History
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Arthur Fry with a Post-it note on his forehead
In 1968,
Spencer Silver, a scientist at 3M in the United States, attempted to develop a super-strong adhesive. Instead, he accidentally created a "low-tack", reusable,
pressure-sensitive adhesive for the aerospace industry.
[12][13][14][1] For five years, Silver promoted his "solution without a problem" within 3M both informally and through seminars, but failed to gain adherents. In 1974, a colleague who had attended one of his seminars,
Art Fry, came up with the idea of using the adhesive to anchor his bookmark in his
hymn book.
[15][16] Fry then utilized 3M's sanctioned "permitted
bootlegging" policy, which allows employees to spend some of their work time on projects of their own choosing, to develop the idea.
[16] The original notes' canary yellow color was chosen by chance, from the color of the scrap paper available at the lab next door to the Post-it team.
[17] Fry provided 3M employees with a prototype of the product, and individuals started exchanging messages, demonstrating the product's communicative effectiveness.
[13]

The adhesive side of a Post-it note, magnified 555 times with a
scanning electron microscope
3M
test marketed the product as a "Press 'n Peel" in stores in four cities in 1977, but results were disappointing.
[18][19] A year later, 3M launched a massive marketing campaign known as the Boise Blitz.
[1] This campaign involved renaming the product to "Post-it Note" and giving out free samples to offices in Boise, Idaho.
[13][20][1] This time, results were promising as more than 90 percent of those who received free samples indicated they would buy the product.
[18] Post-its were launched across the United States in 1980.
[20][21] The following year, they were launched in Canada and Europe.
[22]
Post-it Flags were introduced as a new way to organize with color coding, filing and indexing.
[13]
In 1995, Post-it Easel Pads were introduced. The following year, Post-it Easel Pads for kids were introduced.
[12]
In 2003, the company introduced Post-it Brand Super Sticky Notes, with a stronger glue that adheres better to vertical and non-smooth surfaces.
[23]
In 2014, 3M released Post-it Super Sticky Dry Erase Surface, an instant dry erase surface that is stain-free and customizable to quickly fit on walls, cabinets, desks and more.
[13]
Klaus Theweleit reading from a book with post-it notes as bookmarks
In 2018, 3M launched Post-it Extreme Notes, which are more durable and water-resistant and which stick to wood and other materials in industrial environments.
[24]
In 2019, the Post-it App was relaunched.
[13]
In 2020, 3M released the Post-it Flex Write Surface – a whiteboard surface that can be written on with dry erase and permanent markers without leaving stains behind when cleaned with water and soap. The company also released Post-it Foil Tabs, which were a revamp of the Post-it Tab with the purpose of satisfying the rise of personalization and bullet journaling trends of customers.
[13]
In 2021, 3M revealed a new logo and launched Noted by Post-it Brand – a collection of paper goods and desktop applications.
[13]