About this guide
Sealing a mylar comic bag with the wrong tape is how collectors damage the exact books they’re trying to protect — high-tack tapes like masking tape can tear the bag or leave residue on the comic if it ever needs reopening. This is a narrower market than most — only a couple of tapes are purpose-built for archival use, and collectors have settled on a short, well-tested list of low-adhesive alternatives for the rest.
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The picks, in detail
E. Gerber Archival Comic Book Tape
The purpose-built option: E.
- Clear double-sided acid-free tape
- 1/4 inch x 36 yards
- From the maker of Mylites 2, Mylites 4 and Mylites+
- Made specifically to seal the fold-over flap on Mylar sleeves
- One roll seals roughly 300-400 comics
- Used by archivists for encapsulation generally, not just comics
- Intended as a permanent seal, so it is the wrong choice if you expect to reopen the bag
- Sold mainly through comic and archival suppliers rather than general retail
Why we picked it
Gerber makes the Mylite sleeves most serious collectors use, and this is the tape made to seal them.
J-Lar Clear Tape
The archival trade's standard clear tape, explicitly used for edge-sealing Mylar enclosures.
- Crystal-clear polypropylene base
- Acid-free with a non-yellowing acrylic adhesive
- Abrasion, grease, oil and solvent resistant
- Genuinely archival – stocked by conservation suppliers like TALAS and University Products
- Clearer and stronger than general-purpose office tape
- Doubles as label protection and spine reinforcement
- Single-sided, so it seals the outside of a seam rather than bonding a flap from within
- Stocked by preservation suppliers, not craft shops
Shurtape J-LAR Library Clear-to-the-Core Tape
The wide library format of J-Lar, for anyone sealing bags in volume or reinforcing magazine spines too.
- 2 inches x 72 yards
- Clear to the core
- Tear by hand
- Far better value per yard than small archival rolls
- Tears by hand, so no dispenser needed
- 2 inch width is wider than you need for a comic bag seam
- Large roll is overkill for a small collection
Neschen Filmoplast P Archival Tape
The thin, transparent sibling of the P90 – the archival choice when the repair needs to be as close to invisible as possible.
- Thin transparent archival paper tape
- Acid-free and wood-free
- Non-yellowing pressure-sensitive adhesive
- Far less visible than the opaque P90 on a display bag
- A genuine conservation product stocked by archival suppliers like TALAS
- Made for repairs where appearance matters
- Thinner and less robust than the P90
- Still a paper tape, so it is not truly invisible on clear Mylar
Filmoplast P90 Archival Tape
Neschen's archival paper tape, long used in book and paper conservation.
- Acid-free wood-free archival paper tape (50 gsm)
- Buffered with calcium carbonate
- Passed the PAT test, ISO 18916 accelerated-ageing standard
- Non-yellowing acrylic adhesive
- A genuine conservation product with a long track record
- Available from most archival suppliers
- Opaque paper rather than clear film, so it is visually obvious on a Mylar bag
- Better suited to boards and boxes than to sleeve seams
Scotch Magic Tape (3M)
Not archival, but the tape collectors most often reach for when they want a seal they can undo later.
- Matte finish
- Low tack relative to packing tape
- Available everywhere
- Cheap and universally available
- The most commonly cited choice when the bag may need reopening for grading or resale
- Not an archival product – do not treat it as a long-term seal
- Adhesive will degrade over years, unlike the acrylic archival tapes
ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape (3M)
The removable option: low tack, clean removal, and no pretence of being archival.
- Low-tack acrylic adhesive
- Designed for clean removal
- Multiple widths
- Removes cleanly from Mylar without tearing it
- Good for temporary storage or bags you handle often
- Visually obvious blue on a display bag
- Explicitly temporary – not for long-term storage
What each one costs
Typical price, cheapest first. Tap a name to jump to that pick and its buy link.
Compare any three
| E. Gerber Archival Comic Book Tape | J-Lar Clear Tape | Shurtape J-LAR Library Clear-to-the-Core Tape | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $12-$22 | $10-$20 | $15-$30 |
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Buying tips
- Never let any tape – archival or not – touch the comic itself. It goes on the Mylar sleeve only.
- Decide first whether the seal is permanent. E. Gerber’s double-sided tape and J-Lar are meant to stay put; if the bag may be reopened for grading or resale, use a low-tack tape instead.
- Skip masking tape and packing tape entirely – collectors consistently report both damaging bags or books on removal.
- One roll of E. Gerber archival tape seals roughly 300-400 comics, which makes it far cheaper per book than the sticker price suggests.
- Buy the archival tapes (E. Gerber, J-Lar) from comic or document-conservation suppliers – general craft stores rarely stock either.
- Scotch Magic Tape is not archival. It is the pragmatic choice for books you handle often, not for a long-term seal on a valuable issue.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.