| Type of Adhesive |
Description |
Examples |
Best Use/Benefits |
Comments |
| Photo Corners |
Triangular corners (lick n’ stick or self-adhesive); attaches to layout and holds photos securely in place
|
3L (Scrapbook Adhesives), Pioneer, Chatterbox, Heidi Swapp
|
The adhesive never touches the photographs, providing extra safety for irreplaceable photographs; for heritage albums ; good choice if you think you may need to remove the picture from the album in the future
|
Some may find photo corners difficult to attach correctly and occasionally photographs can pop out of the corners; are very time consuming to use in comparison to adhesive dispensers or mounting squares.
|
| Mounting Squares or Photo Tabs |
Small squares of double sided tape; come with a peel-off backing and are dispensed from a box; only 2-4 tabs needed per photo |
3L (Scrapbook Adhesives) |
Most typically used to adhere photos, cardstock and other lightweight, flat items; offers precise placement; cost effective; easy to use |
Leaves little pieces of release paper or backing paper to clean up; more timely to use than adhesive dispensers; Scrapbook Adhesives has now come out with the “Click & Stick” dispenser for their photo tabs, making this tool more user friendly. |
| Adhesive Dispensers |
Hand held, roll-on disp-ensers, filled with either a film adhesive (permanent or repositionable) or mounting squares; some dispensers are refillable |
Vario & Dotto (EK), E-Z Runner & E-Z Squares (Scrapbook Adhesives), Tombow Mono |
A time efficient & reliable method for adhering photos, cardstock, paper and other lightweight, flat items |
Easy to use more than is necessary, thus quickly emptying the dispenser; tabs can be applied more judiciously than film adhesive and is more effective on small, lightweight embellishments like buttons |
| Adhesive Dots |
Small, double-sided, ultra-sticky dots available in various sizes; used to adhere bulkier embellish-ments. |
Glue Dots |
The perfect adhesive for heavier embellishments such as metal, buttons, flowers, and ribbon; very strong and sticky. |
In order to avoid transferring oils from your fingers onto the dots, which will neutralize their stickiness, glue dots need to be applied directly to the item from the paper backing; larger glue dots can add a 3-D element; glue dots are not repositionable, so place them with care; can sometimes leave a lump where they are adhered. |
| Mounting Foam |
Pre-cut, double-sided, raised foam that adheres an item for a 3-D effect. |
3-D Dots by EK Success |
Provides the lumpy-bumpy dimensional look; can be bought in pre-cut circles, pre-cut squares, pre-cut strips, as well as on a roll so you can custom cut a variety of sizes |
Adheres to most items including heavier embellishments and paper. |
| Adhesive Tape |
Acid-free, archival quality tape, very similar to what you have at home, except it’s safe for your photos; available in permanent, repositionable & double-sided. |
Scotch |
Adhesive tape works well for attaching ribbon to the backside of a layout, or attaching a picture to the back of a mat; would use it wherever you need a simple piece of tape. |
Adhesive dispensers are more user friendly for the majority of applications. |
| Wet Glue |
A strong liquid adhesive stored in a bottle; comes in several different formulations, each with special adhesive abilities (read the labels) |
Making Memories, Weldbond, Tombow Mono Multi, Modge Podge, Adhesive Tech, etc. |
Most wet glues are excellent for adhering paper, ribbon, beads, glitter, powders and many heavier embellishments including acrylic, metal, plastic, and wood; tend to be used most often in papercrafting and altered projects, more so than in scrapbooking; effective for covering large areas with paper |
Wet glue can cause paper to buckle or warp; use cautiously and flatten with a brayer for best results |
| Glue Sticks |
All-purpose, wet glue stored in a tube and spread directly on to the paper from the tube. |
UHU Stic, Tombow, Pioneer |
Adhere flat objects such as paper and cardstock embellishments; an inexpensive adhesive – just make sure it’s acid-free. |
Glue sticks do not always make the best adhesive for scrapbooking; biggest drawback is that many of them lose their adhesion over time; pictures and/or paper eventually lift off and a project may fall apart; cheap alternative to other adhesives and good for temporary or non-archival projects and kids’ projects. |
| Glue Pens |
pen-like tubes with ball-point or felt tips that apply a thin line of liquid glue to your project. Available in permanent or repositionable bond |
Quickie Pen, Zig (EK Success) |
Glue pens are great for adhering small items like punched pieces, small die cut shapes, gems and sequins. |
This glue is a bit particular to use for everyday use, but is great when used for its intended purpose. |
| Xyron Machines |
Applies an adhesive film to one side of paper, ribbon or thin embellishments, turning almost anything into a sticker! |
Xyron |
This is a very versatile tool and a must have for people who use die cuts or punched pieces. The machine comes in a variety a sizes, with repositionable refills available as well. |
Xyron machines work only with flat objects – you cannot insert dimensional embellishments. |
Scrapbooking 
