper and foam and they are available in a range of peel adhesions and tensile strengths. Our least adhesive double-sided film tape, the JVCC DC-4109RS product has a peel adhesion of 29 ounces per inch and is comparable to a general-purpose masking tape. It's perfect for mounting lightweight items, such as nameplates.

But that's just a start. Some of the other double-sided tapes we offer at FindTape.com have very impressive strength and adherence qualities. A double-sided film tape like Scapa S301 Double Coated UPVC Tape is adhesive enough to be used in product assembly, while 3M 4950 VHB Tape is used in both interior and exterior structural bonding applications.

But rather than tell you about the adhesive strength of our double-sided tapes, I'd like to show you. In this video, I test four double-sided tapes to see which one can support the most weight. Check it out.

Mark Twain was a scrapbooker with a big appreciation for adhesive. In fact, he was so passionate about scrapbooking that in 1872 he invented a scrapbook with preinstalled gummed strips. It turned out to be one of his most profitable inventions.

Scrapbooking became popular in the 19th century with the explosion of newspapers and magazines, according to Ellen Garvey, author of Writing with Scissors: American Scrapbooks from the Civil War to the Harlem Renaissance. People clipped articles and pasted them into books to keep track of interesting news and information.

But scrapbooks also have a place in civil rights history. Women suffragists and African-Americans created scrapbooks as a way to express their political viewpoints, Garvey says. (Check out her more detailed discussion on this topic at a program hosted by the American Antiquarian Society here.)

More than a century later, the appeal of scrapbooking hasn't diminished. On May 2, thousands of crafters will celebrate National Scrapbooking Day. Of course, today's scrapbookers have many more design options, with dozens of adhesive tapes to choose from.

As you prepare for National Scrapbooking Day, here are a few adhesive tapes to help add patterns, colors, and texture to your scrapbooking project.

Easy Application

Many scrapbookers use ATG dispensers to make it easier to apply adhesive tape to pages. JVCC ATG-7502 ATG Tape offers good adhesion to paper. Plus, it's acid neutral, which is essential for securing photographs without harming them. Another great tape is Scapa T002 ATG Tape, also acid or pH-neutral with an acrylic adhesive and is very easy to work with.

Many scrapbookers favor electronic cutting machines such as those from Cricut®. The Duck Brand Prism Crafting Tape works well in these, and it features a unique holographic / prismatic effect to add shine and dimension to projects. Patterns include small stars, squares and lots of dots.

Decorative Design

Imaginative projects require dozens of colors, designs, and textures, and these adhesive tapes offer no shortage. Duck Brand Printed Duck Tape is a patterned duct tape that tears easily by hand without curling and conforms to uneven surfaces. It's available in patterns such as ACU digital camouflage, black and white checker, blue tie-dye, dragon, hot rod flames, hardwood camouflage, leopard, orange tie-dye, paint splatter, pink zebra, skulls and zig-zag zebra.

For more, shall we say, illuminating projects, Duck Brand Glow-in-the-Dark Gaffer Tape Sheets provide a decorative element. They’re available in 8-1/2 inch x 10 inch display cards (the material area is approximately 4-1/4 inch x 10 inch) and are photoluminescent after the tape is activated by an artificial or natural light source. Sheets are available in a variety of shapes including numbers, letters, stars and moon, and circles and stripes, as well as a plain sheet.

To add texture to a project, Duck Brand Fabric Crafting Tape is a good choice. It’s a cloth fabric tape, available in several patterns: yellow speckled dot, pink with brown dots and white squares, coral multi stripe and blue pin dot.

We discussed Washi paper tape in a previous blog post, here, but it too is a popular option for adding patterns, color, and texture to your scrapbook page.

Duck Brand Ducklings Mini Duct Tape Rolls are perfect for trimming because they are very small. They're available in a multitude of colors and patterns, including black, blue surf flower, blue leopard, chrome, neon pink, neon lime green, pink zebra, rainbow, zig zag and paint splatter.

Working with Photos

When working with photographs, an acid free/pH neutral adhesive is essential. Acid can cause the tape's adhesive to yellow over time thereby ruining the image. 3M Scotch 908 ATG Gold Tape is photo safe in accordance with both Black and White Photographic Activity Tests and Color Photographic Activity Tests (per ANSI IT9.16).

There are times when you'll want your photos have a bit more pop. One way to give them a bit of dimension is to use double-side foam mounting tape. 3M Scotch 108 Removable Foam Mounting Squares are approximately 1/16 inch thick and add just enough lift to make your photos stand out.

