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Laminating Pouches

dwilder775 | Jan 13, 2010 |

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Laminating pouches allow for all of the quality found when cutting laminating material from a roll but provide an ease of use that makes any project be completed much more quickly. Laminating pouches are typically hinged at one end allowing for the material which will be laminated to be inserted into the pouch. The excess can then be cut from the pouch and used for smaller projects if desired. The enclosed material is then placed in a hot laminator machine. The heated rollers present in the machine seals the pouch and provides a top quality lamination, just like that of a product professionally laminated. For most laminating pouches even the most inexpensive laminating machine is sufficient to produce professional quality results.

When shopping for laminating pouches the main two criteria are the size of the pouch and the thickness of the pouch. With size bigger is typically better, as there needs to be at least a small amount of excess to allow for a proper seal when going through the laminator. Also, larger pouches can easily be cut in half and used for two smaller projects but multiple small pouches can not be combined to make a larger pouch. When looking at the thickness of a pouch it is important for the consumer to consider the finished product. While thicker lamination will provide additional protection, and sometimes stiffness, if a thinner look is desired protection is traded off for appearance. In some cases even the thinnest lamination is sufficient protection such as in the case of waterproofing. Typically the thickness of laminating pouches are measured in mil, an old French unit if measurement common in the paper, and plastics, industry. One mil roughly equates to one thousandth of an inch.

A typical laminating pouch will work with most any laminating machine as long as the roller is wide enough to accommodate the size of the laminating pouch and the media being laminated. Though most any laminating machine will work with most laminating pouches the thicker pouches may need a laminating machine which allows for control of the pressure, heat, and speed of the laminating rollers. These, typically more expensive, machines are higher quality and will usually last a lifetime. If the consumer already owns a laminating machine it is a good idea to at least try a thicker pouch, as it very well could work, before going out an purchasing a more expensive laminating machine.