There are three primary types of medical tape used in tattoo and piercing shops: paper tape, cloth tape, and plastic tape. 3MTM has been manufacturing all three types of tattoo tape under the names MicroporeTM, DuraporeTM, and TransporeTM for years, making 3M a trusted name brand among industry professionals. They’re not the only ones manufacturing high-quality medical tape for use in tattoo and piercing shops, though. Precision Medical Supplies offers alternatives to these 3M products that are made from equally high-quality materials, but sold for a fraction of the price.
Below is a comparison of the 3M surgical tape options available through Painfulpleasures.com alongside our Precision Medical tape alternatives so you can review the differences and similarities between these products easily. Note that each 3M tape’s Precision tape counterpart is listed in the “Similar to…” row, and vice verse, so you can see at a glance which tapes are on par with each other.
| 3MTM MicroporeTM Surgical Tape |
Precision Non-Woven Cloth Surgical Tape | 3MTM DuraporeTM Medical Tape |
Precision Silk Medical Tape |
3MTM TransporeTM Surgical Tape |
Precision Polyester Cloth Tape |
|
| Type | Paper Tape |
Non-Woven Cloth Tape |
Silk-Like Cloth Tape |
Silk Tape |
Plastic Tape |
Polyester Cloth Tape |
| Product Image |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Product Benefits | *Hypoallergenic (Latex-Free) *Adheres to Skin Gently *Reliably Sticks to Dressings, Devices & Itself *Comfortable *Highly Breathable *Pain-Free Removal *Leaves No Residue *Preferred Option for Tattoo Bandages |
*Hypo-allergenic (Latex-Free) *Gentle on Sensitive Skin *Use for Securely Bandaging Clients *Porous & Highly Breathable *Cheaper Than Similar 3M Options *Preferred Option for Bandaging Tattoos |
*Hypo-allergenic (Latex-Free) *Strong *Versatile *Convenient Bi- Directional Tear *Adheres Well to Dry Skin *Comfortable on Skin *Water-Resistant *Use for Bandages & Workstation Prep |
*Hypo-allergenic (Latex-Free) *Strong *Versatile *Adheres Well to Dry Skin *Comfortable on Skin *Cheaper Than 3M Durapore Option *Use to Bandage Clients & for Workstation Prep |
*Hypo-allergenic (Latex-Free) *Clear, Porous Plastic *Adheres Well to Skin & Tubing & Works With Many Dressings & Devices *Water-Resistant *Easy to Handle, Even With Gloves *Use for Bandages & Workstation Prep |
*Hypo-allergenic (Latex-Free) *Transparent & Porous *Flexible *Adheres Well to Skin & Instruments *Easy to Handle, Even With Gloves *Use for Workstation Prep & to Bandage Clients |
| Similar to… | Precision Non-Woven Cloth Surgical Tape |
3M Porous Elastic Non-Woven Tape |
Precision Silk Medical Tape |
3M Durapore Medical Tape |
Precision Polyester Cloth Tape |
3M Transpore Surgical Tape |
| Save on Cases of 12 Rolls | Buy a Case | Buy a Case | Buy a Case | Buy a Case | Buy a Case | Buy a Case |
*All rolls measure 1″ wide x 10 yards long (2.5cm x 9.1m).
How Medical Tape Is Used in Tattoo & Piercing Shops
You’ll notice in the comparison chart above that most of the tapes listed include a variation of the benefit “Use for workstation prep and to bandage clients”. If you’re wondering exactly how you could utilize tape at your workstation or for your clients’ benefit, the answer is simple: use medical tape to seal off anything that needs sealing! Tape is a helpful tool for sealing the open ends of things like clip cord covers and the many other bags and tattoo covers you use to keep your equipment and workspace as sterile as possible. It’s an easy means of adding a final layer of protection between your clients’ bodily fluids and your equipment so you can more easily maintain a sterile workspace while you tattoo, pierce or otherwise modify people. It’s best to use water-resistant tapes like 3M’s Durapore and Transpore surgical tapes or Precision’s silk or polyester cloth medical tapes for sealing off equipment, since paper tape is too porous and may allow fluids to pass through tape barriers.
At the end of a tattoo or scarification session, you also typically need to bandage the area where you worked on your client. It’s helpful to have medical tape on hand for these instances, too, although your clients would probably prefer you saved your cloth and plastic tapes for equipment and kept a supply of paper tape on hand just for them. Paper tape is much gentler on the skin than any of the other types of surgical tape detailed above, it’s porous and therefore highly breathable, it moves comfortably with the skin, it comes off fairly easily, and it typically doesn’t leave a residue behind like the other types of tape can. These qualities make paper tape the best option for bandaging up body mods. You can use it to tack down absorbent gauze pads, Dri-Loc Pads, or even blue barrier film. The former two options are preferable to the latter one because of their excellent absorbency. Blue barrier film that’s been taped down and even Tatu-Derm self-stick sheets can fill up with blood quickly, hiding your work and creating a mess for your client. If you use those tools, be sure to send extras home with clients so they can replace blood-filled plastic as needed. You may also want to send clients away with a couple adhesive remover pads so they can easily remove any residue their bandages may leave behind.
