When you've begun searching for a laminating
system for your home, school, or office, there are literally hundreds
of brands, models, and types to consider. One of the most basic choices
you will have to make when choosing your laminating machine, however,
also happens to be one of the most important: will you be using hot or
cold lamination? Here are a few things you will need to consider when making your choice.
When you've begun searching for a
laminating system for your home, school, or office, there are literally
hundreds of brands, models, and types to consider. One of the most
basic choices you will have to make when choosing your laminating
machine, however, also happens to be one of the most important: will
you be using hot or cold lamination? Each has its own advantages and
disadvantages, and in this article we will begin to discuss the
differences between the two systems, and hopefully help you choose
which of the two laminating systems is right for you and the needs of
your office. Here are a few things you will need to consider when
making your choice.
Cost. In general, it
seems that there is not a huge difference between the cost of hot and
cold laminating machines. Where you will likely see the biggest
difference in cost is in the supplies that you will need to have on
hand for each system. Cold laminating supplies, as it turns out, are
often a bit more expensive than those used for hot lamination.
Depending on how you intend to use your laminating machine, however,
the benefits of cold lamination might well outweigh the added cost of
the supplies.
Supplies. There is a vast difference in
the sizes and types of supplies available for hot and cold laminating.
At this time, hot laminating pouches and supplies come in a much
greater variety of sizes, making it the choice if you are going to be
needing to laminate different sized documents on a regular basis. That
being said, the methods of adhesion are more varied when you use cold
lamination, which includes giving you the ability to laminate and apply
the adhesive, just apply adhesive, or to laminate using a matte
adhesive. Supplies for those options are difficult to find for hot
lamination, and this is especially true for smaller sizes.
Speed.
Because with cold lamination there is no need to wait for the machine
to heat up, it is the clear choice of laminating machine when it comes
to speed. Quite a few models of the smaller cold laminators will not
even need to be plugged in. This gives these particular cold laminators
the advantage of being able to be used just about anywhere you may need
to transport them. Hot laminators, on the other hand, will generally
need anywhere from two to fifteen minutes in order to properly heat up,
and will, of course, always require power in order to function.
Heat.
Although most of the better hot laminating machines come with safety
functions that prevent users from getting burned, there is always that
danger when dealing with heat. Also, there are several types of
documents you might want to laminate that are heat sensitive such as
photos, vinyl or thermally sensitive materials such as ultrasound
images. These items can be damaged by head and are not be a good choice
for hot lamination.
These are just a few of the things
to consider when weighing the choices between hot and cold laminating
systems. As always, do plenty of research before you decide to invest
in a machine for your needs.
If you are looking supplies for hot or cold laminating you should really visit MyBinding.com. They carry a huge variety of Laminating Pouches for use with almost any system. Plus they carry a wide variety of SelfSeal Cold Laminating Pouches. Their prices are great and they offer free shipping on all orders over $75.
