Custom Printed Packing Tape: From Artwork to Carton

Printed packing tape does two jobs at once: it closes the carton, and it puts the brand on every shipment. Because it is ordered in quantity and printed in a fixed repeat, a little preparation before ordering avoids a costly reprint.

Where printed tape is used

• Brand carton sealing — the most common use; the tape is the logo on every parcel that leaves the building.
• E-commerce and fulfilment — printed tape discourages tampering and makes a repacked box obvious.
• Logistics and internal identification — colour coding between product lines, warehouses or destinations.
• Retail and promotional packing — seasonal or campaign artwork on the outer carton.

What to send with an enquiry

• Artwork — vector is preferred (AI, EPS, SVG, or a high-resolution PDF). A screenshot or a low-resolution JPEG will limit what can be printed.
• Repeat length — the distance from one logo to the next along the roll. Shorter repeats use more print and cost more.
• Number of colours — each colour is a separate print station; more colours means a higher setup.
• Roll width and length — matched to your carton size and dispenser.
• Direction — decide whether the print should read along the tape or across it.
• Material — BOPP is the usual choice for carton sealing because it is waterproof and takes print well.

Practical limits worth knowing

Very fine detail and small negative text tend to fill in at normal print speeds, so heavy type and simple shapes reproduce far better than intricate artwork. Gradients and photographic images are difficult on flexographic tape printing; solid colours and clean line work are the safe choice. If the artwork contains these, it is worth simplifying it before ordering rather than after.

Getting a quotation

Send the artwork, the repeat length you want, the roll size, the number of colours and the first-order quantity. If you are not sure about the repeat, tell us the carton dimensions and how the box should look when sealed — the repeat can be worked out from that. The standard construction is on the custom printed packing tape product page.