We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
WiseGEEK

Advertiser Disclosure

Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

How We Make Money

We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently from our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Home

What is Book Repair Tape?

Mary Elizabeth
By
Updated May 17, 2024
Our promise to you
WiseGEEK is dedicated to creating trustworthy, high-quality content that always prioritizes transparency, integrity, and inclusivity above all else. Our ensure that our content creation and review process includes rigorous fact-checking, evidence-based, and continual updates to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At WiseGEEK, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

Book repair tape, also known as book binding tape and occasionally referred to as bookbinder’s tape, refers to several different kinds of tape used in preserving and making repairs to books and other paper publications. It comes in a variety of sizes and thicknesses and is used for several different purposes. Acid-free and/or archival quality tape is available in a variety of styles as well, and some include pH specifications in their descriptions.

Cloth Tape. Cloth tape is used to repair spines and reinforce card stock and board products such as pamphlet covers, record albums, and binders.

Linen Tape. There is also a linen-backed white tape known as book repair tape. This tape is generally archival quality and is used for hinging. Some linen tape is gummed, while other styles have adhesive — sometimes called self-adhesive — backing. Also, some linen tape has center perforations so that it folds easily. Another use for this type of tape is to replace the hinges of the swell flap mechanisms on reed organs, but using hot glue, rather than the gummed adhesive backing, is recommended.

Paper Tape. This type is specifically meant to aid in repair of pages. It can mend page edges that have been damaged or reattach torn-out pages. It can also be used on unbound documents.

Transparent Tape and Film. One sort of book repair tape is a clear polyethylene tape with a glossy finish, available in rolls of various widths. This flexible tape can be used to repair torn paper covers, to reinforce spines, and to protect paperbacks and magazines. There is also transparent film available that has two special qualities — it can repositioned for about four hours, and the peelable backing is marked with a grid to make accurate measurement easy.

Vinyl-coated Cloth Tape. Vinyl-coated cloth tape in colors to match or contrast with the binding is used to reinforce book spines, and comes, like other self-adhesive vinyl covering products, on a peel-off liner. Fluorescent vinyl-coated book repair tape is also available, as is poly-coated cloth tape. Any of these can also be used for color-coding files, storage boxes, or other items.

WiseGEEK is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Mary Elizabeth
By Mary Elizabeth
Passionate about reading, writing, and research, Mary Elizabeth is dedicated to correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to writing articles on art, literature, and music for WiseGEEK, Mary works as a teacher, composer, and author who has written books, study guides, and teaching materials. Mary has also created music composition content for Sibelius Software. She earned her B.A. from University of Chicago's writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont.
See our Editorial Process Share Feedback

Related Articles

Discussion Comments

By SteamLouis — On May 09, 2012

I wish I had found out about book repair tapes earlier.

I'm sure some people will be appalled reading this, but I had a couple of books I used throughout high school and college. They were so worn out at one point that the cover would completely fall off or the pages would come out and get all mixed up. I would repair them using Elmer's glue and some duct tape.

Of course this repair didn't last long. The duct tape ended up destroying the paper-back covers altogether. And the Elmer's glue was so stiff that the pages would rip as I tried to flip them over. I had to throw the books away.

I should have used some vinyl covered cloth tape and transparent film instead. I would probably still have those books now.

By burcidi — On May 08, 2012

@jonrss-- Is the ripped page the only damage done to the book?

If so, I think a transparent book repair tape will work for now. But if there is other damage done to the book, you should consider taking it to a book preservation expert.

Clearly this book is valuable to you and if you try to repair it yourself, you might end up damaging it even more. Book repair is actually a lot harder than it seems. Repairing a small rip is not so bad but repairing covers or hinging is hard. There are experts who repair them for a small cost.

The only books I repair myself are recipe books. I often use cloth book repair tape or maybe some acid free glue to put pages back together. But for valuable books, I take it to an expert.

By fify — On May 08, 2012

@anon31216-- You're probably right but have you tried acid-free book repair tapes? They are said to be a lot better than other tapes and are supposed to cause no damage to the book in the long run.

I don't have old books at home but I do have a lot of old family documents, journals and pictures that I'm preserving. Last week, I noticed that several had been torn during our move and needed repair fast.

I don't know much about book repair tape but I asked around for the best product and was recommended an acid-free book binding repair tape. It comes in strips and is made of polyester. I just followed the directions and it went on really easily and bound the ripped pages nicely. I guess we'll see how it turns out in the long-term but I'm quite impressed with it so far.

By jonrss — On May 08, 2012

I have an old children's book that belonged to my grandmother. It has been in each generation since and is something of a family heirloom.

I was reading it to my daughter recently and as I was turning one of the pages it ripped. Not too badly but it is about an inch or two long.

I was at the store and I saw scotch book repair tape and I wondered if that would stop the tear and protect the paper? Does anyone have any expertise in this area? How can I make sure that this old book is preserved for as long as possible?

By ZsaZsa56 — On May 07, 2012

I work in the technical services department of a large public library system and most of my day is spent repairing old books. Often times this involves massive amounts of book tape.

It works for certain small jobs but past a point it is pretty hopeless. This is one of the trickiest jobs that a library is tasked with performing. They have to protect the information held in those books even long after the physical structure of the book has been destroyed.

By anon31216 — On May 01, 2009

Book tape is no longer considered a good preservation method, as it is difficult if not impossible to reverse. Even the "archival" paper tape should only be used on documents or books that have little or no artifactual value. It is better to do those repairs using wheat starch paste and thin Japanese tissue: this repair can be reversed if needed.

Mary Elizabeth

Mary Elizabeth

Passionate about reading, writing, and research, Mary Elizabeth is dedicated to correcting misinformation on the Internet. In addition to writing articles on art, literature, and music for WiseGEEK, Mary works as a teacher, composer, and author who has written books, study guides, and teaching materials. Mary has also created music composition content for Sibelius Software. She earned her B.A. from University of Chicago's writing program and an M.A. from the University of Vermont.
WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGEEK, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.