National Scrapbooking Day

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Day by joining a scrapbooking event or group. You can find an event near you using community sites such as Meetup.com. In the meantime, make sure you order your scrapbooking supplies well in advance, so you have everything you need.

ATG dispensers are popular among scrapbookers, crafters, photographers, and event producers. They make it easy to apply pressure-sensitive adhesive tape known as ATG tape. This tape comes unsupported by a backing or carrier (like cloth, film, or paper), and is pre-applied to a special release liner. It is reverse wound, with the release liner being located on the underside when you unwind it from the roll. If you were to apply this tape manually to your project, it could be very messy. An ATG dispenser makes it clean and simple to apply.

But there are four primary ATG dispensers to choose from. With several varieties of ATG refill rolls available, it can be confusing at first to determine which type fits in your ATG gun.

The key is in the design of the plastic core of the ATG refill roll. Some cores have wider openings than others. In the video below, I’ll show you the difference between the ATG refill rolls and explain how to match your ATG dispenser to the right ATG refill tape.

For greater detail, our handy matrix will help you determine which ATG refill tape best fits your ATG dispenser.

Spring is the season of home improvement. And now that it's almost here, many people are considering ways to freshen up their homes and offices. One of the best ways to do this is to paint your walls.

Not only will this brighten your mood, but it's also a good investment – especially if you're planning to sell during the spring housing market. A freshly painted interior will help the house show better to prospective buyers.

Whether you plan to do-it-yourself or you're a longtime pro, you'll need to make some decisions about the type of painters tape to use. Your choice will depend upon the type of surface being painted, whether it's indoor or out, and any creative or artistic requirements.

Here's a quick primer to help you choose the right painters tape for your project. And don't forget to check for removal tips at the end of this post.

Why use painters tape and not other types of tape?

Unlike other types of masking tape, painters tape is specially designed for painting applications where clean removal is a requirement including in cases when the tape is exposed to direct UV light. It can be used on glass, vinyl, metal, wood, painted walls and trim.

There are several types of painters tape, and which one you choose depends upon the job you need it for.

Protect floors and furniture

As you prep your room for painting, you'll want to keep floors and furniture from getting hit by paint drops. You can drape your furniture with old bed sheets and cover floors with plastic sheets, but as you paint, these can shift, inadvertently exposing the edges of furniture or leaving spots on floors.

Duck Brand Pre-Taped Painter's Drop Cloth is ideal for protecting floors and counters while painting. This is a 2-mil thick plastic drop film that is pre-applied to a removable painters tape. The plastic film resists tears and punctures, and the removable cloth tape holds the film securely in place, so there's no slipping and sliding. It's designed to remove cleanly for up to 4 weeks.

If you already have drop film or cloth and just need a double-sided tape to apply it, Nashua's CleanDrape is a great choice. The adhesive cloth side of the tape holds up the film or dropcloth while the adhesive painters tape side goes up against your drywall. CleanDrape's blue painters tape side offers clean removal for up to 14 days from a variety of surfaces.

Create Crisp Lines

Once you've got floors and furniture protected, it's time to prep the baseboards, walls and ceilings. Painters tape can be used as a guide to keep lines straight and protect surfaces from getting spotted with the wrong color.

Shurtape CP-60 Razor Edge tape is an ultra thin painters tape used to create razor sharp lines. Perfect for painting stripes, diamonds, and other patterns on walls. Its special paper backing reduces bleed-through and its low adhesion allows it to be easily removed after longer periods of time (for up to 60 days).

If you're painting a newly constructed house or an addition, you will probably be painting drywall. JVCC PGM-UV Painter's Grade Masking Tape is a good choice because its peel adhesion does not increase with time, allowing for removal from a wide variety of surfaces without damage.

3M Scotch-Blue 2090 Painters Tape for multi-surfaces is a medium adhesion tape ideal for paint masking on multiple surfaces including painted walls and trim, woodwork, glass and metal. It can be removed cleanly without adhesive transfer or surface damage for up to 14 days, even in direct sunlight. The backing saturant is solvent and moisture resistant so it resists paint bleed-through, and the adhesive doesn't transfer when the tape is wet. However, this tape is not designed for use on wallpapers, unpainted wallboard, wood floors or poorly bonded surfaces.

