RTape Paper Application Tape & Premask Descriptions

RTape manufactures dozens of paper and film tapes, which are designed to satisfy some specific customer applications.  In fact, RTape manufactures a wider range of application tapes and screen print premasks than any other tape company. The variety of tapes include different weights of paper, different film facestocks, different adhesive formulations and coating thickness.  

Believe me, if we could make one application tape that would work for every conceivable application, we would.  The fact is that many end users have specific applications that require tapes with specific performance properties.  The RTape website (www.rtape.com) lists all of the different types and specifications for the tapes that we make for the graphics arts industry.  Some of our most popular paper application tapes, premasks and surface protection tapes and their applications are listed below. 

Product Number	Tack Level	Description & Applications
4000	LOW	ApliTape™ 4000 is of a standard grade saturated paper premask, coated with a low tack rubber adhesive. 4000 is excellent for protecting large format digital  and screen printed graphics. Good choice for masking plastics, such as acrylic, Formica, PETG and polycarbonate and metals, such as polished steel and aluminum. Recommended for use with Avery Dennison’s MPI 6121 Street Graphics.
4000RLA	LOW	Conform® 4000RLA is a standard weight paper premask with a low tack rubber adhesive. 4000RLA is  a great choice for protecting large format digital prints, as well as surface protection of  plastic and metal surfaces. Adhesive will not build over time and removes easily from printed graphics. 4000RLA features Conform®  technology with improved adhesion to paper or film release liners.
4050	MEDIUM	ApliTape™  4050  is a standard grade paper saturated paper application tape, coated with a medium tack rubber adhesive.  Superior choice for medium and large plotter cut graphics. A good choice for large fleet graphics and for applying graphics to vinyl banners.
4050RLA	MEDIUM	Conform® 4050RLA is standard weight  paper application tape coated with  a medium tack  rubber adhesive. It is ideal for masking of small and mid-sized die cut or prespaced vinyl and printed graphics. 4050RLA is the perfect choice for banner graphics, because it releases easier from the banner substrate following graphics application.  4050RLA® features Conform®  technology with improved adhesion to paper or film release liners.
4075	HIGH	ApliTape™ 4075  is a standard grade paper saturated paper application tape, coated with a  high tack rubber adhesive. Great choice for most sign shop applications from small and medium graphics to  large plotter cut letters.
4075RLA	HIGH	Conform® 4075RLA is standard weight  paper application tape with  a high tack  rubber adhesive. 4075RLA is the world’s best selling general purpose application tape in the sign industry.   It is ideal for masking of small and mid-sized die cut or prespaced vinyl and printed graphics.  4075RLA® features Conform®  technology with improved adhesion to paper or film release liners.
4076RLA	SLIGHTLY HIGHER	Conform® 4076RLA is a standard grade paper saturated paper application tape, coated with a slightly higher tack rubber adhesive.  Excellent for hard-to-transfer vinyls utilizing release liners with higher release values, small and medium-size letters, specialty vinyls and thermal die cuts. 4076RLA® features Conform®  technology with improved adhesion to paper or film release liners.
4078RLA	MEDIUM	Conform® 4078RLA  is a standard weight  paper application tape with a medium tack adhesive. It is the perfect tape for wall graphics, featuring sufficient lifting power to transfer difficult-to-transfer plotter films. Following the installation, 4078RLA releases easily from applied graphics without pulling the graphics off of the wall surface. 4078RLA also features a unique RLA® Release Liner Adhesion formulation, which allows the tape to stick to hard-to-adhere-to release liners.
4700	LOW	ApliTape™ 4700 is of a heavyweight paper premask, coated with a low tack rubber adhesive. 4700 is excellent for protecting large format digital  and screen printed graphics. Good choice for masking plastics, such as acrylic, Formica, PETG and polycarbonate and metals, such as polished steel and aluminum.
4700LT RLA	LOW	Conform® 4700LT RLA  is a  heavyweight, highly saturated paper application tape with a medium-low tack rubber adhesive. Designed for use with vinyl paint masks, 4700LT RLA® features Conform® technology with improved adhesion to release liners.
4760	MEDIUM HIGH	ApliTape™ 4760 is a heavily saturated heavyweight paper with a medium tack rubber adhesive. 4760 is an excellent alternative to 3M SCPM-44X and ABI 6882. It is compatible with UV inks, including 3M 9700 UV and Nazdar 3500 UV Series inks. Ideal for halftones and 4C Process printing. An exceptional choice to protect large format screen printed and digitally printed graphics.
4760RLA	MEDIUM HIGH	Conform®  4760RLA is a heavyweight saturated paper premask with a medium tack rubber adhesive. 4760RLA is ideal for protecting medium and large graphics printed with UV screen print inks and clear coats.  Specially formulated to flow into the peaks and valleys of the textured surface of four color prints. 4760RLA features Conform® technology with improved adhesion to paper or film release liners. 4760RLA is the perfect alternative to 3M SCPS-55.
4761RLA	HIGH	Conform® 4761RLA is a heavily saturated heavyweight paper with a high tack rubber adhesive. 4761RLA is designed as a prespacing tape for air egress vinyls. It is an excellent alternative to 3M SCPS-55. Perfect for use with die cut and plotter cut graphics. Adheres to embossed liners of air egress films such as 3M™ Comply™ and Avery Easy Apply RS™.  4761RLA is an exceptional choice to protect large format screen printed and digitally printed graphics, especially fleet graphics and building graphics.
4775RLA	HIGH	Conform® 4775RLA is a heavyweight paper prespacing tape coated with a high tack rubber adhesive. 4775RLA is designed to aid the transfer and installation of small and medium graphics. It is compatible with UV screen print inks and clear coats. 4775RLA features Conform® technology with improved adhesion to paper or film release liners. 4775RLA is the perfect alternative to 3M SCPS-2 and ABI 792U.
4885	ULTRA HIGH	ApliTape™ 4885  is a heavyweight paper prespacing tape with an ultra high tack rubber adhesive. 4885 is designed for difficult-to-transfer graphics applications, such as thermal die cut graphics and highly textured window graphics films. Used in screen print applications, 4885 is designed to aid the transfer and installation of small and large graphics, printed with UV screen print inks and clear coats.
4350	MEDIUM	4350 Pallet Protek™  is standard weight smooth paper coated with  a medium tack  rubber adhesive  designed specifically as a premask for  screen print pallets. Its rubber-based adhesive resists solvents & high temperatures of flash curing. By pre-covering your pallets with 4350 Pallet Protek™  and spraying the paper tape instead of the pallet, press clean up is simply a matter of removing and discarding  the tape. The whole process is fast and easy.

