Glue sticks can be used for a variety of crafts. While they’re best used on paper, they can be used to create scrapbooks, homemade cards for special occasions, children’s crafts, and more. Good quality glue sticks will help you complete your paper projects with ease.
So, what are the best glue sticks? The best glue sticks have strong adhesion, dry clear, work on several different types of paper, and won’t damage the paper when applied.
While many of us are used to using glue sticks in school to make simple arts and crafts, you’ll want to find higher quality glue sticks if using them to create more adult paper crafts. Our guide below will provide you all the insight you need to the best glue sticks.
Glue Sticks
Strong Adhesion
Glue is an adhesive meant to bind one thing with another. So, with the primary purpose being adhesion, it makes sense that you’d want your glue sticks to have a strong adhesion.
You won’t be able to tell how well your glue does at sticking until the glue dries. But once it dries, the object you glued down should be secure. If you’re able to pick at a corner and easily peel the paper off, the glue is low quality.
The best glue sticks provide a strong adhesive bond that will keep your papers firmly in place once the glue dries.
Dry Clear
It’s inevitable when working with a paper craft project that you’ll end up with glue in places you don’t want.
Glue has a tendency to stick to everything, and you will often end up with it all over your fingers. Then as your fingers work on your project, they may end up getting glue on parts of the paper you don’t intend to glue.
This means that you’ll typically have glue on your paper craft that won’t be covered up by another piece of paper. When this happens, you want to make sure you have glue that dries clear.
Some glues can dry milky white, which can create an eyesore on your paper project.
However, the best glue sticks will dry totally clear. Although you may be able to tell that you got glue on a piece of the project you didn’t mean to, it won’t be as painfully obvious to the naked eye.
Variety Of Paper
Most glue sticks will list the types of paper they work on, so pay close attention to that list. All glue sticks will work on regular paper, but can they work on cardstock? Cardboard? Photo paper?
If you’re working with cardstock, cardboard, or photo paper, you want to make sure your glue stick can work well to bind with that material.
It’s important to remember, though, that glue sticks are usually designed to work on paper materials only. Although many glue stick brands will list fabric in the materials that their glue will work with, don’t expect it to work super well with fabrics.
If you do use it with fabric, remember that the intended purpose is to glue fabric onto paper. Glue sticks don’t generally work well when gluing fabric to fabric. For this, you’d need to purchase fabric glue.
Won’t Damage Paper
Some glues can warp or damage the paper it’s applied to. Some common damages are crinkling, tearing, or discoloring the paper.
When you’re putting together a scrapbook of precious photos or paper memorabilia that can’t be replaced or replicated, you want to make sure you’re using high quality glue that won’t damage the paper it’s applied to.
Be sure to check out the reviews on any product you’re considering. Usually, if the glue is known for damaging paper, you’ll find photos and reviews that can give you an idea of what damages, if any, you can expect from the glue.
The Best Glue Sticks
| Rank | Product | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Scotch Permanent Glue Stick | Strong adhesion, white stick, dries clear, doesn’t damage paper, available in bulk, can be used on paper, cardboard, fabric, and photos |
| 2. | Elmer's Disappearing Purple School Glue Sticks | Strong adhesion, purple stick, dries clear, doesn’t damage paper, available in bulk, can be used on paper, cardboard, and foam |
| 3. | Elmer's All Purpose School Glue Sticks, Clear | Strong adhesion, white stick, dries clear, doesn’t damage paper, available in bulk, can be used on paper, cardboard, and foam |
| 4. | AVERY Glue Stick White | Strong adhesion, white stick, dries clear, doesn’t damage paper, available in bulk, can be used on paper, photos, fabric, cardboard, and foam |
| 5. | Avery Glue Stic Disappearing Purple Color | Strong adhesion, purple stick, dries clear, doesn’t damage paper, available in bulk, can be used on paper, fabric, and foam |
| 6. | Elmer's CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Sticks | Good adhesion, white stick, dries clear, can be used on paper, lightweight fabric, and photos |
| 7. | Amazon Basics Purple Washable School Glue Sticks | Good adhesion, purple stick, dries clear, available in bulk, can be used on paper, fabric, and photos |
1. Scotch Permanent Glue Stick
The best glue sticks that we recommend are Scotch Permanent Glue Sticks.
Scotch is a well-known brand with a solid reputation when it comes to tape, which is another type of adhesive material. So, it makes sense that their glue would be just as top-notch.
These glue sticks have a strong adhesive bond, dry clear, and can work on a variety of materials including paper, cardboard, fabric, and photo paper.
They won’t damage your paper, so you can rest assured that your paper craft will look its best once the glue has dried.
2. Elmer’s Disappearing Purple School Glue Sticks
Another reputable brand in the adhesive space is Elmer’s, so it should come as no surprise that we have a few Elmer’s products in this list.
The best Elmer’s glue is their Disappearing Purple School Glue. The purple color makes it easier to see where you’re applying the glue as you’re working, but it dries clear, so any mistakes will disappear once it’s dry.
These glue sticks have a strong bond to help keep your paper in place without damaging or distorting the paper.
You can buy it in varying pack sizes, including a 6-pack, 12-pack, 30-pack, or 60-pack.
3. Elmer’s All Purpose School Glue Sticks, Clear
If you’re not sold on the purple glue sticks, you can try Elmer’s All Purpose School Glue Sticks, Clear. These glue sticks appear white in the stick and clear on the paper when wet and dry.
Like the Disappearing Purple glue sticks, these will create a strong adhesive bond to hold your paper craft together but won’t damage the paper in the process.
You can buy them in a standard 4-pack, or get a bulk order of 30 or 60 glue sticks. Beware that when buying in bulk, many customers noted that they did not receive the full number of glue sticks.
4. AVERY Glue Stick White
Although Avery isn’t specifically an adhesive brand, they have a stellar reputation in the general office supply sector.
From pens to address labels to glue sticks, their products are well-loved.
These white glue sticks are no exception. They’re easy to use, go on clear, dry clear, and create a strong bond without damaging your paper.
They come in a variety of multi-packs, including a single stick pack, 6-pack, 12-pack, and 18-pack.
5. Avery Glue Stic Disappearing Purple Color
If you love the Avery brand but prefer to use a purple glue stick, we have good news for you! Check out these Avery Glue Stic Disappearing Color glue sticks.
These glue sticks will go on purple, so you can see exactly where you’ve applied the glue. Then, they dry clear, so you won’t see any residual purple on your paper craft!
Just like the regular white Avery glue sticks, these create a strong bond for multiple paper types.
You can get these in a single stick pack, 6-pack, or 12-pack.
6. Elmer’s CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Sticks
Most people know that Elmer’s has a great line of school glues, but you may not realize that they also have a line of CraftBond products. These products are specifically designed for more heavy-duty crafting.
These Elmer’s CraftBond Extra Strength Glue Sticks are great for any paper craft project. They have a good bond and will dry clear on the paper.
The only drawback is that some customers noted that this glue can sometimes discolor the paper it’s applied to.
Still, if you’re only using it on the back of photo paper to apply photos in a scrapbook, this glue will work great.
7. Amazon Basics Purple Washable School Glue Sticks
Amazon Basics is a growing brand by Amazon that takes regular household items and creates an easy, simple, affordable version of them.
With that in mind, Amazon Basics has created their own disappearing purple glue sticks. These glue sticks will go on purple so you can see where you’ve applied the glue but will dry clear.
The only drawback is that some customers complained that the shipping packaging leaves much to be desired.
The box often breaks, and customers often get less than the number of glue sticks they ordered.
These glue sticks come in a 30-pack or 60-pack.
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