Abstract: An inventory minimizing method and apparatus for simultaneously loading elongated, relatively narrow tapes into a plurality of preleadered tape-handling cassettes. A roll of web tape many times wider than the width of an individual cassette tape is progressively formed into a plurality of narrow width composite web tapes consisting of a series of longitudinally spaced-apart tapes, of predetermined length, that have adjacent end portions attached to one another by means of an adhesive web tape connecting splice-tape. The leader material of a preleadered cassette is attached to each end of one of the tapes in a composite tape in the following manner. The cassette tape leader is severed into two separate smaller leader lengths with an end of each such smaller length remaining attached to one of two intenal cassette spools.