What To Look For When Buying A Laminating Machine

What To Look For When Buying A Laminating Machine

Laminating machines can be incredibly handy for a multitude of applications both at home and at work. Businesses can use them to create office signage or ID cards, whilst teachers can make reusable classroom resources – they’re super useful and pretty much every workplace could benefit from one.

But what if you’ve never bought one before? Or you’re thinking of upgrading? Do you know what to look for? Worry not as we take you through what to consider when buying a laminating machine…

How much laminating will you be doing?

Probably one of the biggest considerations when buying a new laminating machine is actually how much laminating you’re going to be doing.

If you’re just doing the odd piece or it’s for home use, then a slightly lower standard laminator will probably suffice – you don’t really need to splash out if you’re not going to use it that regularly. Conversely, if you’re going to be doing a lot of laminating then it’s worth spending a little more for a better quality machine.

You might also want to consider a high speed machine like the one below so that you can get it all done a lot quicker.

This high speed laminator not only works quickly but also has a memory function, which is ideal if you’re laminating various different things but don’t have the time (or effort) to keep reprogramming it. This makes it ideal for print departments or copy shops where time is of the essence.

What size do you need?

Different laminating machines can handle different sizes of document, so it’s important to get the right one. An A3 laminator will probably cover most people’s requirements as they can also laminate anything smaller than A3 as well, but if you need something bigger then you can always up the size to an A2 machine.

Laminating regular sheets of paper is one thing, but what if you have awkward size shapes and sizes that need laminating? Teachers, for example, will feel this pain when it comes to cutting out and laminating their classroom resources.

If that sounds familiar, then this laminating machine could be the one you need.

The A3 Peak Educator Laminating Machine will laminate from ID card size up to A3 and is adept at handling odd shapes. This is because you have to use laminating pouch carriers every time you laminate.

Other laminating equipment

Once you’ve chosen which laminating machine you need, there are various other things to consider before you actually start laminating. One of the most important things is the type of laminating pouch you need.

For example, do you want matt or gloss pouches? Matt laminating pouches are good if you’re worried about glare, so could be a good choice if you’re displaying something outdoors.

You should also check the thickness of the pouches, which is measured in microns – the more microns, the thicker the pouch. If you want your document to stand up and have more rigidity, such as a restaurant menu, then you’ll need to choose thicker pouches.