What is washi tape, actually?
Adhesive tape made of Japanese paper instead of plastic film. That one difference explains almost everything washi does in everyday use: it can be written on, because paper takes ink. It can be torn by hand, because paper fibres tear while film stretches. And in most cases it comes off again without residue, because the adhesive is set weaker than on parcel tape.
Writable means genuinely writable: pencil, fineliner and most ballpoints hold on the surface. Gel and lacquer pens take longer to dry, because the paper is coated – wipe across too soon and you smear. That is why washi is so common in calendars and notebooks: it is tape and note surface in one.
This section is about that behaviour – sticking, tearing, removing, storing. How to use washi in a journal is covered by the journal and planner articles; how it closes a wrap by the wrapping articles.
What does washi tape hold on – and what not?
It holds on smooth, clean, dry surfaces: paper, cardboard, varnished wood, glass, metal. It does not hold on dusty, greasy or heavily textured surfaces, not on textiles, and on nothing that is or becomes damp. Woodchip wallpaper is the classic case where washi comes down by itself after two days – not because the adhesive is bad, but because it finds too little surface.
Removal depends on the substrate, not on the tape. On firm paper and smooth surfaces washi comes off without residue. On thin or rough paper the top layer of fibres can come with it – a notebook with thin pages is no place for tape you plan to peel off again.
What goes wrong most often?
The torn edge frays. Washi is torn, not pulled: press your thumbnail against the edge of the roll and tear in one movement. Pull instead and you stretch the paper first, getting a slanted, frayed edge. For truly straight edges you use scissors anyway.
The end has vanished. On a roll that has been lying around, the end sticks down so flat you cannot find it, and searching tears the top layer to shreds. Fold the starting end over slightly and a small tab remains.
Two layers on top of each other do not hold. Washi sticks to paper better than to itself – the top side is smoother than the surface the adhesive was made for. If you want to layer patterns, offset the strips slightly so each still catches a bit of paper.
The roll warps. Washi is paper and reacts to moisture like paper. Store it upright, dry and out of direct sun – lying in a stack, the bottom roll is pressed oval, and an oval tape no longer unrolls cleanly.
Further in the guide
The article that covers the most common questions:
Related topics: designing a journal – there washi is the means to paste over a failed page instead of tearing it out. And scrapbooking, where the question is which glues do not buckle paper.
The rolls themselves – narrow, wide, patterned and plain – are under buy washi tape.