Tips for Delicate Surfaces

Delicate surfaces, such as wallpaper, freshly painted or unpainted wallboard and drywall, ceiling tiles, or masking for faux finishing, will require a lower adhesion tape. Shurtape CP-28 30-Day Purple Painters Tape, also known as 30 Day ShurRELEASE, can be applied to delicate surfaces for up to 30 days and then removed cleanly without causing surface damage.

Working with Other Special Surfaces

If you're painting special surfaces, such as cured painted walls, unfinished wood and wood trim, glass, metal, and stone, choose a medium-adhesion tape like FrogTape's Multi-Surface Painters Tape. This tape removes cleanly from most surfaces for up to 21 days (7 days in direct sunlight). Its patented PaintBlock® Technology prevents latex paint from bleeding by forming a micro-barrier along the edges (it reacts with the water in latex paint). You get a fully sealed tape edge resulting in the sharpest paint lines possible.

Creating Wall Designs

Painters tape also can be used to create paint designs on walls, furniture and other surfaces. FrogTape Shape Tape Painters Tape comes in three pre-cut repeating patterns: Chevron, Scallop and Wave. Creative painters can use this tape to create horizontal, vertical, or diagonal designs.

Taping Textured Surfaces

It can be tricky to create sharp lines on textured surfaces such as heavy knockdown, light knockdown or orange peel, without bleeding. But FrogTape Textured Surface Painters Tape comes with a bottle of Liquid PaintBlock® Edge Sealer™, which forms a micro-barrier sealing the edges of the tape. As a result, paint doesn't bleed and you can create super sharp stripes, patterns, and designs on these types of textured surfaces.

Removal Tips

When all of the painting is done, it's time to remove the tape. Here are a few tricks to make sure it all comes off smoothly.

1. Remove tape as soon as you are finished.bl
2. Score the edge of the tape with a razor blade first.
3. Pull the tape slowly and at a 90 degree angle.

If you're still uncertain about how to choose the right painters tape for your project, our Painters Tape Comparison Matrix will help you compare and choose based on a variety of criteria.

Easter is just a few short weeks away, and church production managers and media ministry are well underway with planning some of the year's biggest productions and events.

Churches with memberships of several thousand or more already put together events of significant size. But holidays like Easter and Christmas put big demands on their creative and production teams. The holidays draw far more attendees than regular weekly services, requiring most houses of worship to hold additional services on Saturday to accommodate the larger crowds.

But it's not just the crowds that are bigger. Easter services are usually more elaborate productions as well.

Liquid Church, a contemporary Christian church in Mountainside, NJ, aims to put on a bigger, more elaborate show for Easter, along with adding Saturday services. The ministry is a multi-site church with 3,500 attendees across all sites each week. With three portable locations and one permanent in Mountainside, the church sets up three stages every week.

Technical Director Joel Freeman, who oversees all the audio/visual systems and gear, says they'll bring in a lot more lighting for the weekend Easter services. And because the productions are more elaborate, they'll require bigger props.

At Easter, as he does throughout the year, Freeman will work with members of the creative team to understand what they need to put together the production and whether a new staging or video element is required.

His biggest challenge is time and complexity, something that is more challenging at Easter. "We want to do the best show we possibly can," he says.

That's especially challenging at Easter - a time to focus on families. That means fewer volunteers than usual, and Freeman needs to lean more on regular staff to get sets, lighting, and props in place in a short amount of time - and on multiple stages.

With about three hours to get ready for each production, set up needs to go smoothly and quickly. At Easter, the ramped up complexity includes more doorways to cross and more lines to prep. Freeman uses Scapa 425 gaffers tape in 2- and 3-inch widths to hold down wires, trussing, and cables, and to hold carpets together so that no seams are showing. His teams use it to mark off the stage for props and performers, as well as to hold back drapes.

Scapa 425 is one of the most adhesive gaffers tapes we sell. It adheres longer and more securely than other gaffer tapes, and also has high tack, high tensile strength, and an easy unwind. It has an extremely low gloss finish which causes it to reflect the least amount of light. This makes it a good choice for stage production.

Every Easter production is slightly different, although all are likely to require lighting, audio, and video. The choice of tape will vary depending upon the type of set up and individual preferences. Here are a few tips and suggestions for helping your Easter service run smoothly by choosing the right tape for your needs.

Start planning early

A great way to begin is to ask what worked and what didn't in your last production, according to Shaun Miller in Church Production Magazine. This applies to the type of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape you used. Did you have enough for what you needed? Did you have the right type of tape for each job?

