Laminating Machines – Selecting The Best Laminator – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

It was not long ago that the use of laminating machines was restricted to medium and large size businesses. Laminators and laminating supplies were too costly and specialized to be used outside of large offices, office supply stores, print shops and industrial plants. That has changed. Today there are laminating machines virtually everywhere. Many one person offices and homes have a laminator and use it for laminating a variety of items.

Laminators are used today to protect and preserve all types and sizes of items from small luggage tags and ID cards to photographs, large posters and packaging materials. Lamination is an inexpensive and easy way to enhance and protect printed materials.

Businesses and schools use laminators to make ID cards, laminate attractive colorful menus, protect documents, create lasting posters and calendars and promotional materials. They help preserve teaching aids, schedules, seating charts, seasonal decorations and name tags.

At home, laminating machines help preserve arts and crafts. Think beyond laminating a favorite photo. They can also be used for greeting cards, scrap booking and recipe collections – virtually any craft project.

The protective benefits of laminating really shine when the sun doesn’t. Laminated items are protected from rain and spills of all kinds. Laminate your hunting and fishing license, auto registration, instruction and repair manuals and season tickets to all of your outdoor activities.

Laminators seal a document or a piece of fabric between 2 layers of plastic and are produced in two basic types; roll laminators and pouch laminators. Which type should you buy? Much depends upon how often you expect to use the machine and what type and size of material you wish to protect. A few tips will help you select the best laminating machine for your personal use.

Pouch Laminators

Pouch laminating machines are the ones most often used in the home or office. These machines can laminate items as small as an ID card or luggage tag up to a maximum size of about 11″ X 17″. The pouches appear to be a sheet of plastic which is folded in half creating a pocket or pouch open on 3 sides. The item to be laminated is place in this pouch and the pouch is then inserted into the machine. Internal rollers heat and laminate the film.

Pouch laminators have many advantages. They are economical to buy and to operate. Their compact size permits them to be placed almost anywhere. Just a few square inches of a desk top or counter is all it takes to set them up and they can be conveniently stored when you are not using them.

The ease of use of a pouch laminator makes it the natural choice for most uses. They are inexpensive, small and use inexpensive materials to protect your documents.

Roll Laminators

Roll laminators, as their name suggests, use rolls of laminating material. This makes them capable of accommodating much larger documents than pouch laminating machines can. In general, they are used to laminate materials from 12″ to 80″ in width. Both cold and hot laminate material can be utilized in roll laminating machines.

Tips For Purchasing The Best Laminator

You can see that there is not one “best laminator” for everyone. For the majority of users the choice will come down to which pouch laminator best fills their need. The occasional large job can always be shopped out to a local print shop. If your volume of use eventually requires a roll laminator you can always buy one at that time.

The document type is important. Pouch laminators are quite versatile, but there is no universal laminating machine for every type of document. If you will only be laminating small home projects such as bookmarks and small craft projects, you will not need the same model laminator that might be used in a law office.

Size is important. Pouch laminators come in many sizes to accommodate various needs. Small personal-sized machines are ideal for occasional laminating and can handle paper-thin documents easily. So if you are mainly interested in preserving your childrens’ artwork or your diploma, a smaller machine might be ideal. However, if you’ll be working with thicker materials such as posters, investing in a higher-end laminator would be a wise decision.

What thickness of laminating pouches to you need? Laminating pouches come in thicknesses ranging from 3 mils to 10 mils. Thinner pouches provide less rigidity and are adequate for documents that you might keep in an album. If you will be laminating ID cars, luggage tags or similar items, you will need the thicker pouches to provide sturdier long term protection. The less expensive laminating machines will handle only the thinner pouches. You will need a higher end laminator for the thicker material.

Additional items to consider. Controls to regulate the temperature and features such as a reverse function are almost mandatory. At some point in time a job will get stuck and a reverse function can save the day. Anti-stick rollers made from silicon permit laminating without inserting the pouch in a carrier.

Don’t overlook the warranty. If your new laminating machine stops working, do you have to mail it somewhere for repair or is there a close by repair shop? Does the warranty cover labor or only parts? Questions of this type are best answered before the purchase rather than when a problem occurs.