Blog - IPG | iTape

Every Roll of Packing Tape Is an Ad You Haven't Printed Yet

Written by IPG | Sep 24, 2026
The last surface your customer sees before they open the box is the tape. Right not, it is probably blank! 


THE BLANK SURFACE PROBLEM

Every Box You Ship Already Has Tape on It

Whatever you sell, every order that goes out the door gets sealed with tape. That is true whether the tape is branded or not, which means the only real question is what that strip of tape is doing while it travels from your warehouse to a customer's doorstep. Plain tape does one job: it holds the box shut. Printed tape does that same job and puts your logo, a message, or a QR code in front of everyone who sees the package along the way, including the customer unboxing it, at no extra step in your fulfillment process.

WHAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY PRINT

More Than a Logo, if You Want It To Be

IPG's printable tape lineup covers water-activated tape, select pressure-sensitive carton sealing tape, and even air pillows, and the printing itself can carry more than branding for its own sake. A QR code on the tape can point a customer's phone straight at a current promotion, a loyalty program, a rewards signup, or an affiliate offer, turning the seal on the box into a working marketing channel rather than a static logo. Simpler stock prints, like "Fragile" or "Made in the USA," are available too for teams that want identification on the box without a full custom print run.

  • Company logo or wordmark, printed repeatedly along the roll

  • A QR code linking to a promotion, loyalty program, or affiliate offer

  • A short marketing message alongside the logo

  • Stock identification prints such as Fragile or Made in the USA


BRANDING THAT DOUBLES AS SECURITY 

Printed Water-Activated Tape Does Two Jobs at Once

Custom Printed Water-Activated Tape

Water-activated tape bonds directly to the fibers of the corrugate itself, so a custom printed WAT seal is doing double duty. It carries your logo or QR code across every package, and because the tape cannot be lifted and reapplied without visibly damaging both the box and the print, it also gives customers a clear, branded signal that the package arrived exactly as it left your facility.

SEE PRINTED WAT GUIDELINES →


THE LOWER-COMMITMENT OPTION
 

Printed Carton Sealing Tape for Teams Not Ready for a Full WAT Setup

Custom Printed Carton Sealing Tape

For operations still sealing boxes with a hand-held tape gun and pressure-sensitive tape, select IPG carton sealing tapes can be custom printed the same way as WAT, without requiring a new dispenser or a change in how your team already packs. It is the more accessible entry point into branded packaging for lower-volume shippers who want the same shelf presence and unboxing impression without changing their sealing method first.

SEE PRINTABLE TAPE APPLICATIONS →


PLANNING THE ORDER

It's a Print Run, so Order It Alongside Your Regular Tape 

Custom printing run on a specialized machine, which is why it is a custom order instead of a stock item. The practical approach is to fold a printed order into your regular tape reorder rather than treating it as a separate project, so the branded rolls are ready by the time your current stock runs out instead of creating a gap in the meantime.

THE BOTTOM LINE

You Are Already Paying for the Tape. Make It Work for You

A blank roll and a printed roll of tape take about the same amount of time and effort to apply. While printed tape carries an added cost compared with unprinted tape—whether you choose custom carton sealing tape or water-activated tape—each box still needs to be sealed. The question is whether that required strip of tape simply closes the box or also puts your brand, message, or QR code in front of customers throughout its journey. 


Ready to Put Your Brand on Every Shipment?

Explore printable tape applications, or see how branding and identification prints work across IPG's tape lineup.

SEE PRINTABLE TAPE  →   

SEE BRANDING & IDENTIFICATION →