A tape, usually brown or tan colored, intended to block areas or surfaces from the application of materials, such as paint, or processes, such as sanding. It may be made of a strong paper or of a thin and easy-to-tear paper with an easily released pressure sensitive adhesive. It was originally developed in 1925 by 3M employee Richard Drew, who had observed that auto body painters had difficulty with the butcher paper then used to mask areas from paint. (en)