Post-it note

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The logo of the brand.
The logo of the brand.

The Post-it note, invented by 3M's Art Fry using an adhesive developed by a colleague, Spencer Silver, is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and to other surfaces: walls, desks and table-tops, 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, 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. 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. Computerized versions of Post-it notes include 3M's own "Post-it Software Notes." Until the 1990s, when the patent expired, Post-it notes were only produced in the 3M plant in Cynthiana, Kentucky. Although other companies now produce them, most of the world's Post-it notes are still made in Cynthiana.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1968, Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M in the United States, developed a "low-tack", reusable pressure sensitive adhesive. For five years, Silver promoted his invention within 3M, both informally and through seminars, but without much success. In 1974, a colleague of his, Art Fry, in a church choir in North St. Paul, Minnesota, was frustrated that his bookmarks kept falling out of his hymnal. He had attended one of Silver's seminars, and, while listening to a sermon in church, he came up with the idea of using the adhesive to anchor his bookmarks.[1][2] Fry then developed the idea by taking advantage of 3M's officially sanctioned "permitted bootlegging" policy.[2] 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, United States. 90% of people who tried them said that they would buy the product. By 1980 the product was being sold nationwide in the US; a year later Post-its were launched in Canada and Europe.[3]. Post-It Notes are produced exclusively at the 3M plant in Cynthiana, KY. 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.

[edit] Post-it notes in art

A pad of fan-folded Post-it pop-up notes, shown still glued together
A pad of fan-folded Post-it pop-up notes, shown still glued together

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.[4] Since 2002 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 "101 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.[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Inventor of the Week: Art Fry and Stephen Silver. MIT. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
  2. ^ a b Petroski, Henry (1992). The Evolution of Useful Things. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, pp. 84–86. ISBN 0-679-41226-3. OCLC 24906856. 
  3. ^ A NOTE-able Achievement. 3M. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  4. ^ Green, Penelope. "The all-purpose note that stuck", International Herald Tribune, 2007-07-03. 
  5. ^ Post-It Note raises £640. BBC News (2000-12-27). Retrieved on 2007-08-23.

[edit] External links