Paper is most likely the material that is most frequently used in crafting. There are so many variations of paper, and the ease of reshaping, lightweight, and cheap cost make it an excellent choice for a wide variety of DIY crafts and projects.
Because it is so popular, there are many adhesives advertised as the best glue for paper. Hundreds of different brands claim that their glue is more versatile, stronger, or easier to use than the others. But which one should you believe?
We will help you answer that question in this article with a list of the best glue for paper. Along with the list, we included a guide where you can learn more about different types of paper and adhesives.
Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Glue For Paper – Reviews
We started our research with more than 30 glue models that were advertised as the best glue for paper. After reviewing each one, we came up with 6 models that performed the best. They passed our rigorous criteria and glued paper excellently. We included adhesives for paper to paper, as well as paper to wood, cardboard, and plastic application so that you can choose one that suits your project.
Our Pick
Elmer's E305 Washable School Glue
Drying Color: Clear
Setting Time: 30 Minutes
Viscosity: Medium
When it comes to paper-to-paper bonding, no glue beats Elmer’s in terms of price to performance ratio. It’s what we used as kids and what we use as adults for various paper gluing projects and tasks.
We found that the E305 model performed magnificently on paper and bonded every kind of paper we put it up to. It is, in our opinion, the best glue for paper when it comes to small crafting projects.
Bonding Strength
This glue has the muscle to do the job. It bonds every type of paper and cardboard very effectively.
It’s a PVA glue, which is what we want for paper-to-paper application as it works great with this material. You will have no problem bonding cardboard and paper to each other with this adhesive. You can also bond paper to other lightweight materials with this glue.
The bonds made with this glue are long-lasting and resistant, meaning that your crafts will be with you for a number of years.
The strength of this glue is sufficient for small-sized paper and cardboard crafts, as that is what it was designed for. It isn’t too strong and won’t damage the paper, which tends to be a problem with other adhesives.
If you need something that can bond paper to different materials such as metal or plastic, take a look at some of the other adhesives we reviewed below.
Drying Color
The transparently clear drying color of this adhesive is what makes it so suitable for paper crafts. It is 100% crystal clear when it cures and won’t leave any ugly or discolored residue.
This makes the crafts look neat and more professional-like. You won’t have to worry if the glue will alter the looks of your crafts with this adhesive!
Ease Of Use
It is no coincidence that kids love Elmer’s glue the most. It’s so simple to use, which makes it attractive to children.
The nozzle is designed excellently as it doesn’t clog and dispenses the glue in controllable amounts. You can be sure that you won’t waste any of the glue or make a mess.
This adhesive has a medium viscosity, which makes it not runny. This further prevents spillage and ensures the controlled and accurate application.
The most convenient thing about this glue is that it’s so easy to remove. There is nothing worse than staining your favorite clothing or your fingers together with glue that is hard to remove. It leads to frustration and makes the projects less enjoyable.
You won’t be having those problems with Elmer’s E305 as it is easily removed with water. No need for solvents with dangerous chemicals. Simply use warm water, and the glue will be removed before you know it!
Toxicity
Want to do a crafting project with your kids? No problem, as this glue is non-toxic and low VOC. It can be used indoors and doesn’t require working in a well-ventilated area or using protective equipment.
There are no dangerous fumes that can give you a headache and make the crafting experience less enjoyable.
Drying Time
The drying time of this adhesive is average and takes about 30 minutes. This is the usual setting time for a PVA adhesive like this one.
If you need something quicker drying that can give you faster results, go for a spray adhesive or super glue models that we reviewed below.
Affordability
This is the glue that has the best performance to cost ratio on our list. You get a lot of high-quality glue for a very reasonable price.
Verdict
You can’t go wrong with this glue if you have a paper crafting project. It’s so affordable and great performing for small cardboard and paper projects that no adhesive gets even close to it.
3M General Purpose 45 Spray Adhesive
Drying Color: Clear
Setting Time: 30 seconds
Viscosity: Low
One of the most convenient and enjoyable adhesives to work with on paper projects is the 3M 45 Spray adhesive. It offers ease of use and excellent bonding of paper, cardboard, plastic, and more lightweight materials.
Bonding Strength
A spray adhesive may sound weak or unreliable to an inexperienced person, but we assure you that this 3M spray adhesive is way beyond most of the other models out there.
Sure, you can’t use it on heavy-duty projects that involve large weight or pressure from different directions, but this adhesive can bond lightweight materials very well.
We found that it works fantastically on paper, cardboard, and plastic crafts. In fact, it’s the best glue for paper to plastic that we tried. It’s also PH neutral, which means that it’s photo-safe and won’t ruin your photographs.
The strength of the adhesive will be sufficient for low and medium-sized paper projects. The bonds will be durable and reliable with this adhesive.
