Suggestions for applying adhesive to address labels

[MM]

I've stopped using expensive Avery labels (A4 sheets for laser printers). Far cheaper to print the labels on plain A4, guillotine them down to individual labels, then affix using a Pritt stick. Trouble is, where's the Pritt stick?!! Where did I put it? And when I find it, it's dried out, or empty. And messy to use anyway.

What alternative method might I use to apply said label to, say, an envelope? Ideally, what I'm thinking of is a double-sided sheet that is covered with the type of glue used on post-it notes. I'd stick my A4 sheet to it BEFORE guillotining, then I'd have instantly applyable labels.

So what is the formula for that post-it note adhesive, or what other ideas do you have?

MM

[Martin Brown]

Or PVA glue if you don't mind the mess. I sometimes use photographic dry mount for large labels on display boards (A3+). Good but smelly. But I expect any glue that is easy to use will be suitably expensive.

Pritt possibly is the least bad option if you need to save money.

Are you sure you want repositionable weakly attached address labels? Sounds like a recipe for disaster at the sorting office to me.

Large sheets of double sided sticky are a PITA to work with.

It is a curious irony that the Post-It glue was designed to be a new superglue somewhere in strength between cyanoacrylate and epoxy. It was a huge surprise that it was a low tack glue that left no residue. It found its niche after the inventor made it indispensable inside 3M.

[The Natural Philosopher]

pre die cut labels!

They are, in the end, cheaper..

Or if its envelopes, just print those instead.

[Pete]

Then use a no-brand Avery substitute. There's plenty of 'Avery-type' labels available for much less than Avery.

[MM]

A sheet of A4 "value" paper costs around 5 pence.

MM

[Bob Eager]

Indeed. And what I use. Try:

service for office stuff. No connnection, just a customer.

[Bob Eager]

I just bought 500 sheets for less than 0.8p each.

But that's not the point. Unless you have lots of time to spare.

[Jules Richardson]

Rivets. ;-)

Photo mount in a spray can was always quite good for sticking things without resulting in the 'lumpy glue' effect, but of course be careful of the overspray - and whether it's cost effective vs. just buying sticky labels, I don't know.

As someone else said, can't you just print directly onto the envelope?

cheers

Jules

[John Rumm]

How about going for "proper" labels, but not actually the expensive Avery branded ones? Viking et al do plenty of cheaper labels.

Alternatively, for correspondence I just tend to use window envelopes, saves needing to mess about with labels or addressing envelopes at all.

Not sure if they still do them, but I have a small double sided tape dispenser in my case, that one can use for these sorts of applications. You get cartridges for it that can either be re-positionable tape or permanent. Not particularly cheap, but accurate and mess free.

Failing that, a wide selotape dispenser. Take printed plain paper label, and slap a layer of tape over it. Job done.

[ss]

I use PVA glue slightly watered down, this is easier for me as I never need a full sheet at any one time, just the odd ebay item I am posting out and use pp postage system. so just print off on a4 cut & paste.

[whisky-dave]

At work I use these =A38.48 (excl VAT) for a box of 100

doesn't seem too pricey, sometimes I cover them in sticky back- plastic if I think they are going to get wet as most of my labels are printed using an inkjet rather than laser.

Alternatively this is DIY can't you make your own sticky residue ;-)

[MM]

I do. I'm retired.

MM

[MM]

Oh, so do I. It's not that label I'm worried about, it's the address label I apply to the reverse so that the letter can find its way back if it gets diverted. Also needed for recorded delivery.

MM

[MM]

Now that I like! Good idea. I might have to use a slightly smaller font, but as long as it's legible, no worries! I'll see whether Wilko do wide sellotape.

MM

[MM]

Yep, I use it, too. But it is also quite messy. If you don't want to get it on your fingers you have to hunt for a small paintbrush, then remember to rinse the brush afterwards. I don't mind using PVA for bookbinding, because I'm spending the whole afternoon on the job anyway, but for a single label it's a bit of an overkill.

MM

[MM]

I read up on Wikipedia about the post-it note adhesive and it's very clever. It consists of lots of tiny spheres, apparently. They grab hold, but not too tightly.

MM

[tinnews]

Surely in that case, since they're all the same, you can get them printed by the thousand for very little money at all.

[ARWadsworth]

> which doesn't seem too pricey, sometimes I cover them in sticky back-

[polygonum]

If you really want to play with putting sticky layers onto backs of pieces of paper, one of the neatest ways is with one of the machines you can find here:

know that is the US site - but they are available here. And the server for that site is in the UK apparently.

[Andy Burns]

Some 1/4" wide value sticky cellulose tape then?