I Walk the Narrow Line

Doctor Tape here!!

Well Kristen the Intern has gone back to school and left me to fend for myself. Unfortunately (for the blog) things have picked up here and I haven't had the time to write. But all that has changed!! I am re-focused on communicating and I will be updating on a regular basis.

I have been selling ATG tapes for over 30 years (they were invented in 1979) and for the vast majority of that time the most popular size was 1/2" wide. The same holds true today but there has been a surge of interest in 1/4" wide tape. We used to sell a few boxes per year of 1/4" wide ATG tape but recently we have been selling about 5 cases per month. I was intrigued by this and decided to investigate the reasons for this.

It turns out that there are some very creative stationery designers out there that are creating more intricate designs with smaller design details. This requires narrow width tapes to fit into the smaller spaces. The use of 1/4" wide tape may require adapting existing equipment or buying new equipment entirely. For pictures of the equipment as well as instructions and parts just click here: www.taperite.com/asctapes.html.

If you are using the ATG-50 dispenser no adaptor is required. However care must be taken when putting the tape on the spindle so it doesn't touch the side of the dispenser. As always when putting the tape on the spindle only press on the white plastic core. For complete instructions see the link above.

The 3M ATG-700 (yellow dispenser) comes with an adaptor as part of its original equipment (again see the instruction via the link above). If you lose the adaptor you can still use 1/4" wide tape on the dispenser. Just be sure not to let it touch the side of the dispenser when you load it.

3M has recently come out with the ATG-714 dispenser. This dispenser is specifically designed for 1/4" wide tape. It has a built in adaptor which cannot be removed. If you are using lots of 1/4" wide tape I highly recommend that you get one (or more) of these dispensers. If you want to see what they look like go to http://www.3m.com/ and type ATG-714 in the search box. Then click on a link and hit documentation. I know this is convoluted but for some reason I can't paste the link in here.

In addition to narrow width ATG tapes we also have the 254M and 4965 double-coated tapes in widths down to 1/16" wide. I have to say that tape this narrow is more difficult to work with but it can be done.

On the opposite side of the coin are wide width tapes. The widest that ATG tapes come is 3/4". This is because the dispensers are only designed for that. However the same tapes are available in widths up to 54" wide. I sell it to a wide range of graphic artists who use it for a variety of reasons including mock-ups, laminating to papers or fabrics to make them self-adhesive, cutting out special shapes and more. Whatever you need it for we can give you the width you need.

So remember that tape is your friend. It is there to help you. By getting it in the size you need it can help you even more. Have a great day and keep on taping!!