4 Best Glues For Photos – That Don’t Warp or Wrinkle Paper


Best Glues For Photos That Don't Warp or Wrinkle Paper
Best Glues For Photos That Don’t Warp or Wrinkle Paper

Most standard paper glue and glue sticks have a tendency to degrade and damage photos and paper when they are applied, which causes the paper or photo to warp or wrinkle. This occurs because these glues contain acid which reacts to the paper.

Now they are other types of glues that work just as good as regular glue but they won’t wrinkle or warp photos and paper.

The Best Glues For Photos that Don’t Warp or Wrinkle Paper:

  1. Beacon Zip Dry Acid Free Glue (A strong & multi-purpose non-wrinkling paper & photo glue ideal for scrap booking)
  2. Elmer’s No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement (A flexible & affordable acid-free glue)
  3. Adtech Glue Runner Tape (A great acid-free tape that works great for photos)
  4. Scotch Photo Mount (A great adhesive spray that can be used to safely mount photos on a wide variety to surfaces)

1- Beacon Zip Dry Acid Free Glue

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Beacon Zip Dry is a great non-wrinkling glue that is great for almost any arts and craft project. It is a multi-purpose glue that allows you to glue almost any type of material onto paper without wrinkling or warping the paper. Citation.Opens in a new tab.

They are especially amazing when you are working with photos like making a scrapbook or a photo album. This is because Beacon Zip Dry doesn’t contain any acid so it won’t damage the photos or documents.

This allows Zip Dry to be archival quality meaning that they can be used to store photos and important documents for an indefinite period of time.

Pros of Beacon Zip Dry

  • Very strong & durable glue – from my experience Zip Dry is much stronger than the average white paper glue and glue sticks.
  • Ideal to Use When Working With Photos – Won’t damage or degrade the photos in any way.
  • Won’t Wrinkle or Warp Paper – This gives you a smooth seamless fit when you are doing arts and crafts.
  • Will bond almost anything to paper such as metal to paper, acrylic to paper, plastic to paper, wood to paper, and of course paper to paper. This allows you to paste beads, wire, buttons, and even glitter onto paper.
  • Allows for adjusting – Zip Dry doesn’t dry instantly which gives you a few seconds to adjust the paper if needed.
  • Easy to clean up – if you accidentally spilled some glue on a part of the paper, all you need to do is rub it off, it won’t damage or leave any stain on the paper.
  • Dries completely transparent – Zip Dry is a clear glue so it allows you to get a neat and clean finish.
  • Only need to use a small amount – Zip Dry works best when applied in thin layers so you don’t need to use a lot.

You can see how the Zip Dry Glue performs in the video below.

Cons of Beacon Zip Dry

The main drawback with Zip Dry is that it’s a bit more expensive in comparison to other brands of paper glue. But because of how good it is I think they are worth paying a few extra dollars for.

Where to Get Beacon Zip Dry

I usually get Zip Dry on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price for a bottle there.Opens in a new tab.

2- Elmer’s No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement

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Elmer’s Rubber Cement is one of the best paper glue on the market. Its strong, effective and doesn’t contain any acid or water which means that it won’t wrinkle or warp paper when it’s applied.

But what I really love about Elmer Rubber’s Cement is its ability to be both a permanent glue and an adjustable glue. You see if you apply glue on one paper alone and then paste it, the glue won’t form a permanent bond. Instead it would be similar to sticky notes which allows it to be peeled off and then pasted again and easily adjusted.

Now if you want the rubber cement to form a strong permanent bond all you need to do is apply the glue on both papers that your are gluing together.

Pros of Elmer’s Rubber Cement

  • Wont Wrinkle or Warp Paper – doesn’t react to the paper, is applied smoothly.
  • Can be both a Permanent glue or an Adjustable glue
  • Easy to Clean up – spill won’t damage the paper so all you to do is just need to rub off any excess or accidental spills
  • Transparent – so it gives your work a very smooth, neat and seamless finish.
  • Very affordable – much cheaper than Zip Dry
  • Can be used to paste photos – Elmer’s Rubber Cement won’t damage your photos.

Drawbacks of Elmer’s Rubber Cement

The main drawback is that Elmer’s Rubber Cement works best with paper, cardboard and photos but struggles to paste other materials like plastics, metals and acrylics.

You can see how to use Elmer’s Rubber Cement in the short video below.

Where to Get Elmer’s Rubber Cement

You can get Elmer’s Rubber Cement on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price for a pack containing 2 bottles.

3- Adtech Glue Runner Tape

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If you are looking for a tape that you can use to paste down your photos without damaging them, I highly recommend using Adtech Glue Runner Tape.

Adtech Glue Runner Tape is a strong and permanent take that is acid-free so it wont degrade or damage your photos making it archival quality.

Where to get Adtech Glue Runner Tape

You can get Adtech Glue Runner Tape on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price for one there.Opens in a new tab.

4- Scotch Photo Mount Adhesive Spray

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Scotch Photo Mount is a specially made acid-free adhesive spray that is used to mount and glue your photos on a wide variety of smooth surfaces such as plywood, wood, cardstock board, plastic, glass, clean metal, and foam core. Citation.Opens in a new tab.

Its perfect for permanently putting up posters, maps, illustration or photos without damaging them.

Scotch Photo Mount is a clear adhesive so it won’t stain or damage the materials that they are sprayed on.

Where to Get Scotch Photo Mount

You can get Scotch Photo Mount Spray on Amazon, you can click here to see the current price for a bottle.Opens in a new tab.

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