Printed barrier tape, 3 colours

Printed barrier tape in 3 colours

A cordon along a cycling route, around a sponsor village or in front of a newly finished facade does more than keep the public at a distance: it stands there for hundreds of metres, in full view of everyone who walks past. Since 2007, we have been the go-to wholesaler for printed barrier tape, and three print colours are exactly the point at which a complete corporate logo becomes properly recognisable. An emblem made up of two colours plus a separate colour for the wordmark appears just as it does on your letterhead – which turns the tape into an advertising medium as well as a barrier.

The tape is produced from tear-resistant LDPE film of 60 microns, which stays taut in wind and rain without stretching. The print runs continuously along the full length of the roll, so every metre works for you.

Applications and sectors

Three-colour tape turns up with event organisers, sports clubs, local authorities, festival crews, exhibition builders and contractors working for changing clients. As soon as a cordon stays up for more than a day and the public walks past it, the extra print pass pays for itself in visibility.

Sponsorship and events along a route

At a race, a street market or a charity run, several parties often appear side by side on the same tape: the main sponsor in its own two brand colours, the organiser or the council in a third. The route stays neatly cordoned off and every party gets its own place in the picture, without extra banners. Across a start and finish area, a VIP terrace or a parking field, the same print simply carries on. If the same fixed points need cordoning year after year, combine the tape with a reusable demarcation system from our barrier tape range and use the printed tape for the sections that change.

Multilingual or layered warning messages

On construction sites and in distribution centres with international crews, colour-coding by language works remarkably well: “No entry” in black, the same warning in Polish in red and in German in blue. Anyone who recognises the colour knows immediately which instruction applies to them. The same logic works for a layered message: the warning in signal red, your company name in your brand colour and the site manager's number in black. Because the three colours are clearly distinct, the text remains legible from several metres away.

What three print colours make possible

With one or two colours a logo usually has to be simplified; with three, the structure of your brand stays intact. An emblem built from two colour areas keeps both areas and gains a separate colour for the wordmark or strapline. A second sender on the same tape also becomes practical – a subcontractor alongside the main contractor, for instance. The three colours are printed as solid spot colours, so edges stay sharp and contrast with the tape remains high. Compare the other versions in our printed barrier tape category: the more colours, the more complete the brand image, but the higher the set-up costs.

How to supply your artwork

Supply your logo as a vector file (.ai, .eps or a vector PDF) with all fonts converted to outlines. Build the three colours as three separate, closed colour areas and add the Pantone references where possible, so we can mix the inks to match. Keep thin lines and small type a little heavier than you would on paper: film is a lively substrate and fine detail disappears on a moving tape. If you only have a JPG or PNG, send it anyway – we will tell you whether it is usable or needs redrawing.

Specifications

From artwork to roll: production

1. You send us your logo or text, preferably as a vector file with the three colours built separately.
2. We lay out the design at actual width and determine the order of the three print passes.
3. You receive a print layout in which you check the colours, the legibility and the repeat distance.
4. Once you approve it, the tape goes into production and the rolls are wound to the required length.

Because three printing plates have to be made and registered to one another, three-colour tape is always produced to order. The minimum order is 1500 metres: 6 rolls of 250 metres. That threshold is deliberate – above it, the one-off set-up costs barely affect the price per metre. If you only need a few rolls in the meantime, choose a standard-text version from our barrier tape range, which is available per roll.

Ordering, delivery and related products

Your printed tape is made to order and follows the production lead time. Are you also ordering stock items from our range? Ordered on working days before 3:30 PM? Then your order will be shipped the same day. Enjoy free delivery on orders over €75 excl. VAT.

For everyday cordons that need no logo, use unprinted barrier tape. To hang the tape you will find poles and cases for barrier tape in our range; indoors you can fix it quickly with tape and to fencing with cable ties.

Do you have questions about which size of printed barrier tape is best suited to your situation? Please don't hesitate to contact us — by phone on +31 184 – 614256, via info@kortpack.nl or via WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions about 3-colour printed barrier tape

How do I supply a file so the three colours come out well?

Send a vector file in which every print colour is its own closed area – so no colours stacked as effects or transparencies. Convert fonts to outlines and add the colour references. That way we know exactly which three inks to mix, and the areas register neatly across the print passes.

Are gradients or halftone images possible?

No. We print three solid spot colours, not gradients, screens or photographs. A gradient in your logo is therefore converted to a flat colour. This does not harm legibility: solid colours are precisely what stays recognisable at a distance on a moving tape.

May I use the tape purely as advertising material rather than as a cordon?

Yes, and it happens regularly. Printed tape is used to dress fencing, counters, grandstand edges or exhibition stands, or as route marking without anything actually being closed off. Do bear in mind that tape carrying a warning text or in signal colours will be read as a genuine cordon on a work site; for purely promotional use, choose a neutral message and your brand colours.

Is my print design kept on file for a repeat order?

We keep the approved design with your order so that a repeat can be produced in exactly the same version. Quote your previous order number when you reorder and we will check whether the file is still available and the colours are unchanged. That normally saves you a full approval round.

Can several texts or languages be combined on one roll?

Yes. Because the print repeats continuously, you can place several blocks within one repeat – the same warning in three languages, each in its own colour, or a sponsor logo alternating with the organiser's name. The repeat distance does grow as a result; the print layout shows exactly how many metres sit between two identical blocks.