Right adhesive for postcards

Hello, first time poster.

I am starting a projects and wanted to ask for adhesive assistance!

I have 200 printed 5x7" wedding invitations. And to add style and girth I will be applying a 4.9x6.9" patch of Bazzill paper to the back. This will be a long day of gluing an applying paper. And a few glasses of wine if the glue doesn't get me dizzy first.

First, which glue would you recommend?
I am looking at 3M General Purpose 45 Spray Adhesive

Second, how do you get the alignment right?
My though was to make some type of cookie cooling rack where I could lay the Bazzill down, spray it and then lay the other sheet on top.

Any advice to help this go smoother?

Thank you!

Hi and welcome!

Firstly, I personally wouldn't use the 3M spray adhesive. Not only is it not archival (not that that matters to you, but it does to us scrapbookers and it will to any of your guests who might plan on preserving the invitations forever) but it is also extremely messy, might warp your paper, and the fumes would be overwhelming after 200! Bazzill is already archival and your paper probably will be, so it seems a shame to mess that up with the adhesive.

I would recommend tape runners. I'll link some up at the bottom of this post. You just run a strip around each edge of the smaller piece, maybe a dab in the middle, stick it to the larger piece and it's done - there's no drying time required, and no fumes, no smell. Make sure you look for permanent, not repositionable.

As far as positioning goes, after the first few you'll get the idea of how much margin you need to leave, and will be able to eyeball it pretty easily. Try adding the adhesive, laying the smaller piece upside down over the larger piece so that you can see how much margin to leave, then flipping it over and sticking it before you forget. Lay the top edge down first, then slide to the sides until there is the same amount of space showing at each corner. If you have the top edges properly parallel and your sheets cut correctly, it should stick down perfectly.

Come back and let us know how you got on? Good luck!

Thank you, I am now looking into tape adhesive and it appears to have good favor on the forums here.

My biggest concerns with tape were will it get close enough to the edge and will it withstand sheer force (curling the finished product should feel like one thick card stock). The /permanent/ tape sounds like it holds up on both counts.

I am ready to go with those two you mentioned. And I got a little scared that my adhesive budget is now larger than my printing or paper budgets!

Thank you!

Yes, you should be able to get right to the edge of the paper with a tape runner and a steady hand. You don't need both of the products - I just linked to two tape runners and their related refills to give you an idea. Try going to the Superstore and searching for "tape runner" and you'll get many more options than just those.

The other thing you could do is to search for tape runners locally. Being acid-free (which those are) will bump up the cost. If that is not important to you, you might be able to find something cheaper where you live. I know one girl here gets her adhesive from her picture framer's. I don't know where you live but I've seen them in places like K-Mart and Target. WalMart might be worth a try too, now that you know what you're looking for.

Of course, the old tried'n'tested double-sided tape will be the cheapest of all, and you'll get the adhesive right to the edges. I still use it for cards.

I actually just gone done doings something pretty similar. I just finished putting together my wedding invites and needed to attach my invite to the pocket for my pocket wedding invites. I used the Advanced Tape Glider. It did a great job of sticking the invite to the pocket the only down side it that it is pretty big and bulky but I was able to do all my invites without having to refill the gun or anything.

I love my ATG, but I thought it might be a bit of overkill for a one-off task. It's worth considering though, if you think you might use it afterwards.

There you are - more food for thought!

Hope your wedding invitations are coming along nicely.

If making invitations is going to become a new hobby of yours, you may want to try this adhesive gun - it would make application quicker and easier http://bit.ly/1hjP5wL

We supply a wide range of abrasives and adhesive tapes so if you are working on any future projects and need some advice, we would be more than happy to help!

Just checking back in to say thanks.

I did use Zazzle and the tape guns you recommend (I bought each -- had a few people) and everything worked out perfect.

The cards were stiff and high quality and we got er done.

Thank you so much for coming back and updating us. It means a lot!

I'm glad you got the job done.

cool glad it worked out!! mg

Hi, wow! Good luck with your project! You are dedicated! For your project it sounds like you found the right supply, but I wanted to mention that if you are ever doing anything with vintage postcards or postcards that might be valuable some day, any adhesive is damaging. I used to sell them online and the bane of the collector's existance was damage done by adhesives. That being said, i found the best way to attach vintage or other postcards to something is usually clear photocorners, that way no adhesive ever touches the back!