What Do You Know About Laminators

There are several different kinds of laminators, small laminating machines, pouch laminators, Xyron craft and scrapbooking laminating machines, cold laminators and Roll laminating machines to mention a few.

The small laminator is used generally in the home to preserve recipes or mementos that are no larger than 4 inches wide and 5mm thick. They do not recommend laminating photos because heat is used to seal them but some people have tried it and they came out fine, but not recommended by the company. These machines are easy to use, just plug them in and wait for the ready light. Take the item you want to laminate and place it inside a laminate pouch which you will then place inside the carrier envelope. The machine feeds the carrier envelope automatically and your item comes out the other end warm and laminated.

The pouch laminators come in two sizes, the 4" model mentioned above and a 12" model. The pouch laminator uses pouches that are usually sealed on one side only. You place your item to be laminated between the two sheets that are coated with a heat-activated film that sticks to your item as it goes through the heat rollers. The cheaper pouch laminators may only have two rollers that distribute the heat evenly over your item. You will have to put it through two times. Other machines have four rollers and only have to have the item pass through one time. The six roller laminator is more commonly used for photographs and they will end up looking more professional.

Xyron craft laminating machines are safe for children to use and have several craft and scrapbooking applications. You can make your own stickers with permanent adhesive or repositionable adhesive and two sided laminate all with the same machine. You will see these machines in all kinds of shops that have craft and scrapbooking supplies like Joann Fabrics.

Xyron also has a cold laminator with a 9" manual cold process laminator. You do not need electricity or even batteries to operate this machine. It comes with a roll of laminating film which will alert you when it is running low. You just place your item to be laminated in the throat of the machine and turn the handle. It is called the EzLaminator and offers interchangeable cartridges to change styles. You can laminate just one side of an item or you can laminate both sides. You can even apply adhesive to one side of a document if you wish. It has a cutting tray or you can remove the item and cut it yourself.

The roll laminator has many applications. They are commonly used in schools of all types where multiple users are a reality. The ease in use makes it a wise choice for school applications. The larger roll laminators are basically used in print shops, sign shops and print-for-pay operations and by corporations that need professional looking laminations. The commercial roll laminators are all less than 44" wide. A wide format laminator can handle larger jobs. There are several other types of laminators available such as pouch board laminators, cold process laminators and Pro Seal laminators.