Laminating Machines

Lamination machines provide durability for documents
By Jenni Simcoe, Writer Laminating machines protect important or frequently used documents and can be used in small companies or major corporations. Laminators can help you save money by eliminating the need to recopy or reprint documents that have not held up. Lamination machines are great for businesses that regularly print items, such as ID cards, maps or menus. And laminators are a crucial piece of equipment for companies that produce VIP passes and backstage passes for concerts, sporting events and other events.

The advantages of using laminating machines go beyond durability. For instance:

1. Large format laminators can protect colors from fading on posters, signs and banners.
2. You can add value to the printed piece you are producing for customers by sending it through laminating machines.
3. Laminating documents protects them from moisture, dirt and stains.
4. Laminating documents and ID cards reduces the chances of tampering.
5. Add a variety of finishes to paper with gloss, matte, satin or textured lamination film.
6. Improve color, contrast and clarity of images by sending them through lamination machines.

Pouch laminating machines

The most popular laminators on the market, pouch laminating machines are compact - 4-inch and 12-inch models are the most common. With pouch laminating machines, you place your document between two pieces of heat-activated film that are cut into a pre-sized pouch. The pouch is then passed through the laminator, which has rolls to sandwich the item that's being laminated. Small format laminating machines are perfect for offices that only use lamination for ID cards or small photos.
Try:  ID House offers small format pouch laminating machines for use in laminating ID cards, badges and luggage tags. Office Graphics and Trendex offer inexpensive pouch laminating machines for simple desktop lamination projects. ABC Office has a variety of pouch laminating machines that range from $50 to $3,000.

Roll laminating machines

Roll laminating machines have two rolls of film that sandwich the item that is being laminated between the top and bottom rolls of film and heat seal the item. The plus side of using roll laminating machines is that they can be used continuously without reloading the film for many documents at one time.
Try:  Lloyds of Indiana carries roll laminating machines for education and commercial uses. Factory-Express sells a variety of countertop and standalone roll laminating machines.

Large format laminators

Large format laminators are usually roll laminating machines that allow you to laminate large posters and banners. You can laminate very long items with continuous rolls of film.
Try:  NSC International has heavy-duty large format roll laminating machines in 25- and 30-inch widths. LaminateFilm.com has several 27-inch wide heavy-duty large format laminators. The large format laminators at Heavenly Office vary from 30- to 63-inch widths.

Adhesive laminating machines

Rather than heat-sealing documents into lamination film, adhesive or cold laminating machines use sticky film to sandwich paper between the two pieces of film.
Try:  Laminator Warehouse boasts several sizes of adhesive laminating machines. Laminators.com sells small desktop cold laminating machines and wide format cold laminating machines.

• Cold laminating machines can be safer to use for inexperienced people since they don't require heat and cannot cause serious burns.
• Keep in mind that some laminating machines don't work with every thickness of film.
• Lamination film thickness is measured in millimeters.
• Opt for adhesive laminating machines for images that are heat sensitive.