Do you like working with paper, are you a fan of scrapbooking, or do you like making your own greeting cards? If you like to combine different materials during your DIY sessions, you’ll occasionally be faced with the question of which glue to use.
If you’re looking for glue for your creative projects, you’ve come to the right place. After all, not all glues are created equal – and the right choice can make or break your creative project. Keep reading to learn more.
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MONO aqua


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Different materials require different types of glue
How well you can glue materials together depends on a number of factors, including their surface structure. Smooth paper and cardboard are usually easier to bond than rough or porous surfaces. Another aspect that plays a role is whether or not any force will be pulling on the material.
High-quality glue should meet the following requirements:
- It reliably and permanently hold the materials of your choice together
- It’s easy to use and doesn’t make a mess
- It’s easy to apply just the right amount
- It doesn’t get paper or cardboard so wet that it forms wrinkles
That’s why there are different types of glue for different materials and applications.
Depending on the application, you can choose from a range of different types of glue. Tombow offers:
Glue sticksthat are easy to use and can be applied cleanly – without causing the paper to wrinkle up
That’s why Tombow offers liquid glue like the MONO MULTI Liquid Glue and the MONO AQUA Liquid Glue that come with two tips: a small pointed tip that allows you to apply dots or fine lines of glue, and a wide tip that’s perfect for gluing large surfaces and for spreading the glue. The AQUA is water-based and washable. This is helpful if some glue does happen get on your clothes or furniture. It also dries clear, making it suitable for transparent materials. You can use it to glue paper, cardboard, ribbons, felt, foam rubber, or photos. This liquid glue is also perfect for embossing. Tombow’s MONO MULTI Liquid Glue is also perfect for these materials – with the exception of anything transparent, since it dries slightly opaque. As a craft glue, it is thicker than MONO AQUA, which is why its firmer consistency means that you have to clamp or hold the materials together and wait for a shorter period of time. In addition, MONO MULTI is perfect for projects requirement both a permanent and a removable bond. Find out more here.
If you’re working on a project with fine details, like scrapbooking, the MONO Glue Pen is the perfect addition to your desk. The glue pen applies very small dots of glue, which allows you to glue on small pieces of paper, flowers, or sequins, for example. Holding the glue pen feels just like having a writing utensil in your hand. Since the glue flows over a ball in the tip (similar to a ballpoint pen), we recommend applying it slowly to achieve a slightly thicker line.
Many of Tombow’s glues are acid-free. Acid-free glue is particularly suitable for sensitive types of paper such as photos.
Adhesives that are not acid-free usually contain the very common methoxypropanol (also known as 1-methoxy-2-propanol). This is a solvent that is highly biodegradable and is not bad for the environment. It improves the properties of the glue, making it easier to use, and makes wrinkle-free gluing possible, for example.
Liquid glue is also great for creating embossing effects. The result then looks like the surface is actually embossed. This works particularly well with the fine tip of the MONO AQUA Liquid Glue or with the MONO Glue Pen. To do this, apply the adhesive to the substrate in the desired shape. Now apply embossing powder as accurately as possible over the lines of glue, and let the glue dry. Carefully turn the object over and shake it to remove the remaining powder. Now heat the powder with an embossing heat gun until it melts and voilà! Your beautiful embossing effect is finished.
Glue sticks – the practical and safe way to glue
When working with very fine paper, liquid glue can sometimes cause the paper to get too moist and wrinkle up. In this case, a glue stick like the MONO Glue Stick is a better choice. It is extremely easy to use. You just rub it over the paper and then place the pieces you want to glue together. You can still move the glued surfaces around during the first two minutes after you have applied the glue, which means you can work very accurately. Working with the glue stick is especially clean, the glue does not smear at all. Conventional water-based glue sticks often cause wrinkles in the paper. In addition, when working with these sticks, you often rub off too much glue, which causes small clumps to form. The MONO Glue Stick is alcohol-based, which means that depending on the paper you’re using, there’ll be hardly any wrinkles or no wrinkles at all. Only a small amount of glue rubs off with each application, which means the stick lasts for a long time.
Here’s a tip: After production, the top layer of the MONO Glue Stick is left uncovered. It dries a little and protects the rest of the glue. So before using the glue stick for the first time, remove the top layer.
Another benefit of the MONO Glue Stick is that when you’re out and about, it won’t leak in your bag.
Here’s how to use an adhesive roller:
- If you make photo albums or scrapbooks, it’s much quicker to use an adhesive roller than individual adhesive mounting squares or photo corners.
- Do you put a lot of thought and creative energy into how you wrap gifts? With an adhesive roller, you can even hide the glued areas between the paper.
- You can use adhesive rollers to apply the transfer foil when designing greeting cards. To do so, apply the adhesive roller to the paper in a pattern and place the transfer foil over it. Now gently and carefully smooth it out over the adhesive and then remove it again. The film sticks to the adhesive pattern – and creates a dazzling design.
- Wedding preparations are fun, but often time-consuming. You’re sure to be grateful for any time you save when designing your invitations, menu cards, or place cards. Adhesive rollers allow you to glue quickly, apply easily, and you don’t have to wait because the adhesive is dry.
- Admission tickets or other memories can be glued into your journal or diary with both permanent and removable adhesive rollers.
Adhesive rollers are used similar to applying correction tape. The carrier tape is covered with an adhesive layer which is applied to the paper when rolled over it. But be careful to glue the paper down exactly how you want it to be, because you can’t reposition it when using a permanent adhesive roller. The dry adhesive means you don’t have to wait like with liquid glue or clamp the two pieces together.
The bottom line is that an adhesive roller is a useful addition to liquid glue and a glue stick.
There are many little tricks to make life easier when working on creative projects. When gluing, for example, one question is whether you should coat the surface of both items you are gluing together with glue. Another is when the best time is to let the glue dry – before or after bonding the two materials.
Create your own personalized sticky notes with a removable adhesive roller
Besides permanent adhesive rollers, there are also removable adhesive rollers like the MONO Removable Adhesive. In this case, the adhesive layer is applied in the exact same way: by rolling it onto the paper. The paper can be repositioned on the desired surface after application. This allows you to create your own personalized sticky notes.
Using the right amount of adhesive is crucial in order for your personal sticky note to hold. The easiest way to do this is to base the amount of adhesive you use on the amount found on conventional sticky notes in relation to the size of the piece of paper.
There are many little tricks to make life easier when working on creative projects. When gluing, for example, one question is whether you should coat the surface of both items you are gluing together with glue. Another is when the best time is to let the glue dry – before or after bonding the two materials.