Tutorial

Pouch laminators are simpler and easier to use when the document to be laminated is a standard size.

• Machines are simple and easy to use
• Initial cost is comparatively low
• Precut laminate pouches allow for quick lamination of common sized documents
• Custom sized pouches are available for the occasional special project
• Most small pouches are available in 5, 7, and 10 mil thicknesses
• Most large pouches are available in 3, 5, 7, and 10 mil thicknesses
• Machines are available for office and production use
• Machines are available to laminate up to 11" x 17" sheets
• Equipment prices range from $100 to $1000

Roll laminators are more complex, but they can laminate virtually any size document. They can also handle more materials and more complex tasks.

• Can be used to laminate materials up to 60" wide
• Common film widths are 12", 18", 25", 27", 31", and more - up to 60"
• Ideal for posters, signs, and for any odd-shaped documents
• Allows for high production rates
• Usually requires trimming the output
• Material costs are lower due to buying film in bulk
• Machines require some training to set up and to load the film
• Equipment prices range from $800 to $30,000

The most common films are shown in the table below. Other thicknesses are sometimes available, but these are usually specialty items.

Mil	Inches	Microns
1.5 mil	0.0015 inch	37 microns
3 mil	0.003 inch	75 microns
5 mil	0.005 inch	125 microns
7 mil	0.007 inch	175 microns
10 mil	0.010 inch	250 microns

Pouch laminators are used to laminate documents in standard-sized laminate pouches. Pouch laminators apply heat and pressure to fuse the laminate pouch to the paper. Most pouch laminators can also be used without heat to seal pressure-sensitive pouches.

• Some pouch laminators apply heat by passing the pouch between two heat shoes. Pressure is then applied to the heated pouch by a pair of motor-driven rollers. This is the least expensive and most common system.
• Other pouch laminators apply heat by passing the pouch between two heated rollers. This type of pouch laminator is generally more expensive to build, but it produces better results with difficult materials.

Pouch laminators are also classified by the number of rollers used.

• The least expensive type uses two motor-driven rollers. This type of pouch laminator requires the use of an oversized carrier. The carrier must be pushed past the heat shoes untill it reaches the rollers, which then apply pressure and pull it through.
• A much more common type of pouch laminator uses four motor-driven rollers. The first pair accept the carrier (or pouch) and pull it in. The pouch then passes between the heat shoes and into the second pair of rollers, which apply pressure and pull the pouch through the machine.
• Some pouch laminators have a pair of heated rollers instead of the heat shoes. These rollers apply heat and pressure at the same time. Heated roller laminators may use a total of four or six rollers, with either two or four of the rollers being heated.

The pouch should be slightly larger than the document that you wish to laminate. This will allow the pouch to completely seal around the edges of the document. If you have a hole punched in your pouches, you should also leave space between the hole and the document. You can have your document go all the way to the edge of the pouch, but the resulting edge will be weaker.

• For pouches smaller than 6" by 9", we recommend that you leave at least 1/8" of space on all four sides. In other words, make the pouch at least 1/4" wider and 1/4" longer than the document to be laminated.
• For pouches 6" by 9" and larger, we recommend that you leave at least 1/4" of space on all four sides. In other words, make the pouch at least 1/2" wider and 1/2" longer than the document to be laminated.

We recommend that you stay with thin paper stock and increase the pouch thickness to add stiffness. Laminating thick paper is more difficult, and the seal area around the paper must be wider to insure a proper seal.

This can be done, but works much better with the thinner pouches. We suggest that you practice with a test piece before trying this with your final product.

1. Carefully crease the laminated document where you want to fold it. The crease must be straight and without wrinkles.
2. Fold the document over and use a jogging block or other solid piece of wood or metal to help fold the document.
3. Insert the document into your pouch laminator folded edge first. Use a carrier if your laminator requires one.

The result should be a neatly folded, laminated document.

Use a corner rounder. We have several models available in our Tools and Accessories section.

A carrier is a piece of folded card stock (heavy paper) coated on the inside with a non-stick plastic material (usually silicone.) The document to be laminated is inserted into the laminate pouch, then this assembly is inserted into the carrier. The carrier is then inserted, folded end first, into the pouch laminator. Carriers are normally not used on roll laminators.

Mil is a standard measurement of the thickness of laminate film. One mil is equal to 0.001 inch (or, if you prefer, one inch is 1000 mil.) Typical standard laminate film thicknesses are 1.5, 3, 5, 7, and 10 mil.

Micron is another measure of film thickness. One micron is 0.04 mil, or one mil is equal to 25 microns.

Polyester, usually referred to as poly, is the most common material used im making laminating film. It is bonded to a layer of resin, which is the "glue" that makes the polyester stick to your document. The thickness of the polyester determines the strength and durability of the film. Other materials are sometimes substituted for polyester to make a specialty laminating film.

A layer of resin is bonded to the polyester to make laminate film. The resin, which is usually made of polyethylene, is the "glue" that makes the laminate film stick to your document.

A laminate pouch consists of two pieces of laminate film sealed together along one edge (Usually the shorter edge.)The resin on each piece of film faces the inside of the pouch. A piece of paper or other material is placed inside the pouch, then this assembly is passed through a pouch laminator. The pouch laminator applies heat and pressure to activate the resin and fuse the pouch to the paper.

Documents laminated with clear film have a shiny, glossy surface. This film tends to brighten colors and make images look sharper. Reflections can be irritating under some lighting coditions.

Matte film has a frosted surface to reduce the glare from reflected light. It has a softer and more subdued look than clear film. Matte film can be written on with pencil, pen, or markers.

The core is the cardboard roll that roll laminate film is wound on. The size of the core is the inside diameter of this roll. Standard sizes are 1", 2-1/4" and 3". 1" is standard on the smaller roll laminators. 3" is standard on production machines and on wide-format laminators. 2-1/4" is less commonly used.

Adhesive backed pouches are laminate pouches with a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive on one side. This adhesive is protected by a release liner. Once the pouch has been laminated, it can be mounted by removing the release liner and pressing the laminated item against the mounting surface.

A die cutter is a device for cutting documents, usually photographs, to a specific size. Die cutters produce consistantly sized documents with clean edges. We carry die cutters in the Tools and Accessories section.

A roller cutter uses one or two circular cutting wheels that bear against a metal straightedge. The wheels are enclosed in a cover that only allows thin objects to pass into the cutting area. This makes roller trimmers the safest of all paper cutters. We carry roller trimmers in the Roller Cutters section.