When you own a roll laminator, it is good to
have a decent supply of high-quality laminating film on-hand. If you're
relatively new to laminating, you may be wondering how you can choose
the right roll for your needs. Choosing it isn't hard as long as you
keep five things in mind: thickness, width, core size, finish, and
length. Here's why these five things are important....
When you own a roll laminator, it's good to
have a decent supply of high-quality laminating film on-hand. If you're
relatively new to laminating, you may be wondering how you can choose
the right roll for your needs. Choosing it isn't hard as long as you
keep five things in mind: thickness, width, core size, finish, and
length. Here's why these five things are important....
Thickness. One of the most important
considerations when buying laminating film is thickness. Film is
available in a number of thicknesses ranging from 1.5 to 10 mil. A mil
is equal to 0.001 of an inch, so the higher the mil rating, the thicker
the laminate, which means your document will be better protected and it
will be more rigid. However, not every machine can work with every
thickness. (For example, school laminators can typically only handle
film up to 3 mil thick.) Thus, you'll want to check your laminator's
instruction manual before dropping money on your supplies.
Width.
The width of your film is also important to think about. Most roll
laminators are pretty wide (i.e. over 2 feet wide) so if yours is like
that, make sure you choose a roll that's the right size for it. These
larger rolls of laminate are especially good for wide-format items such
as posters, banners, etc. If you're just going to be processing
letter-sized documents, laminate that's up to 12 inches should be
sufficient.
Core size. Every roll
of laminating film you buy has a core that the laminate is wrapped
around. It's important to know the size of the core so you don't end up
buying supplies with cores that are either too large or too small.
Again, this is a spec that will be in your user manual, so be sure to
check it out before you go shopping.
Finish.
Laminating film comes in a couple of different finishes: glossy and
matte. Glossy laminate looks great and it's readily available. However,
this type of finish can also lead to glare, which makes your work
difficult to see. Luckily, there is matte laminate available if the
glossy look isn't right for your project and you want your message to
be easily read.
Length. Finally,
the length of the film isn't too terribly important. (Unless, of
course, you're laminating an incredibly long banner or something
similar.) Just make sure that it's compatible with your machine, of
course.
As you can see, choosing the right laminating film is easy when
you keep five things in mind: thickness, width, core size, finish, and
length. Make sure you choose laminate that's compatible with your
machine while giving your documents the finish they need. If you have
any questions about what films are compatible with your machine, the
device's instruction manual should give you some idea, so don't
overlook this valuable resource. As long as you keep all of this in
mind, you're definitely going to wind up with the roll that's perfect
for your needs. Good luck and happy laminating!
If you'd like to purchase some Laminating Supplies,
you should really visit MyBinding.com. They have a wide selection of
these items, as well as great prices on Roll Laminators. Plus, you'll
get free shipping on all orders over $75.00. If you'd like to learn
more about these types of products, you can read all about them at MyBindingBlog.com. Check it out for yourself now!
