Using your pouch laminator or roll laminator
it is actually quite easy to produce high quality laminated signs, name
badges, posters, banners, covers and luggage tags. However, trimming
your documents to the right size after they are laminated can be a
little bit tricky.In order to choose the best trimmer for your particular needs
there are some things that you should probably consider.
Using your pouch laminator or roll laminator
it is actually quite easy to produce high quality laminated signs, name
badges, posters, banners, covers and luggage tags. However, trimming
your documents to the right size after they are laminated can be a
little bit tricky. That is where a good laminating trimmer comes in.
However, in order to choose the best trimmer for your particular needs
there are some things that you should probably consider.
1. Shape:
The shape of the items that you are laminating makes a huge difference
when choosing the right trimming device for your needs. Teachers who
are laminating a lot of visual aids and odd shaped die cuts will need
to choose a different trimmer than a business that is laminating all
letter sized documents. Organizations who need to laminate lots of odd
shaped documents will probably be best served with either a very sharp
pair of scissors or a set of zippy knives. For documents that are
square or rectangular with straight sides a rotary trimmer is usually
the best.
2. Thickness: Even the sharpest of cutters sometimes have a difficult
time trimming thin laminate. Items laminated with a school laminator
and 1.5mil film can sometimes bend over rather than cut if you attempt
to use a rotary trimmer or guillotine style cutter. For thin documents
such as these, a pair of scissors or zippy knives will slide through
the laminate like butter. However for thicker laminates, rotary
trimmers and guillotine cutters will be a better bet. A razor blade
knife and a straight edge will work with both thin and thick laminates
but is more dangerous than these other cutting options. If you plan on
trimming ultra thick documents that are mounted to a board of some sort
you will need to look at a board cutter or mat cutter.
3. Size: Depending on the length of the cut you need to make you may be
limited somewhat in your trimming options. Scissors, zippy knives and a
razor blade knife can all be used for virtually any length but are
somewhat difficult to control. For long or wide documents it is
possible to get a wide format rotary trimmer. However, these types of
trimmers can be quite expensive and can take up a lot of space. These
are the ideal choice for print shops and design houses but are somewhat
impractical for schools and home users.
When considering a laminating trimmer for your documents these are
three of the most important factors. After identifying the types of
documents that you will need to trim and the type of laminate that you
intend to use you will be in a much better situation to choose a
trimmer that will meet your needs.
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on laminators, binding machines, laminating trimmerslaminating supplies,binding supplies,binding covers,paper handling equipments,binders,index tabs, and shredders.