For example, a gaffers tape like Pro Tapes Pro-Gaff Gaffers Tape is ideal for holding down wires and carpet, removes cleanly from most surfaces, and is available in a wide array of colors. Because it's very dependable, it’s used throughout the entertainment industry and is a good choice for large productions.

Map Your Lighting

Creating a visual for your stage production will help you better understand the types of lighting supplies and materials you'll need.

"If you are doing a dramatic production that will have different lighting requirements from a normal service, consider working up a lighting plot. A lighting plot is a drawing of your stage area along with each light and its location," suggests Mike Sessler at ChurchTechArts.org.

Setting the Stage

Keeping performers safe as they move on and off the stage is a priority. Shurtape P-661 Glow-In-The-Dark Gaffers Tape can be used to mark stairs and exits. It's hand tearable, so it's easy to use and quick to apply. An added benefit is that is photoluminescent after the tape is activated by an artificial or natural light source.

Plan Your Media Production

Video producers will also map out their camera angles and shots ahead of time. Once you've created your shot list, you can work out the path of wires and have a better understanding of what needs to be marked and what needs to be invisible. Commonly referred to as AV cord tape, JVCC J90 Low-Gloss Duct Tape is a good economical choice.

Budgeting For Your Needs

Once you've settled on the type of tape needed for your production, you can visit FindTape.com to order the right sizes and amounts. If you need help, contact us at questions@findtape.com, and we'll work with you to place your order.

Creating Art with Washi Tape

Washi Tape comes in dozens of colors and styles and can be used to decorate almost anything, including furniture, walls, laptops, pencil holders, and even bicycles. Because it is both versatile and offers a lot of creative potential, it is a favorite among crafters and scrapbookers.

What is Washi Tape?

This decorative tape is a masking tape made from Japanese rice paper that can be torn by hand. It can be used on paper, objects and walls, and because it's easy to reposition, it's ideal for decorating projects.

The tape is manufactured by Japan-based Kamoi Kakoshi, a specialist in Japanese Washi paper tape for industrial use since 1923. For its first several decades, the company focused on producing paper tape for use in the painting of buildings, automobiles, and furniture.

In 2006, three women approached the company with an idea to create Washi masking tape in many colors and patterns. The new tape could be used in a myriad of everyday projects around the home: to decorate rooms or books, to make gifts, and in creative projects of almost any kind.

Kamoi Kakoshi released the new product in 2008, to great success. It has been sold in more than 20 countries, won awards, and even inspired a museum in an old factory at the manufacturer's headquarters in Okayama. In a few short years, it has become one of the hottest trends among crafters.

The tape is popular not only because it is available in a variety of colors and patterns. It has a number of other attractive attributes. It's strong, but extremely thin, and it's easy to reposition. Washi tape is also semi-transparent, so it can be layered for a greater creative effect. And because it's easy to write on, it's great for making notes or sharing messages.

How Washi Tape is Used

Crafters use Washi Tape to make picture frames, clocks, bracelets, and jewelry boxes. During the holidays, they use it to make cards and ornaments. Scrapbookers use it to embellish pages, create intricate designs, and decorate planners and book covers.

Washi Tape Projects

There is no shortage of ideas for projects and crafts on the Web. A Google search for "Washi Tape crafts" returns more than a million results, and Pinterest is a treasure trove of Washi Tape projects for kids, home, and scrapbooking.

There are hundreds of ideas on craft and scrapbooking blogs as well. Over at Omiyage Blogs, blogger Marisa Edghill has written a book called Washi Style, and on its pages are 101+ ideas for Washi Tape projects.

If you're just getting started – or even if you're looking for a little bit of inspiration, here's a short wrap-up of some ideas we've gathered from around the Web.

Using Washi Tape in Craft Projects

Blogger Tanner Bell has collected 14 DIY projects using Washi Tape at A Little Craft in Your Day. Some of these ideas include decorating your laptop keyboard and your power cords, and creating coasters and shadow box art.

At DIY Lifestyle magazine, colorful Washi Tape birds is a fun spring project.

Washi Tape Ways to Decorate Your Home

Wall art is featured in a post on Washi Tape Crafts (this blog is a great resource for craft, holiday, and home décor ideas for Washi Tape). Amy Anderson, who also blogs at Mod Podge Rocks, highlights 15 unique ideas culled from crafters around the Web, including picture frames, shadow boxes, and wall decals.

