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If this is your first time buying a plastifieuse, you might be surprised to know there are several ways of laminating. Don’t buy right away without knowing these types of laminators, as each product brings something different to the table. If you buy without considering the many features and requirements, you may end up buying the wrong one.
Without much ado, below are the types of laminating tools you should know.
Hot Pouch Laminators
This type of laminator is used to encapsulate a document using a pouch with two connected sides where the thing to be laminated is placed. Covering the pouch is a heat-activated film. It is then subjected to hot rollers and allows the pressure to bond them together, eliminating the bubbles and seal them tightly.
Cold Pouch Laminators
If you need to laminate heat-sensitive documents, the cold pouch laminator is what you need. An example of this include photos, printed documents with inkjet printer and faxes. It is much safer and provides better UV protection. This type of lamination makes use of an adhesive that is activated with pressure, easy to use, and doesn’t get hot. On top of that, it does not require electricity.
Single Hot Roll Feed Laminators
This type of laminator is encapsulated in a heat-activated thermal film placed on the print side. The outcome is trimmed to leave with a clear border. You can choose between matt and gloss finishes with thickness ranges from 42 – 250 microns.
Cold Roll Feed
The cold roll feed is used to encapsulate film to mount prints into the board. It is done by putting in vinyl and adhesive films. It is used in copy and print shops, commercial printers, and sign makers.
Cold Basic Roll Feed
This is a heavy-duty laminator system recommended for providing the best quality results for signage and graphics materials supplied to sign makers, print shops, vinyl/tape, and graphic designers applicators. The rollers use two cold, large rollers to apply pressure evenly and a release liner take-up roller. The widths vary from 650 mm to 1600 mm.
Double Hot Roll Feed
This laminator uses a heat-activated thermal film applied on both sides of the print. The final result is trimmed to leave a border on the edges of the print, thus encapsulated. You can choose between matt or gloss film with 42-250 micron thick.
Final Thoughts
The types of laminators you choose will depend on the item for lamination. Some documents can be damaged when subjected to heat, so you have to be cautious when dealing with them. In this case, a cold laminator can be used to preserve the document to be laminated.
The size of the item for lamination is also essential. Some laminators are intended for smaller documents, and others are for the bigger ones. The type of laminator and the size are two critical factors that you should consider when buying the equipment. If you use laminators for business, you need to purchase various tools for catering to your customers’ diverse needs.
