Laminating Services

Lamination is a process used to enhance and protect valuable presentation materials or personal items like photographs or certificates. When items are laminated a thin film of plastic is applied to both sides of the surface, rendering the item tear-resistant and waterproof.

Most laminators use specialized laminating machines that allows for two main forms of laminating processes: Pouch Laminating and the Roll Laminating. Pouch laminating is ideal for home or office use. A pouch laminator is usually sealed on one side and the inside of the lamination pouch coated with a heat-activated film that sticks to the product being laminated as it runs through the laminator. This method is ideal for ID cards, photographs, certificates and posters. A larger laminating machine is the Roll Laminator, generally used for larger projects and industrial purposes. Roll Lamination uses heated rollers to melt glue that is then pressed out onto lamination film. This form of lamination is used because of its professional finish needed for many print businesses and design studios.

There are a number of services offered by a laminator including celloglazing ( a thin sheet of film is adhered to the printed piece by a special machine that uses both heat and pressure to apply the coating), encapsulation ( a process using film to totally enclose documents in a sealed front and back layer of plastic) and plastic coating. Laminators will be able to also advise clients on the different types of lamination including gloss laminating, hot laminating and matt lamination best suited to the material that is undergoing the lamination process. Lamination is an excellent process that will protect and preserve important documents, including photos, menus, flyers and even large banners, with laminators offering a range of specialty techniques to best suit the individual requirements of each project.