POST-IT NOTE

A 'Post-it note', invented and manufactured by 3M, is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents, computer displays, and so forth. While now available in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, the most common size of Post-it note is a 3-in (7.5-cm) square, trademark canary yellow in color. The notes use a unique low-tack adhesive that enables Post-it notes to be easily attached and removed without leaving marks or residue. The name "Post-it" and the canary yellow color are trademarks of 3M, the company which invented and manufactures them. Accepted generic terms for competitors include "sticky notes" or "repositionable" or "repositional notes." 3M manufactures other products related to the Post-it note concept, leveraging the success of the brand. As Post-it notes have been driven toward computerized versions like Stickies or PtiMemo, 3M markets its own software under the name of "Post-it Software Notes."

Contents

History

Post-in notes in art

References

See Also

External links

History

The Post-it note was invented in 1970's, by Dr Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M in the United States who stumbled upon a glue that was not sticky enough. This was an accidental creation he made that ended up being one of his greatest inventions. In 1974, a colleague of his, Arthur Fry, was singing in a church choir and frustrated that his bookmarks kept falling out of his hymnal. He applied some of Silver's glue to his markers. 3M launched the product in 1977 but it failed as consumers had not tried the product. A year later 3M issued free samples to residents of Boise, Idaho. 90% of people who tried them said that they would buy the product. By 1980 the product was sold nationwide in the US and a year later they were launched in Canada and Europe. ^[1]
In 2003, the company came out with Post-it Super Sticky notes, with a stronger glue that adheres better to vertical and non-smooth surfaces.

Post-in notes in art

In 2004, Paola Antonelli, a curator of architecture and design, included Post-it notes in a show entitled "Humble Masterpieces." Rebecca Murtaugh is a California artist who uses Post-it notes in her artwork. In 2001, she created an installation in her bedroom using $1000 worth of Post-it notes: She covered the whole room in Post-it notes, using the ordinary yellow for objects she saw as having less value, and neon colors for more important objects, such as the bed. (reference: "The all-purpose note that stuck" by Penelope Green, International Herald Tribune, July 3, 2007) Since 2005 Jésica López from Monterrey, Mexico (1979), has been painting series of figures and portraits with acrylic on Post-it notes to depict, for instance, the faces of the so called "100 most powerful women" of the Forbes list of 2006.
In 2000 the 20th anniversary of Post-it notes was celebrated by having artists create their artwork on Post-it notes. One note that was made by artist R. B. Kitaj sold for £640 in an auction, making it the most valuable Post-it note on record.^[2]

References

1. A NOTE-able Achievement
2. Post-It Note raises £640

See Also

★ Spencer Silver

★ Arthur Fry

★ PtiMemo

External links

★ -- ''Acrylate-copolymer microspheres'' [adhesive formula]

★ Post-it homepage

★ BBC news article on 20th anniversary of Post-it notes