Choose the right method of lamination for your needs
Lamination serves the purpose of protecting print, which could include anything like school diplomas, award certificates or even newspaper clippings. It’s also important for improving the visual appeal of print by making colors appear brighter and improving contrast. Additionally, businesses will use lamination to make their marketing material appear more professional and thus attract more customers. Lamination machines fall in three categories: those that use lamination pouches, films or UV liquid. Laminators that use UV liquid are harder to operate, will take more time to clean and maintain and aren’t flexible for doing short prints. UV liquid laminators are also costlier to buy and run. Pouch laminators seal printed material by using thermal heat to melt the bonding material in laminating pouches. This encapsulation process makes print material water proof and also brightens the appearance of print. Pouch laminators are mostly used in offices and educational institutions for laminating reports, college certificates and identity cards. They are also good for home use.
Film laminators are of a wider variety than pouch laminators. This is because laminators that use film are more commonly used than other types. One type of commonly used lamination film is double-sided laminators, which can be used to laminate one side or to encapsulate. Double-sided laminators are the best and most economical type for retail printers who do short runs. Encapsulation that uses a film laminator will give the benefits of using a lamination pouch, but unlike a pouch, it’s more flexible because it’s not limited in length. This means that you can print and protect long items such as banners, using the cold lamination process. To find the right film to use with a cold lamination machine, you can buy Cold Lamination Film in UK online. Lamination film is measured in microns; the larger the number of microns on your lamination film or pouch, the thicker and stronger it will be. You can use different types of lamination finishes when using lamination films and pouches. These include matt, gloss, soft touch or anti-graffiti, which is very useful outdoors. Wide-format prints such as signage and window graphics are protected with wide format lamination film, which is anti-graffiti and weather resistant.
Laminators are also classified based on their method of laminating, with can either be cold or hot. Hot lamination is done using heat and can be done both on film or pouch. When the rollers in the laminator generate heat, which heats up the film or pouch and bonds them printed material. Cold lamination machines are also referred to as pressure-sensitive laminators. They also use rollers, but instead of the rollers heating up, they stay cold and use pressure to bond the film or pouch to the printed material. Pressure-sensitive laminators are most commonly used for vinyl and adhesive material, which would easily get damaged if they come into contact with heat. To avoid damaging your printed vinyl or adhesive, you should use the right type or laminating machine and also find a store than can supply you with high quality pressure sensitive film in the UK.
