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Friday, November 28, 2008

How to Use a Laminator

By Alan Robinson

Using a laminator depends on the type of laminator in question. Whether you are using a roll laminator, a pouch laminator or even self seal sheets, you will find lamination to be easy once you get the hang of it. Laminators come in different sizes but whether you use a 12" laminating machine or a mini laminator, the principles are the same.

Using A Pouch Laminator

Many people use pouch laminators, which are simple to use. With a pouch laminator, you will need to turn on the machine to warm it up. Next, choose the right heat setting. If you are using thick pouches, you will need a higher setting. The indicator light will come on when the laminator has heated up.

Put your document between the laminating pouch flaps so you have a border on every side. Insert the lamination pouch, closed edge first, into the machine. It has to be inserted closed edge first so no air bubbles can get trapped inside the lamination. Some laminating machines use a carrier which you put the pouch into before inserting it and others do not need this.

The laminated document will come out of the back of the laminator when it is done. If it is wavy, you might need a lower heat setting. If it is not sealed properly, you might need more heat. When you have finished laminating, lay the laminations down to cool off and switch off the machine.

Using A Roll Laminator

To use a roll laminator you first need to plug it in and ascertain the heat shield and feed tray are in place. If they are not, the machine will not heat up and the rollers will not move. A lot of roll type laminators default to the lowest heat so you might need to turn it up if you are using thicker laminate film.

You will also have to choose the right speed. A lot of laminators have guidelines on the machine so just follow these. When the laminator light comes on, it is ready to go. Some laminating machines take up to ten minutes to heat up. Place the document to be laminated on the feed table and press "run". When the heat line goes, push the item on to the heated rollers.

If you are laminating more than one thing, you can feed them through continuously, but make sure they do not overlap. The laminated items exit via the back of the laminating machine.

There will be a film cutter on the back of the laminator so you can lower the handle while sliding the cutter across the lamination film. The inbuilt blade trims off any excess film. When you have finished laminating everything, switch the laminator off and allow it to cool down.

Laminating Without A Machine

If you do not have a laminating machine, you can use self laminating pockets, such as 3M Scotch self sealing laminating pouches. These pouches are ideal to protect photos, documents and keepsakes and they have a protective, clear gloss finish.

Using a self laminator pouch means you put the document between the sheets and seal it yourself without a heat source or laminating machine.

Do you want to protect your documents and precious photos by laminating it? Check out Laminator101.com for more information on pouch laminators and FREE tips on lamination.

2 comments:

Steve said...

If you are struggling to find a laminator for your office you can also use a website like Laminator Finder which allows you to search through shredders based on your required features. You can find it at http://www.laminator-finder.co.uk

Unknown said...

Thanks for posting....

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