Lamination is the process of sealing something between two layers or gluing them with heat or pressure. Lamination helps to protect the printed surface by sealing it so that it cannot be harmed. Laminators come in three types: Pouch laminator, heat roll laminators and cold roll laminators.
Pouch Laminator |
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Pouch laminators are used along with lamination pouches that are usually sealed on one or two sides. The item being laminated is placed inside the pouch which is usually coated with a heat activated film that adheres to the item being laminated as it passes through the machine. Pouch laminators are designed for moderate projects on smaller scales. Pouches come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses for the various types of projects they would be used for. Pouch laminators are essentially smaller scale heat roll laminators that are perfect for office and home use. |
Heat Roll Laminator |
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Heat roll laminators are used for larger scale laminations. They consist of heated rollers that are used to melt the glue on the lamination film. The lamination film is applied to the surface being laminated using a pressure rollers. Some machines incorporate film application and heat lamination into one machine while others are just the heat rollers. Heat roll laminators are used for their speed. Most of the heat roll laminators use 2 rolls of lamination film so that it can cover the top and bottom of the printed surface to be able to fully seal and protect them. The heat roll laminators are also cheaper to produce than cold roll laminators; they sometimes cost almost half as much to produce. Heat roll laminators come in a range of sizes for various projects. Heat roll laminators are wonderful for larger scale lamination jobs. The other nice thing about heat roll laminators is that the film used can vary in thickness. Larger scale laminators are able to use thicker film. When selecting your heat roll laminator look at the types of lamination you will be doing, the thickness of the lamination you prefer. |
Cold Roll Laminators |
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Cold roll laminators use a plastic film which is coated with an adhesive that is generally protected by a glassy backing. When the glossy backing is peeled off it exposes the adhesive so that the surface being laminated can be stuck directly on it. These are mainly used on items that can be damaged by the use of heat. If you are using an ink or surface that is heat sensitive this is the laminator for you. Cold roll laminators come in a variety of types; there are hand crank machines, 2 roll machines to complex machines using high precision or adjustable rollers. Cold press rollers are great for mounting and signs. |
When choosing a lamination machine make sure that you take into account what you are laminating, how large a scale you are laminating on and if the material you are laminating is heat sensitive. Lamination is a great finishing touch to a lot of printing projects to make the prints last longer.