What You Should Know about the Laminating Process

Laminating Basics

Laminating film consists of two layers, a base layer of: Polyester, OPP Polypropylene, Nylon, or Vinyl. And an inner adhesive resin layer that becomes liquid when it reaches an activating temperature. There are a wide variety of adhesives that are applied to the base materials depending on the application.

The material to be laminated is placed between two sheets of laminating film. The laminating machine melts the adhesive resin layer, which then spreads over the document, hardening as it cools and created a bond between the material and film.

Types of Laminating Machines

• One Sided Laminating
• Two Sided Laminating
• Desktop Laminators
• Wide Format Laminators

Laminating is well know to be one of the best ways to protect a document. The most durable form of laminating is with an overhang that completely surrounds the document for a watertight and airtight seal. Beyond that, there are many methods of laminating.

Semi-auto Film Lamination Machine

Laminators can vary in many ways. There is also a huge variety within laminates themselves. For this reason it is best to work with an expert when deciding what machine and laminate is the best mix for your specific application. Contact us today!

See article below for an explanation of laminate types.

Types of Laminating Films

Narrow Format for Desktop Laminators

Standard Laminating Rolls: This laminating film is sometimes referred to as “school film” and is available in 1.5 mil or 3 mil thickness. Standard film is a mono polymer film, which means there is one type of adhesive coating the base material. These films tend to have a high operating temperature and are the least expensive films. You might also hear this film referred to as “nap-lam l” which is a trade name for GBC.

Premium Laminating Film: This is a co-polymer film, which has a more aggressive adhesive than mono polymer film. It also operates at a lower melting temperature. GBC’s brand name for this is “nap-lam ll”. This film is normally available in 1.7, 3, 5 and 10 mil thickness.

Color-Bond Laminating Film: This is a specialty film formulated toner based color copier output. Color copies have fuser oils that allow the toner to adhere to the paper. The Standard mono-polymer and Premium co-polymer films we currently carry will not always work with color copier output. The problem magnified when customers have applications with heavy toner coverage and very dark colors that lay down a lot of toner on the paper.

Commercial Laminate for High-Speed, High-Volume Laminators 

OPP Laminating Film: polypropylene (BOPP) based thermal films have excellent clarity and have durability to printed materials. Designed for single side lamination of offset printed graphics these films are available in a variety of sizes and finishes. Designed for applications that include book cover, dust jacket,s brochures and magazines, stock and custom sizes are available for all film types.

Lay Flat Laminating Film: Laminate is nylon based film that allows single sided laminated paper and graphics to adjust to humidity and help eliminate the curling of laminated books. Designed for applications that include book cover jackets, brochures and magazines, these will stay flat even in humidity conditions. Stock and custom sizes are available for all films.

Krystal Laminating Film: Krystal film is a polyester-based film providing excellent scuff, scratch and tears resistance. The film’s copolymer adhesive creates an excellent bond to a variety of offset printed stocks including coated sheets and prints with heavy ink coverage.

Hi-Tac Laminating Film: Provides superior adhesion and vibrant output for dry toner-based prints containing fuser oil. Hi-Tac adhesive is engineered to create a chemical bond that enables lamination immediately after printing. It’s ideal for high volume print shops requiring fast turnarounds to meet customers demands.