Glues and Adhesives for Artistamps

Adhesive backing for artistamps

If you’re sending your artistamps for others to use, you probably want to make them as much like “real” postage as possible.

For example, you’ll want the recipient to be able to lick the back of the stamp so the glue becomes moist and will hold the stamp in place.

The following information was provided by members of the AML artistamp list.

These are your three most popular options for glues and adhesives, if you’re creating artistamps.

(1) Buy paper with an adhesive (water reactivated) backing.

You can get dry, gummed paper label paper from a chain store called Paper Plus. (I think this is a division of Unisource, but their demo catalogue doesn’t list any perforated papers.)

One brand in the late 1990s was Nashua Davac, Dry Gummed Label Paper, #7649, 50# offset, and it comes in 8.5″ x 11″ size, and others. (Manufactured by Nashua Label.)

Another resource might be a small quantity supplier of paper. Some of them are “green” paper companies. You can get more information at Conservatree.com.

If this sounds too complicated, you can have someone professionally print your artistamps on pre-gummed perforated paper.

I recommend Anna Banana’s Banana Productions. As you would expect, her work is very professional.  (The link to her site is broken.  If you know the best link for her products, let me know.)

WCP-NM (Olathe Poste) is another excellent online resource.

Or,

(2) Apply lickable (water reactivated) glue.

The glue stuff itself can be purchased and applied to any paper.

One kind of glue stuff is Neutral pH Adhesive, by Lineco. You’re looking for it as product number 901-1008. It’s carried by larger camera supply shops, as photographers use this to mount photos, etc.

You can also find this Neutral pH Adhesive by Lineco, at MisterArt.

Another glue stuff–that I use–is Lick & Stick. It comes in a bottle that looks like a roll-on deodorant, but it has a sponge on the top of it. I sort of paint it on the paper, and it dries. Most curling that occurs when it’s wet, flattens out as the glue dries. The glue is clear and tasteless.

You can order Lick & Stick at directly from the manufacturer, Greensneakers. They offer templates for other paper products, too.

Or,

(3) Make your own water reactivated glue.

See my article, Glue Recipes – Artistamps for a variety of homemade glues that you can mix and apply to your stamps.