How sticky notes are made
The adhesive was a failure. A chemist set out to make super-strong glue and got a weak one that could be used again.
- stations
- 7
- things upstream
- 57
- raw sources
- 18
- steps from the ground
- 10
The short version
One patented line unwinds a big roll of paper, loops it through a tension magazine and runs it past a primer applicator and a heater. A flexographic-style applicator lays stripes of repositionable adhesive, and more heat dries them. The web can be printed, then is cut into panels several times the size of one sheet, stacked and trimmed into pads.
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Unwind the paper
A large roll feeds the line. The web loops through a magazine of idler rolls and a dancer roll that even out stresses before any coating starts.
Goes in -
Apply and dry primer
An applicator puts a bonding primer on selected parts of one side, and a heater dries it fast. The primer keeps the glue attached to the paper rather than to whatever it sticks to.
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Lay adhesive stripes
An applicator resembling a flexographic printer lays lengthwise stripes of a low-viscosity adhesive that can be reactivated by pressure. A second heater dries the stripes.
Goes in -
Print the web
An optional press adds printed matter on either side, followed by another heater to dry it. Plain notes pass straight through.
Goes in -
Cut into panels
The web is cut across into panels several times the size of one note, so one cut stack will become several pads.
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Stack and trim
Panels stack with their glue stripes lined up, so each sheet holds to the next, and trimming cuts the block into finished pads.
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Wrap and pack
The finished pads are wrapped and boxed for sale.
Goes in
Worth repeating
- Spencer Silver of 3M was trying to make a super-strong adhesive in 1968 and accidentally invented a reusable low-tack one.
- Arthur Fry came up with the idea in 1974, hoping to anchor a bookmark in his hymn book.
- The original canary yellow was chosen by chance, because that was the color of the scrap paper in the lab next door.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and sticky notes starts as these 18 raw sources.
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Sources
Cite this page: "How sticky notes are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/sticky-notes