The wall decals are inspiration from the Everything Emily blog. Emily had wanted to decorate the walls of her son's bedroom, but didn't want anything expensive or permanent because she knew she'd be moving soon. One of the benefits of Washi Tape is that it can be easily removed. As Emily said in an update to her post: "We currently just moved from the home where these lovely diy decals were and the removal process was EXTREMELY easy! The decals peeled right off without damaging the walls! I will say they left a little dark coloring around the area where they were but I cleaned it off with a damp cloth and it came right off!"

Jenni Radosevich at ISpyDIY offers some more wall art inspiration from around the Web, including a city skyline headboard, and designs for – yes – stairs. Radosevich calls Washi Tape "one of the greatest craft inventions ever," adding: "Honestly, the patterns, the colors, the ability to put this paper tape on anything makes it so fun to use."

Scrapbooking

Washi Tape is ideal for scrapbooking because there are an infinite number of combinations that can be created from the many colors and styles available. Posting on the Get It Scrapped blog, Michelle Houghton demonstrates how Washi Tape can be layered to create unique scrapbook designs. The tutorial covers Washi Tape weaving and is a good example of the art that can be created with this material.

For more ideas, visit our Pinterest boards for Washi Tape Projects, Scrapbooking, Creative Cards, and Event Planning.

You can find and buy Kamoi Kakoshi's mt Washi Tape at FindTape.com. We offer 30 different solid colors and over 35 patterns. Roll sizes are 0.6 inches X 33 feet and price breaks are offered in quantities as low as 8 rolls at a time. You can even build up a set of mixed colors or patterns to still take advantage of the 8 roll price break.

GES Trend Tracker

Each year, GES, the global event marketing company, releases its Trend Tracker white paper, identifying 50 emerging trends in the trade show and event industry. The 2015 report was released in January, and it covers four areas: budgeting and planning, marketing, technology, and design.

This year, the report noted one very big overarching trend: Brand Experiences. Marketers are aiming to connect and engage attendees with their brands and with each other. As a result, GES says, "marketers will go 'all in' on experiential with bolder budgets, bolder strategies and bolder experiences that tie together creative, execution and data analysis."

High-tech, including gamification, drones, and next generation audio/visual, will also be front and center during 2015. In a post-report follow-up blog post, Paul Wedesky, the senior vice president of Audio Visual Services for GES, describes several additional audio visual trends for 2015.

Here are a few of our favorite insights both from the report and from Paul's post.

A Moveable Exhibit

Exhibit booths are being designed both to incorporate technology and to be re-purposed. According to GES, designers are being challenged by clients to create experiences that can be taken on the road after the event, to be used by the sales team. This includes not only product display elements such as digital catalogs, but also exhibit booths.

Helping your salesperson recreate this experience on the road is a lot easier if you have the right adhesive tape to tamp down wires and secure media equipment. We recommend packing a roll or two of JVCC GAFF30YD Gaffers Tape, an economical and popular general-purpose gaffer tape, along with the booth.

Open Floor Plans With More Media

With clients looking to create more inviting spaces, exhibit structures are becoming more open. At the same time, they're demanding interactive features, including more LED displays, touchscreens and tablets.

To keep wires under control and out of the way, but also have flexibility of movement, you can use JVCC Wire-Line Cable Cover Tape. The adhesive-free zone in the center of the tape allows for cable and wire to be easily pulled through, and no residue will be left behind on your cables.

An Artist's Space

More marketers are forging partnerships with artists, incorporating more creative and cultural elements into their events. For example, GES noted that "TD Bank commissioned artists to turn its storefronts into mini art galleries."

In case you're wondering, you can create some amazing artwork with adhesive tape. Check out some examples HERE. And to see a list of tapes used in the examples click HERE.

3D & 4K Monitors

More high-tech monitors are reaching the trade show floor in 2015, according to Paul Wedesky. He has noticed 3D and 4K monitors being using at medical and pharmaceutical trade shows to enhance the brand experience, and he believes that 3D eventually will become the norm.

For protecting and anchoring the monitors' electrical wires, we recommend Polyken 510 Premium Grade Gaffers Tape, which has a softer adhesive than most other gaffers tapes so it adheres better to carpets.

Projection Mapping

Another trend in audio visual Wedesky has noticed is an increase in projection mapping, in which special software is used to spatially map a design or scene onto an object, such as a building. The design usually fits the shape of the object.