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Vinyl Application Videos

Squeegee Technique. Nothing is more basic in vinyl application than the squeegee. But some squeegees work better than others. And there are right ways and wrong ways to use this simple tool. This video clip reviews squeegee selection, squeegee care and squeegee technique. Click to Link

Wet Applications. Dry applications are typically recommended for most vinyl applications. For those exceptions to the rule, this instructional video explains the right way to perform a wet application. Click to Link

Application of Window Graphics. Installing vinyl graphics on glass can be challenging, because the adhesive aggressively grabs onto this high energy surface. Repositioning graphics on window is generally difficult, if not impossible. This instructional video explains how to dry apply window graphics right the first time. It also describes the necessary steps required for surface preparation. Click to Link

Transferring Frosted Window Graphics Films.  Because frosted window films are highly textured, transferring cut vinyl graphics can be problematic. This video provides direction in selection of the right application tape and how to apply these films quickly, easily and without problems. Click to Link

3-Step Surface Prep. This instructional video describes how to properly clean the surface of a vehicle before applying pressure sensitive vinyl graphics to a trailer or doing a full wrap of a car or van. This three step surface prep involves detergent washing, solvent cleaning and a final wipe down with IPA. Click to Link

Vinyl Application Over Rivets. Applying vinyl graphics on vehicle surfaces with rivets is challenging for most sign makers. Vinyl failures to these surfaces are all too common. This video demonstrates some tips and procedures, used by professional decal installers, which will make these demanding applications easier and more trouble-free.  Click to Link

Vinyl Application to Corrugations. Learn how to apply vinyl graphics to corrugations in a relaxed state. Forcing films into the valleys of corrugations puts too much mechanical stress on the film. Sooner or later, the vinyl will lift or tent in valleys. Click to Link

Applying Air Egress Vinyls. Vinyl films with air egress release liners have almost eliminated bubbles and wrinkles from applied graphics. Air egress release liners with their highly textured surface structure are problematic. Not much will stick to these liners other than the vinyl film. At RTape our best premask solution for air egress liners is a special Conform® tape called 4761RLA. Click to Link

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

© 2016 Jim Hingst