If you have a roll laminator you know just how
awesome it can be for laminating signs, banners, presentation covers,
visual aids and document.However, there is nothing quite as
frustrating as trying to troubleshoot problems with your laminated
documents. Here are a few things that you
should consider when troubleshooting your laminator.
If you have a roll laminator you know just how
awesome it can be for laminating signs, banners, presentation covers,
visual aids and document. However, there is nothing quite as
frustrating as trying to troubleshoot problems with your laminated
documents. Perhaps your laminate is coming out cloudy (silvered), wavy,
with air bubbles, curled or with small unlaminated spots. All of these
problems have different causes. However, here are a few things that you
should consider when troubleshooting your laminator.
Heat: The first variable that can cause problems
with your laminated output is heat. If you have too much heat you will
notice that the output is wavy. If you don't have enough heat or the
heat is inconsistent, you will get silvering or cloudiness throughout
your document. If this happens you will need to adjust the heat either
up or down to compensate. You may also need to give your machine enough
time to recover heat after a long run since the temperature of the
rollers will drop as heat is transferred to your documents.
Speed: Another variable that can cause problems
with the output from your laminator is speed. If the speed is too fast
then not enough heat will be transferred and you will get silvering in
your documents. If the speed is too slow then too much heat will be
transferred and you will get waviness. Ultimately, you will need to
find a balance between heat and speed. If your machine does not have a
heat setting you will need to adjust the speed. Likewise if there is no
speed setting you will need to adjust the heat. If you have both then
you can attempt to adjust both to find the right combination for the
type of paper that you are using.
Tension: Something that is a little bit harder to
deal with on a roll laminator is the tension. The tension setting
determines how tight the laminate is stretched as it comes off the
laminator. Generally, you should not mess with the tension settings on
your machine. However, if you notice that you are getting excessive
curling, cupping or air bubbles in your output you may need to tweak
the tension. Just remember that the tension on both rollers should
always be set the same if you are running the same type of film on both
sides.
Dust: Small particles of dust on your documents and
photos can cause your documents to look speckled. In order to fix this
you will need to remove the dust before you run your prints. There is a
special tool called a PCR roller that is designed for this purpose. A
PCR roller will remove dust from your printed output without damaging
the surface of the prints.
Adhesive Buildup: If you have small dots or
sections on your laminated output that are not laminating you will need
to check your rollers. Rollers that are damaged, cracked or have
adhesive buildup may not transfer heat equally. Every place where the
roller touches the laminate and there is adhesive buildup or a gouge in
the roller you will end up with an unlaminated spot. The only way to
deal with this problem is to clean or replace the rollers.
Toner Adhesion: Many types of film will not adhere
well to digital output with high fuser oil content. If you are having
this problem, you may notice that the laminate will easily peel off
your finished documents when face trimmed. If you are using this type
of digital output you may need to look into using a high tac film.
Hi-tack laminating films use a more aggressive adhesive to ensure
adhesion to this type of coated output.
These are five basic tips for troubleshooting the output of your roll
laminator. Try adressing these issues and you will find that you can
fix most problems that occur when using your machine. However, if none
of these things work, you might need to consider placing a service call
for your machine.
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on laminators, binding machines, laminating supplies,binding supplies,binding covers,paper handling equipments,binders,index tabs, and shredders.