When constructing your object, an ultra-high bond tape will help keep your structure together and stable. The 3M 4941 VHB Tape is a good multipurpose option, as it's ideal for use in many interior and exterior structural bonding applications. It's strong enough to replace rivets.

Low-Res Prototyping

As a way to test ideas and manage budget more effectively, event planners are creating prototypes of their space. "It allows decision makers to visualize the concept, and for changes to be made quickly without impacting the budget," GES says.

A good all-purpose duct tape will work for temporary structures. We recommend Polyken 2280 General-Purpose Duct Tape, which is often used for bonding and holding applications and bonds well to a wide variety of smooth and rough surfaces. It's easy to unwind and tear, so it's perfect for manual applications. The tape is also available in a variety of colors.

Electronic Brochure Kiosks

Printed product brochures have long fallen out of favor, but show attendees are still interested in receiving more information. Kiosks designed to deliver electronic brochures can be incorporated into the exhibit or as a standalone. Attendees can download only the material they want.

Robotics Technology

Creating and deploying a robotic attendee, as EventMobi did at IMEX, might be on every event planner's list now. If you plan to have your robotic ambassador travel the show floor, you can create a suspension system using double-sided sticky tape. By attaching the wheel servos using double-sided sticky tape such as Scapa S301, all four wheels will remain even on an uneven plane.

Finally, when you're packing up your exhibit, be sure to have plenty of Shurtape HP 500 on hand to seal your boxes. This tape is ideal for sealing cartons, and is recommended for overstuffed or underfilled boxes. It's perfect for trade shows, when you're likely to be re-packing older cartons or taping up bulky or odd-shaped materials.

The tape converters we work with have received correspondence from most of the major adhesive tape manufacturers announcing new upcoming price increases. Below we've included links to copies of each letter which includes details about the percentage increase and which of that manufacturer's product line it will affect. The prices on our web site will typically be changed the business day before the manufacturer's increase goes into effect (or soon thereafter) so please use this information to plan accordingly.

• 3M - 2/1/2014 Effective Date Increase Letter
• Berry Plastics (Polyken/Nashua/Ludlow/Patco)- 6/2/2014 Effective Date Increase Letter
• Intertape - 2/8/2014 Effective Date Increase Letter
• Jaybird- new pricing came out 1/1/2014
• Nitto Denko (Permacel)- TBA
• Scapa - TBA
• Shurtape - 3/14/2014 Effective Date Increase Letter
• JVCC and Pro Tapes - since they source most of their material from the manufacturers listed above they typically will also be passing along corresponding price increases

* last updated 5/1/2014

It happens all the time: A customer orders a product. Your fulfillment team pulls and packages the item. Then they ship it to the customer, who receives the package, opens it and discovers that the item is defective or it's the wrong one.

Returns are a part of doing business, and with the holiday shopping season just around the corner the shipping season is about to ramp up into high gear. According to the Internet Retailer website, the top 500 online merchants report an annual return rate of 3 percent. When you consider that online sales raked in $289 billion for retailers in 2012, that's a lot of merchandise being shipped back and forth.

Your goal should be threefold:

1. Minimize the public relations hit you take for shipping the wrong or defective product.
2. Get your item back in one piece.
3. Make the return-shipping process as easy as possible on the customer and your team.

And it all comes down to adhesive tape. Yes, adhesive tape for returns is the gift that keeps on giving.

Including adhesive tape for returns with the replacement item you send to your customer sends a message to your customer that you acknowledge the mistake and want to make the return process as easy for them as possible. It also makes it much more likely that your customer will ship the original item back in a timely manner; and that you'll get it back in one piece.

See? Everybody wins when you include adhesive tape for returns with your replacement items; especially when you send your customers JVCC RT150 Return Tape.

First, JVCC RT150 Return Tape is pre-cut, meaning that all your fulfillment team needs to do is drop a few pieces of the tape in with every replacement item being shipped out. Second, it's been proven to be effective in securing boxes; including in industries such as pharmaceuticals and printer ink. Third, it's easy to use. Decker RT 150 has been designed with a center split paper release liner, making it incredibly easy to use. All three are not only a nice thing to do for your customers, but they are also make for really good public relations.

The holiday shopping season is right around the corner. Give your customers, and yourself and your company, the gift of JVCC RT150 Return Tape this year. You (and the roughly 3 percent of your customers who are likely to return products this year) will be glad you did.