Drying Time
One of the properties of this glue that make it so convenient is the lightning-fast drying time. It is faster than most super glue adhesives and can set in as little as 10 seconds!
This makes this adhesive an excellent option if you have paper crafting projects where you need the parts bonded before moving on. It will speed up your working time significantly and will make you finish your projects much faster.
Ease Of Use
This is where the convenience peaks as this is the most easy-to-use adhesive on our list.
All you need to do to stick 2 pieces of paper together is to spray them and put them together for a few seconds. It’s truly a child’s play using this adhesive.
This will not only make the application easier but will also save you a lot of time. You don’t have to use an applicator or spread the glue like with the traditional liquid adhesives.
No-mess application is ensured when you use this spray adhesive. There is no glue to be spilled, and you can’t exactly apply too much of it.
Toxicity
The main disadvantage of this adhesive is its toxicity. It is high VOC and has strong fumes, which means that you will have to use it in a well-ventilated area, preferably with protective equipment as well.
Using gloves and old clothing is a must when working with this adhesive as it is known to stain the skin and clothing. It is hard to remove after it sets, which happens very fast.
Still, this is the case with most types of glue today, and it is likely that you already have the experience of working with other adhesives. Other than PVA glue and some adhesives like hide glue, there aren’t many adhesives that you can work with without protective equipment.
Affordability
This spray adhesive from 3M is not exactly the cheapest you will find but is well worth the price.
You won’t find an adhesive as versatile, convenient, and fast setting as this one.
Verdict
This is the glue you get if you want fast and easy results with your paper crafting project. It bonds paper excellently and works on a plethora of lightweight materials as well.
Loctite Gel Super Glue
Drying Color: Clear
Setting Time: 30 seconds
Viscosity: Medium
The Loctite super glue gel seems to finds its way into each of our reviews. Its versatility and quick bonding properties make it one of the best glue for paper.
Bonding Strength
The strength of this glue is well known to many of our readers. It’s Loctite, after all!
It bonds paper to anything you can think of. If you need to bond paper to metal, paper to plastic, or paper to glass, Loctite super glue gel has got you covered!
The strength of this glue is high enough for heavy-duty projects where you need to bond paper or cardboard to challenging materials such as metal or wood.
Drying Color
You can expect clean and professional-looking results with this super glue as it dries crystal clear.
It will make the bonds invisible, and the whole craft will look tidier.
Ease Of Use
This super glue has to be one of the most enjoyable cyanoacrylate models we used. Its clever bottle design and high viscosity make it ideal for precise application.
The buttons on the side of the bottle are designed to dispense glue in controlled amounts. The overflow and oozing of the super glue are some of the most frustrating things about this type of glue, but not with this Loctite model.
The syrup-like consistency of this glue makes it so easy to put where you want, and more importantly, stay where you want.
Drying Time
This glue will make your crafting project more enjoyable and will give you great results faster than any other super glue.
It sets in just 30 seconds, and after that, the glued paper will be inseparable.
You can move through your project much faster without wasting time waiting on the glue to dry before getting to the next part!
Verdict
If you’re gluing paper to more challenging materials such as metal, plastic, or wood, this is the adhesive to go for.
Lineco Books by Hand pH Neutral Adhesive
Drying Color: Clear
Setting Time: 20 Minutes
Viscosity: High
This glue is specially designed PVA glue that is PH neutral and has excellent paper bonding capabilities. Since it’s flexible, it is suited for bookbinding.
Bonding Strength
This glue isn’t your regular white PVA glue that kids use at school. It’s an adhesive of professional quality that can bond every kind of paper there is without damaging it.
We had success bonding paper, cardboard, and even wood to paper with this glue. Its structural strength is indeed high, which means that it can be used for larger projects.
This adhesive provides long-lasting bonds that you can count on. It’s one of the best adhesives for paper to paper we reviewed.
Toxicity
As we already mentioned, this glue is PH Neutral and free of toxic chemicals, preserving both paper and your health.
It can be safely inhaled with no side effects such as headache or nausea.
We also like how easy to clean this adhesive is. If you mess up, you can just clean the residue with water.
The glue won’t stick to your skin and can be removed just as easily with water only.
Drying Color
The drying color of this glue is fully clear, which is always preferable when working with paper.
The bonds will look clean and expert-like when using this adhesive on paper and cardboard.
Affordability
The only problem with this glue is that it’s not exactly the most affordable option out there. Its quality is definitely higher than most of the other PVA glue models on the market, so the increased price is somewhat justified.
If you need glue for bookbinding or glue for a gentle paper that might be ruined by other adhesives, then it’s certainly worth going for this adhesive.
