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Kraft paper tape is a must in the studio. This unremarkable brown tape is known for its tough backing and reliable bonding, which can meet many creative needs. Use it to seal the back of artwork, stretch paper, and package carefully packaged artwork for transportation-the applications are endless. From self-adhesive film to adhesive tape, our selection below will help you choose the best product for a variety of tasks.

U-Haul’s classic kraft paper tape is specially designed for home moving boxes and is our favorite universal adhesive used around the studio. Sturdy, durable, and completely opaque, it can be used to paste inspiring pictures on walls, seal boxes, and temporarily glue ongoing sketches or casual works to any surface. These self-adhesive strips are also easy to tear apart by hand. Most importantly, when you remove the adhesive strip, it does not leave a sticky residue.

You can use this tape for many projects, but we especially like to use it to stick to the back of the frame. It tears easily, sticks to itself, and stays firmly in place when pressed, with little curling over time. Despite this strength, it can be easily removed and leaves a clean surface. It also has a pleasant brown hue that makes your finished work look clean and professional.

Adhesive tapes that require water to activate their stickiness are an excellent choice when you need a strong seal. This option is particularly powerful because it uses a glass fiber filament design to reinforce the kraft paper backing. It has impressive adhesion to cardboard, making it ideal for transporting valuable materials or artworks. In our book, it is the most USPS approved tape used when sending packages by registered mail.

If you need to stretch watercolor paper at work to avoid wrinkles, an economical solution is to use adhesive tape. This option provides an impressive winning combination of strength and endurance. Only one piece of tape is used to fix each edge of the paper, and it stays in place until you are ready to remove it. When you do this, it can be easily lifted from the paper without leaving any traces. In addition, there is a lot of tape on a roll of paper—enough to stretch many large papers.

This is a nice-looking tape with a pleasantly smooth surface and warm brown tone. It is self-adhesive, thin and easy to tear. But what we really like about it is that it is very suitable for pens and markers, making it an ideal tape for writing, especially when you have to stare at the finished label every day. Warning: This kind of tape tends to leave sticky residue, but you can wash it off with a little soap and water.

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