Note
Material and Appearance:
Punched paper tape was typically made of paper or plastic. The plastic tape was sometimes transparent, but usually aluminized to make it opaque enough for use in high-speed optical readers1.
Coding and Usage:
Punched tape used a five-bit code, allowing for 32 different combinations of holes and blanks (no holes). The Baudot Code, for example, used 26 combinations for letters of the alphabet, leaving eight spare combinations for idle codes, space codes, letter-shift codes, and more.
Functionality:
Punched tape served various purposes, including data storage, program input, and communication. It was read by machines that detected the presence or absence of holes to interpret the encoded information.
Color:
While punched paper tape came in various colors, black was a common choice for its durability and legibility.