Discover The Different Types of Washi Tapes – Part 1
How many different types of washi tapes are there? Before we move on, let’s see first…
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What are the different types of washi tapes?
“Washi tape” is a commonly used term. The full name for mt, the leading brand in the industry, is actually derived from masking tape. If you have a roll of mt tape, you’ll find Kamoi Paper “washi” adhesive tape on the front label, as seen below. The packaging for mt can be different, though.
Thus, there can be several ways to call, and the main characteristic is that it is made of washi paper. For instance:
Washi tape
Decorative masking tape
Decorative adhesive tape
Washi adhesive tape
Washi masking tape
Japanese paper tape
However, you can also find other names like…
Decorative tape
Deco tape
Craft tape
Sticky tape
Paper tape
They can be similar due to the designs on the tapes. They can also be different in terms of the materials because they might not use washi paper.
Apart from this, you can also find something like fabric tape. The materials are, of course, dissimilar, but they all have an adhesive backing. I haven’t tried any of these tapes except silk tape.
Fabric tape
Silk tape
Tissue tape
Duct tape
Scotch tape
In order not to confuse you including me, as I mentioned in this article, if you see the adhesive tape or deco tape in this blog, they all mean the same thing here ~ washi tape. If it’s totally different like fabric tape, it will be mentioned clearly.
From time to time, I will mention “mt” (famous washi tape brand) to show the difference when illustrating other different tapes.
Please understand that I don’t mean to compare or just favor one brand. This is because it’s the most original. Moreover, there are many brands out there I really adore. Hope this helps.
Now, let’s move on to…
How many different types of washi tapes?
It might be tough to count each type. Let me put it this way…
You can find masking tape in general by (in no particular order) –
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Theme
Such as travel, floral, food, animal, Christmas, music, encyclopedia, stationery, scenery, illustration, vintage, cartoon
Such as stripes, lines, dots, chevron, borders, tartan-check, stars, hearts, abstract, mosaic, collage, flowers, flags
Design
Such as bold, light, sweet, abstract, vivid, whimsical, funny, romantic, simple, complicated, gold foil
Cultural
Such as Japanese style design, Chinese style design, Nordic style, French style, English style, Morocco style
Texture
Such as glitter, wax feel (usually smooth surface)
Material
Update: As mentioned here, we recently got new stuff called PET tape. It’s like washi tape material but it has an adhesive backing at the back. The adhesive backing is something like those you see on a sticker sheet.
It might not look much here in terms of the types of washi tapes, but what about having dots as an example? The mt autumn & winter 2014 collection is a good example. Same designs but different color combinations…
Therefore, there are many more designs that I may not be able to cover all. The new designs and patterns just keep emerging, not to mention the limited editions.
All in all, it’s easy to find LOTS that you love.
Don’t you think it’s hard to choose the designs you don’t like because it’d be better to have them all? Perhaps the little rose washi tape can match your pink-themed wedding, or the bunting masking tape can match your birthday party theme.
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