Questions You Should Know about roll laminating machine

Why do I need a laminating machine?

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Why shouldn’t I just send my work out to a local laminator?  One reason is that most commercial or "trade" laminators have large equipment and focus on higher-volume jobs.  Another reason is that trade laminators are not generally comfortable laminating digital graphics, and they are often wary of ruining costly digital graphics. Finally, because most trade laminators are geared toward high volume conventional printers, they often charge high prices for laminating short-runs.  Also, digital graphics generally require higher quality and more expensive laminating films than conventionally printed graphics.  These more expensive films often have lower temperature requirements and more aggressive adhesives, making them suitable for digital prints.  Finally, fast turnaround is important – and by sending out your work you must wait for it to be done and, very often, you will pay a premium for a rush.

So join the growing numbers of libraries, offices, bakeries, groceries, retail stores, factories, schools, graphic shops, advertising agencies and pick out a laminating machine that is appropriate for your needs.  In the long run, you’ll get a great job, you’ll save money, you’ll have the materials laminated when you need them, at a price you can afford!

What type of materials can I laminate?

Pretty much any paper stock that has a drawing or printing on it may be laminated.  If you're just getting into digital graphics,  or if you’re long-established in the printing market, the first and most important step in selecting the right laminator and mounter is deciding what your finished products will be.  Are you making posters, menu cards, displays, signs, cards, sell-sheets, flip charts, placemats, fan-card sets, portfolios, resumes, recipe cards, or safety signs or graphics?  In order to pick the right equipment, you must have an idea what your finished product will be used for, and how many units you’ll be producing over time.  Once you have an idea of these factors, give us a call, and let us guide you to an appropriate solution!

What is better for me, hot or cold laminations?

• "Hot" machines use thermal laminating film that has adhesives which are applied with heat and pressure. These adhesives are activated at temperatures ranging from 220°F to 300°F.

• "Cold" machines, which use pressure-sensitive films which are applied only by pressure and without heat.

• Dual-purpose machines that may be run with either heat-activated or pressure-sensitive materials.
  

Many high-volume commercial or trade laminating businesses laminate everything using hot machines.  Many digital graphic shops utilize pressure-sensitive or cold laminations only, because many digital prints are extremely sensitive to heat and will change color or even melt with the heat of some laminating machines. Further, while pressure-sensitive laminating films are more expensive than thermal films, they are also more aggressive bonding, especially with digital prints, so certain types of printing require the more expensive pressure-sensitive laminating materials.

What type of mounting can I do?

Some laminating machines are designed as mounting machines also. Most mounting machines use cold pressure-sensitive adhesives to adhere printed paper to a variety of substrates.  These substrates may include foam-board, gator-board, sintra, aluminum, Dibond, Plexiglas and more.  The opening between the “nip” rollers will determine how thick a substrate may be used.  Many machines will allow up to 1” or more thickness! 

Some laminating and mounting dual machines will allow you to imaging simultaneously mount and laminate items in one pass through the machine, although most machines operate these functions independently. For those,  the images are run through the machine twice, first to laminate, then to mount.

What should my laminator be able to do?

Following are some of the specific functions you should consider before choosing a laminator. Which of these functions you require will depend on the type of materials you are laminating and how you plan to use the finished product.

The company is the world’s best automatic laminating machine supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Encapsulation:  laminating 2 sides of the paper at one time so there is a border of clear plastic all around the paper, completely sealing the paper in plastic.  

Mounting:  adhering your printed paper to a thick substrate such as cardboard, sintra, foam board, gator board, aluminum, or wood.

Pressure-Sensitive (“Cold”) lamination:  laminating paper and other substrates using cold, pressure-sensitive laminating film.  Most high-end digital graphic shops use this type of lamination for short-run display work, especially wide format posters and banners.  These laminating machines often come with a release liner take-up roll, which saves production time.

One-Side or Two-Sided Laminators:  be sure you are choosing a laminator that enables you to run two sides in one pass if you want to encapsulate your printed materials in plastic. For other purposes, a one-sided laminating machine may be used to laminate one side as well as two sides, by running the paper through the machine in a second pass.

We know that it can be frustrating and overwhelming to search for the best roll laminating machine to buy -- there are thousands of machines, and hundreds of different brand names to sort through. So how do you know which is best? We've put together a short list of questions and tips that you should keep in mind during your search. These will help ensure you ask the right questions, and focus on the most important specs and features of the machine.

TIP# 1) Make sure you know what maximum width you will need to laminate, not just now, but in the future.

Roll laminators are available as small as 12” and as large as 27”, so you will need to consider the widest item that you will be laminating. Remember that you will need to leave at least 1/4” of laminate around the edges of your document. Will a standard roll laminator width work for you, or do you need a wide format laminator for extra wide applications to 55" or more?

TIP# 2) Ask yourself if you need to also be able to mount onto foam board.

Many roll laminators have the capability to mount, however, you will need to check the specifications of the different models if this is a feature that you will be using. Some may only work with thin boards, while others thick boards up to 1".

TIP# 3) Know the thickest laminate mil you will need to work with.

Most roll laminators can laminate the maximum laminate available; 10 mil, however, it is always a good idea to double-check that your particular model will be able to handle the thickness that you will be using. Some of the less expensive models may be more limited in their ability to handle thicker laminate mils.

TIP# 4) Think about where the laminator will go.

How much space do you have, and how big is the machine? Will it need to sit on a stand, or will it go on a table top? Remember, for roll laminating machine you need access to both the front and back of the machine, so most users will place it in a central location of the room, or turn it sideways closer to the wall. Laminating machines require a decent amount of space to be run properly. Keep your working space in mind when shopping, and remember to always ask for the machine dimensions before ordering.

TIP# 5) Think about the potential users of the machine.

Who will be using the laminator? Will it be only trained print shop workers, or will it be multiple office staff or teachers? Ease of use is important for many customers, especially those who will be using the laminator in environments with multiple un-trained users, such as schools or offices. If you are one of these customers, then you will want to confirm that the machine is easy to use and does not require special training to operate.

Now let's quickly review the basics of roll laminating. A roll laminator is a hot or cold laminator that uses laminating film to encapsulate and protect documents larger than you would normally be able to accomplish with a pouch laminator. Roll laminating machines are designed for high volume runs as they allow for a continuous run of product or job. Roll laminators are perfect for laminating posters, maps, book covers, signs, photographs, charts, and much more. They allow for high production rates, are durable and built with heavy duty materials to last, and they allow applications to be wiped clean. Many roll laminators can also handle mounting documents onto foam board and other mounting boards; often as thick as 3/16” thick boards or more. Roll lamination is typically used for two sided lamination, completely encapsulating your documents in a protective lamination. In two-sided lamination, a top and bottom laminating roll are mounted onto the laminating machine with the adhesive sides facing each other. When the roll laminator is turned on the rolls are uncoiled and pressed onto the document. The heat and pressure applied then seals the lamination around the document, creating a protected and attractive finish. Lamination protects against spills, bending and tearing, and many films even protect against UV damage.

Take a look at the various roll laminating machines that we offer at Binding101. What is most unique about our limited selection is that we have weeded out the lower-quality machines, so we only offer you a tested and 101 approved quality laminator. When you buy a roll laminator from us, you can feel confident that the "is this a good brand?" questions has been answered with a "heck yes!". Plus, we have some of the highest quality roll laminate film available as well, for an all over perfect finish.