We have 3 rolls of this laying around left over from another project. So before I pony up & buy some “recommended” brand of tape for non-proofgrade material I was wondering if anyone has used this or has any info on it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JE9JPW2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Plenty of people have used masking tape, that blue painters tape, and it’s worked fine. The narrow widths, not the tape, is the real problem. Not so much with that roll.
If I had no masking material and was trying to decide between this and what I have from Sign Warehouse, I would go with what I have because
If I had three leftover rolls, well I would at least try it on a few projects. I would not leave it on material for very long though. By very long I mean weeks or months. I would expect it to set up and bond thoroughly with the material if given enough time. That can happen with the proofgrade masking, and I’ve always had issues removing masking tape from something years later.
i don’t see a reason why that won’t work. it’s probably going to be a “high-tack” equivalent, stickier than the blue painters tape. so could be more difficult to weed.
there may be times this might be more useful. but also some materials may not do as well with it. just depends on exactly how sticky that adhesive is.
I have some that looks similar to that stuff, and it does work but:
It is high tack like @shop suggests. This leads to pulling up wood fibers on some species/cuts.
It sets. Like hard. Don’t leave it on your material for long.
It tears more easily than other masking that I use. When you try to peel it off it might rip.
It is stretchier than other masking. That means that as I stick it down I have to be careful that it doesn’t start to ripple and pucker and have a weird texture.
Bottom line I keep it around for a pinch but almost never reach for it as masking material but tend to use it as tape.
You might as well give it a try! But depending how “crepe-y” its texture really is, the variation might affect the consistency for any detail work. Or the adhesive might not be friendly with what you’re putting it on (or rather, too friendly, and doesn’t come off easily or leave the material unaffected). Likely it will work fine for many cases, but maybe not all designs/materials. A very definite maybe, or another way to think about it, it’ll work until it doesn’t.
As @evansd2 pointed out, that stuff is not ideal. IMHO, it is going to make your life harder, not easier. I would just buy some better tape.
I have used that exclusively and if you line it up with minimal bumps, it works great.
What would you consider better tape? I am so very new to this and I just have no idea.
I don’t have the budget to just go for unlimited trial & error.
I am using this stuff for both laser masking and vinyl sign transfers. No regrets.
https://www.uscutter.com/GreenStar-Layflat-Classic-Transfer-Tape-Medium-Tack-Assorted-Widths
But, I haven’t had cause to leave it on laser materials for months, I usually mask and cut right away. I can’t guarantee it won’t set up hard if you wait too long.
If you search the forum for “transfer tape” you will surely find other ideas too.
I’d start with any medium tack, paper-backed, transfer tape, like in this post:
The masking tape you list will work just fine for some stuff, but other times it will not be ideal. Remember the transfer tape is pressure sensitive so you need some sort of squeegee to make it adhere. An old credit card works fine, but if you’re doing it a lot getting something wider from a sign place is handy. And finally, transfer tape has a shelf-life of about 18 months. Mine is about that age and it still works, but there will probably be issues soon.
If budget is a big issue: Cheapest 12" wide masking tape
Searching for “cheap masking” would have found it 
