If you recently purchased a pouch laminator, hopefully you remembered to also pick up the supplies you’ll need. There are a lot of laminating pouches out there these days and they come in a variety of sizes, thicknesses, and finishes. The vast selection can make choosing the right one difficult. This article will fill you in on all you need to know about these supplies so you can choose the right one with confidence and give your project the exact look you need.
Thermal and Self-Sealing. Pouch laminators typically use heat to melt the adhesive inside the packet. To do this, you’ll need a thermal pouch. However, if you want to do cold lamination, a self-sealing packet is what you need. The rollers in the machine will apply pressure to your document to encase it in the packet, no heat required. This makes cold lamination ideal for protecting items that wouldn’t make it through the heat such as papers printed with ink-jet ink.
Thickness and Size. Thickness is probably the most important thing to think about when you’re buying supplies for your next project. The thicknesses of laminating packets are indicated by the word “mil.” A mil is equal to approximately 1/1000 of an inch and the most common sizes are 3, 5, 7, and 10 mil. Obviously, the bigger the number, the thicker the packet. Supplies with higher mil ratings will be sturdier and offer more rigid lamination.
As for size, these supplies run the gamut, from small ones that are great for laminating ID cards to 12″ x 18″ ones that can be used to protect posters and maps. (Note: if a 12″ x 18″ packet is too small for your project, you’ll need to use a roll laminator instead.) When selecting a packet, make sure it’s large enough so you can have a border of laminate around your document that’s about half a centimeter wide. This will ensure the item will be sealed properly and you can trim away the excess afterward, if you wish.
Speciality Pouches. Many pouches are glossy, which is the type of laminate that most frequently comes to mind when people think about lamination. However, there are also matte materials available, which can give your document a more sophisticated or festive look. And if you really want or need to make your work stand out, there is a wide variety of specialty supplies available from companies such as Fellowes and GBC. For instance, GBC makes materials so you can create your own mouse pads and they also produce mounting boards that have easel backs for simple and elegant presentation of your information. Meanwhile, Fellowes offers pre-punched supplies to make the creation of luggage tags and ID cards a no-brainer. Also, Pizzazz has a number of packets that are printed with frames to give your document a festive look. These items are great for special occasions, such as holidays and birthdays. They’re also good for when you want to give your photographs a unique look.
Finally, when it comes to selecting laminating pouches, consider the size and thickness you need first. Then you can decide if you need them to be pre-punched, matte or glossy, and so on. Good luck and happy laminating!
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