Properly storing photos or documents is a recurring problem for many people, and a practical solution exits the laminator. With time, documents, photos, postcards, etc., get damaged, especially if forgotten in the corner of the office or home. The laminator was created just to avoid it. Have you ever heard of it?
If you don’t have a clue what it is, don’t worry: you are on the right site! In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about laminators and their potential for storing documents ensuring maximum durability. Continue reading this guide to understand the usefulness of this office object.
Right below we had listed out the best Laminators.
Buyer Guide to Choose the Best Laminator
It is not easy to go into the world of laminators. These are machines that often incorporate other functions, and not all models adapt to a person’s specific needs. For this, we have prepared the next section, in which we will try to answer all the most frequently asked questions to clarify all your doubts.
What Exactly Is a Laminator?
A laminator is an electric machine that fixes two plastic films to the documents using heat, one on each side. The documents in this way are protected from stains, breaks, deterioration, and strengthen it, making it more durable.
How Does Laminator Work?
Laminators work with heat. The document or photo to be laminated is inserted into the machine, which will pass through hot rollers or heated plates.
In this way, the inserted document will come out completely sealed. The envelopes or pouches that are used to laminate usually have a slightly larger size than the document to be kept.
In this way, the plastic layer will cover the whole surface of the document, and the protection will be complete. To laminate special formats with the same level of protection, larger pouches must be purchased.
What Is the Advantage of Using a Laminator?
Managing and administering essential documents is a task that requires a great sense of responsibility, both in the home and at work. So if you want to keep them at their best, we recommend using a laminator. It will save you time and money, it is practical, and there are enough for all needs.
Does The Laminator Reversible make the Changes?
Unfortunately, no, they are not reversible. The lamination process makes documents resistant to water, stains, practically proof of any type of alteration. This happens because the plastic layers merge with the document sheet, and for this reason, it is impossible to separate them later.
How Do You Use a Laminator?
Although there are several models on the market and some functions may differ depending on the brand or manufacturer, in general, the operation is the same.
- Insert all the material into the laminator. You will probably need to arrange it with your hands to keep it in the correct position.
- Press the button to start laminating, unless it starts automatically when the sheet is detected.
- Do not interrupt the process while the laminator is operating.
- Collect the material once the document has exited the other side of the laminator.
- If you wish, you can round the corners or cut off the excess material.
- Take precautions not to burn yourself, as the car can be very hot.
What Are the Abs Levers for Laminators?
The acronym ABS (in English, Antilock Brake System ) refers to a brake system with which some models of laminators are equipped to prevent the sheet from jamming since this is one of the most common problems in this type of machine.
Pressing the ABS lever frees the jammed sheet (or envelope), which can then be withdrawn from the machine and used again – provided that it has not been damaged.
Do Laminators Turn on Immediately?
Since they work according to a “hot” mechanism to store documents, photos, or postcards, laminators cannot start working immediately. They usually require a warm-up phase before they can be used.
At this stage, precautions must be taken not to burn yourself, as the machine heats up considerably. After the healing phase, which usually takes less than 4 minutes, the laminator will be ready to start doing its duty. Sometimes this will not be enough, and it will be necessary to wait for a few minutes between one lamination and the next.
What Technical Characteristics Should We Consider in A Laminator?
Laminators are machines that require electricity. For this reason, the technical specifications vary according to the models In general, the aspects to consider are the following:
- Machine voltage
- Power of the rollers
- Warm-up time
- Maximum width of the laminating material
- Maximum height of the laminating material
- The thickness of plastic sheets
- Maximum lamination speed
- Automatic shutdown
What Types of Laminator Pouches Are There?
In general, each brand of laminator recommends the use of its envelopes. There is no large variety of pouches on the market, but there is some option. Also, in this case, before choosing, we must know what use we will make of the plasticized document. We need to consider the thickness and dimensions.
- Adhesive Envelopes: ideal for displaying the plasticized document in the office or at home by attaching it on the wall or a wooden part.
- High-Speed Envelopes: some envelopes allow only one facade to be sealed, thus saving about 40% of the lamination time.
- Envelopes with Arrows: this type is used to avoid making orientation errors when inserting the envelope in the laminator.
Anti-Jamming System
The higher the number of laminations we make, the more the probability of jammed sheets increases. For this, it is beneficial that these machines have a system that clears the jammed documents. It can be a lever or an ABS button. The important thing is that a technical problem does not prevent us from continuing to work.
Conclusions
Laminators are useful machines for storing documents and protecting them from humidity, dust, stains, and the typical deterioration of the passage of time.
These machines help save time and money and are very convenient for handling relevant documents. So if you have decided to buy one, remember to keep in mind your space needs, versatility, and safety precautions in addition to the speed of lamination.
