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Adhesives for Trading Card Manufacturing and Packaging
You seal packs, tip inserts and form hobby boxes. We make the adhesive for each step. Tell us your card stock, wrapper film and line speed.
Who this page is for
Card printers, pack and box packagers, display makers, and converters who make sleeves, bags, and promotional inserts. We make hot melt, water-based, heat seal and pressure sensitive adhesives in Quakertown, PA, and can custom formulate.
Call 800-249-0337 Request a sample
Where adhesive is used in a trading card line
- Pack sealing and wrapping. Flow-wrapped packs sealed with heat seal coatings or cold seal cohesives. See heat seal for paper and films and cold seal.
- Inserts, redemption, relic and patch cards. Removable fugitive hot melts tip cards to carriers and typically peel off cleanly. Test on your card stock before a run. See peel and reseal.
- Box and display carton forming. Metallocene hot melt or water-based cold glue for hobby boxes, blasters, displays and shippers. See packaging adhesives.
- Laminating. Board, card-ply and film laminating. See laminating.
- Labels and seals. Pressure sensitive adhesive for box labels and seals. See pressure sensitive adhesive.
Products by use
| Use | Product number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pack wrapper sealing (heat seal) | 8485 heat seal coating for films, foils and papers; 7-3005, 7-3028 water-based heat seals | Stock heat seal grades on our heat seal page. Matching to your wrapper film and seal jaw temperature: call for recommendation. |
| Pack wrapper sealing (cold seal) | 8209, 8221, 8223 | Cohesive cold seal for flow-wrap lines that run with heat off. Synthetic latex grade on request. |
| Insert, redemption and promo card tipping (removable/fugitive) | 9907 medium-tack removable; 9629 medium/high-tack fugitive; 9175 high-tack fugitive; 9120 repositionable hot melt | Peel-off bond to carriers and mailers. Test on your own printed, coated card stock first. Samples available, call 800-249-0337. |
| Relic, patch and memorabilia cards | Call for recommendation | Permanent bond of swatches or windows inside multi-ply cards depends on the materials. Send samples. |
| Hobby box, blaster and display carton forming (hot melt) | 8341, 8309 metallocene, typically high heat resistance, coated stocks | Case, tray, display and shipper sealing. |
| Folding carton and glue lap (water-based) | 8272 coated/UV stock; 8281 glue lap or laminating | For carton lines that run cold glue. |
| Board and card-ply laminating | 8252 laminating; 8275 resin/dextrin laminating; 8900 / 8900A film laminating | Multi-ply board, display and film laminating. Foil or specialty card constructions: call for recommendation. |
| Labels and seals (PSA) | 8241 water-based tack grade for tapes and labels | Box labels, seals and price stickers. Removable or resealable PSA: call for recommendation. |
Product numbers are starting points. Grade selection depends on your substrate and equipment. See also hot melt, water-based and heat seal adhesives.
FAQ
Do you make adhesives that touch the trading card itself?
Our insert and laminating grades are used in card and pack production. Test samples on your card stock before a run.
Heat seal or cold seal for packs?
Heat seal is common on flow-wrapped packs. Cold seal runs with seal jaws off and suits heat-sensitive inserts. Send the film and line speed and we will recommend a grade.
What is fugitive glue?
A removable hot melt that holds an insert or card in place and peels off. We offer a medium-tack removable grade (9907), a medium/high-tack fugitive (9629), a high-tack fugitive (9175) and a repositionable hot melt (9120). Test on your own printed, coated card stock first; samples available, call 800-249-0337.
Can I get a sample?
Yes. Call 800-249-0337 or use the contact form. Tell us the substrate, applicator and line speed.
Talk to us
Send your card stock, coating, wrapper film and line speed. Call 800-249-0337, email sales@cattieadhesives.com, or request a sample.