Here’s a short guide to help you get the best correction pen tape for your office or school.
Things to Consider Before Buying Correction Tape
A few things to look for in a correction tape are:
Width
Make sure you get the appropriate width of your correction tape as you don’t want to be covering any extra text as you correct a mistake. You should also be able to correct with one stroke of the tape.
Most correction tapes are 1/6th of an inch wide which is perfect for all regular font documents. For extra-large fonts or handwritten documents, carefully check the width before you buy.
Drying Time
When you cover a mistake, you want to correct it immediately by writing over the same spot. Some correction tapes take time to dry and you have to wait till it does before writing over it. Get a correction tape with little to no drying time. Dry-application correction tapes are aimed at solving this very problem.
Rewind Feature
Oftentimes, correction tapes go to waste if they get stuck in the dispenser or fail to roll out properly. Look for a dispenser with a rewind function so that you can pull the tape back in the other direction when it gets stuck.
Strength
Paper base correction tape tends to break or tear easily. It often breaks even before you complete a stroke. You should invest in a correction tape with polyester or film base. They are flexible and much smoother.
How Does Correction Tape Work?
Correction tapes come in small rolls of different lengths, enclosed inside a dispenser. The dispenser holds this tear-resistant tape that is wound onto a spool.
When the user moves the tip of the dispenser across the paper while applying a certain amount of pressure, the coating on the tape detaches from it and adheres to the paper.
The tape continues to move out and roll up on a second spool. And when all of the tape has been used up, it will have completely shifted to the other spool. This is how you get a seamless supply of tape.
Correction Fluid VS Correction Tapes, What’s Better?
Here’s some detail to help you understand both:
Liquid Correction Fluids and Pens
With correction liquids, you have no size restrictions. Just disperse the liquid on large or small mistakes and you’re done. Unless you're skilled at handling the brush/applicator, this method is quite messy and you may actually end up wasting or spilling most of it.
Liquid pens are upright, compact, lightweight, and let you write, draw, or cover very small spots.
The issue with both these methods of correction is that you’ll have to wait for the liquid to dry after application before you can write on it.
Correction Tape
Correction tapes address liquid correction issues. Correction tapes dry (nearly) as soon as you apply them on paper. They are also more precise and look much neater. All you have to do is consider the width of the tape according to the text you’ll typically be using it for.
Benefits of Correction Tapes
Here are some advantages of correcting tapes:
- Correction tape dispensers don’t let the tape get twisted due to their anti-rollback function.
- They provide a smooth and clear surface to write on.
- You can adjust the screw on the dispenser if you feel it is loose.
- Tape is opaque and gives exceptional coverage.
- Tape can also be rolled back.
- Comfortable to use with no mess at all.
Conclusion
Every office and school goer is familiar with how easy correction tape makes things in their everyday lives. You can correct any kind of document in the tidiest manner with them.
To help you pick the best one according to your needs and routine, we put together some tips and considerations to always go by along with our recommendations for the best correction tapes in 2021.
Correction Tape FAQ
Some frequently asked questions are:
Q: How can you remove correction tape?
A: You can simply peel the white strip off the paper, though this gets increasingly difficult as it "sets" on the document.
Q: How long does correction tape last?
A: Typically, correction tape has a shelf life of around 2 years.
Q: Do you need a clean surface for correction tape to work?
A: Yes. It won’t stick if there’s oil, moisture, or dust on the surface.