Titebond 6123 Wood Glue
Drying Color: Clear
Setting Time: 20 Minutes
Viscosity: High
If you are looking for glue that can bond paper to wood but won’t ruin the material, this is the adhesive to go for. It works surprisingly well on paper and is one of the best glue for paper to wood.
Bonding Strength
Everyone that has used Titebond wood adhesives knows how strong they are. They create bonds stronger than the wood itself, and that’s not just a marketing phrase.
You can safely bond every type of paper to wood with the help of this glue. It has enough strength to bond the two materials inseparable but isn’t too harsh on the paper. It won’t affect the looks of the paper, which tends to be the problem with other wood glue models.
Drying Color
The best thing about this glue is that it dries clear. It’s so unusual to find a wood glue that is fully, transparently, crystal clear.
Most of them are yellow, brown, or something in-between, and the ones that claim to be clear-drying usually aren’t.
That’s why we were surprised that this glue actually dries completely clear. This makes it perfect for paper bonding as it won’t alter the look of the paper and the bond.
Toxicity
AS with most PVA adhesives, this one is non-toxic. You don’t have to use protective equipment and can work with the glue indoors.
The glue is also easily removed with hot water, so if you end up staining yourself or other unnecessary spots, you can easily remove the residue.
Drying Time
While this Titebond glue does set faster than most PVA adhesives, it still needs around 20 minutes to do so.
This might be more than some people are willing to wait but is well worth it because no other glue matches the performance of this one when it comes to paper to wood bonding.
Aleene's Always Ready Tacky Glue
Drying Color: Clear
Setting Time: 30 Minutes
Viscosity: Medium
The last glue on our list is Aleen’s Tacky Glue, which is, in our opinion, the best budget glue for paper you can buy. It works great with paper but with other materials as well.
Bonding Strength
The bonding strength of this adhesive is surprising considering its low cost. It isn’t your everyday school white glue but has some bonding power in it.
It can bond paper to paper, paper to cardboard, paper to wood, and even paper to glass and metal!
We didn’t expect it to be that versatile and strong, but we now see why it has become so popular.
Drying Color
Just like we want, this glue dries crystal clear. The bonds are not noticeable, and your work looks more professional with this glue.
Ease Of Use
We like how easy to apply this glue is. You can customize the size of the opening on the nozzle of the glue, which will make you get the thickness of the glue that you need.
This will provide you with more control accuracy and will save you some money on wasted glue as well.
The consistency of the glue is thick like a paste. The glue stays in place and is easily controlled because of that.
Drying Time
Again, this is PVA glue, so you should expect a fast drying time. The average setting time for this glue is 30 minutes.
If you need some glue as versatile as this one but much faster drying, go with the 3M spray adhesive or Loctite super glue gel we reviewed above.
Both are more expensive, though, so that’s a thing to keep in mind.
Affordability
This is the cheapest glue on our list, and its performance is incredible when we consider that.
If you need lots of good-quality affordable glue for paper for your project, this is the one to go for.
What To Look For When Choosing Glue For Paper
In this section of the article, we will go through the most important features and properties you should look for in glue for paper.
Type Of Glue
Most types of glue can bond paper but are not as effective as the others. The three adhesive types we had the most success with are PVA glue, spray adhesives, and super glue.
PVA glue
PVA glue is the most commonly used adhesive for paper, and that is for a reason. It’s the best performing one and by far the most affordable one of all the glue for paper.
It usually dries clear and doesn’t damage the paper, which is why it’s so frequently used for this purpose.
The downside of this glue is that it isn’t as versatile as the others and is usually restricted to bonding wood, cardboard, and paper.
Another drawback is the drying time which can go up to 60 minutes.
- Drying Color: Clear
- Setting Time: 30 Minutes
- Viscosity: Medium
Last update on 2024-04-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Spray Adhesive
This glue is also very popular for gluing paper as it is easy to use. It’s very convenient spraying the glue instead of having to deal with the liquid glue spilling and making a mess.
It is also preferable because of its fast drying time, which makes finishing projects much faster.
The drawback of this glue is its toxicity and high price. It requires working in a well-ventilated area and protective equipment.
The spray adhesives can cost as much as 5 times more than the PVA glue, but the performance is nearly the same on paper.
Super Glue
Cyanoacrylate adhesive or super glue is used for bonding paper to materials such as metal or plastic. Its versatility is its main advantage as you can bond paper to anything you’d like.
The fast setting time is another benefit of using this glue as it can dry as fast as spray adhesives.
This glue is also much more expensive than the PVA glue and is not a good choice if you need to glue a lot of paper.
Wrap Up
That about wraps it up when it comes to the best glue for paper.
Make sure to get the glue that is strong enough, won’t damage the paper, and dries clear.
All of the models we reviewed are like that and are all excellent choices. You can’t go wrong with any of them!
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