We can’t think of any business that wouldn’t benefit in some way from being able to laminate documents. Whether it’s to create signage in a warehouse, protect restaurant menus, seal a business card for a better look or simply preserving any printed document, any business can take advantage of the three ‘P’s’ of laminating’s main benefits.
1. Protection
If there is a document, photograph or any printed paper that needs to be protected, lamination is the answer. A laminated document will survive spills, coffee cup rings and dirty finger prints. They won’t crease or rip, the print won’t fade and they’ll never suffer moisture damage.
2. Presentation
Whether it’s a marketing piece, point-of-purchase signs in a store or crucial operating instructions on industrial equipment, simply laminating a document instantly makes it look more professional and substantial. The lamination process enhances the colours of the document and makes it easier to read.
3. Permanent
A laminated document won’t need to be replaced unless the information on it changes. By using different thicknesses of laminating film, you can make the document as stiff, strong and durable as needed.
You can send your laminating to an outside print shop or, if your company does enough laminating, it might be more cost effective to have your own, in-house laminating machine. If you’re thinking about getting your own machine, it helps to learn more about laminators and the laminating process. Here are just a few things you should know.
1. Two Main Types of Laminating
Based on your capacity and the size of documents you laminate, you will either need Roll Lamination or Pouch Lamination.
a. Roll Lamination
There are generally two rollers in the front of a laminator that heat the film as needed. The two rollers behind the heat rollers pull the document and laminating film through the machine. Roll Laminators come in sizes ranging from 13” to 65” Wide. The benefit of this method is that the lamination film is cheaper on a per foot basis, the material comes in a large variety of lamination finishes and you don’t have any size limitations on the length of the item you are laminating.
b. Pouch Lamination
Pouch Laminators are great for people entering the market because the machines are very inexpensive. Plus you don’t have to store large rolls or find room for a larger machine. These are also great for laminating smaller items like photos or ID cards which have already been trimmed. There is also less waste since the pouches fit the size of the item you are laminating.
From desktop models to large-format standalone laminators, they all have relatively similar features and operating principles. The main difference is the size of the document that can be laminated through the machine.
Laminators can laminate a document using a hot or cold (pressure) process.
As mentioned, you can laminate a document using rolls of laminating film that can be trimmed to fit the document, or pre-sized laminating pouches. The thickness of the film or pouch can range from 1.5 mm to 10 mm, depending on the rigidity and strength required of the lamination.
This is just a start! Southwest Binding carries a wide range of laminating machines, from 4” pouch laminators up to 65” stand-alone machines, including high-speed and fully-automatic models. We also offer laminating pouches and film to protect virtually any size of document.
