This information is supplied as a general guideline. Quite often this will vary depending upon the type of material you are laminating, the accuracy of your machine's thermostat and may other factors. As a general rule, start with a "medium" temperature. If the pouch is still "cloudy" after running it through your machine, increase the temperature slightly, wait for the machine temperature to raise, and then repeat this process until the pouch is "clear". If the temperature is too hot, the pouch will warp, have ripples or have heat bubbles.
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3. DO ALL OF YOUR POUCHES HAVE ROUND CORNERS?
Yes, all of our laminating pouches have rounded corners on all four sides.
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4. IS THE MIL THICKNESS LISTED FOR LAMINATING POUCHES "PER SIDE" OR THE "TOTAL" THICKNESS?
The thickness listed is per side.
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5. DO I NEED TO USE A CARRIER?
Carriers are not generally required on laminators which have silicone coated rollers. With silicone rollers, any excess adhesive that is transferred from the laminating pouch to the rollers will not stick and will fall off of the rollers. Although they are not required with silicone roller machines, some people still prefer to use carriers to keep the rollers as clean as possible.
For pouch laminators with standard non-silicone rollers, a carrier must be used at all times. If a carrier is not used, the adhesive that "oozes" from the edge of the laminating pouch will stick to the rollers and will cause uneven and poor quality laminating. Should your rollers need cleaning, we can supply you with a special "Roller Cleaning Kit" (see Laminating Accessories) that contains a special cleaner and abrasive pads that will not damage or harden your rollers.
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6. WHAT DOES THE "MIL" NUMBER REPRESENT?
1 Mil represents one one-thousandth of an inch (ex. 1 mil=0.001"). The larger the number, the thicker the laminate. 3 Mil is the thinnest and can be folded easily. 5 Mil is more rigid, yet it can still be folded. 7 Mil is very rigid, but pliable and 10 mil is the thickest and resists bending. Generally speaking, the thicker the laminate, the longer it will last.
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7. DO ANY OF YOUR POUCHES HAVE A PRE-PUNCHED SLOT?
Yes, both the "luggage tag" and "military" pouches are available with and without a pre-punched rectangular slot. The luggage tag has the slot on the short side; the military pouch has the slot on the long side. Should you need a slot punch on any of our other pouches, we sell an economical slot punch to enable you to punch any pouch to your specifications.
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8. WHAT IS "MATTE"?
Matte is a type of film that reflects very little light. It is often used when a non-glare finish or "writeable" finish is desired. You can write on matte film with a pen, pencil or marker. Due to its non-glare finish, laminating with matte film will "mute" or "dull" bright colors making them less vivid.
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9. WHAT DOES CORE SIZE MEAN?
This is a term used for roll film that represents the inside diameter of the cardboard core running through the center of the roll of laminating film. This core size must match the size of the film shaft on your roll laminator.
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10. IS A "CLEAR" POUCH "GLOSSY"?
Yes, the terms "clear" and "glossy" are interchangeable and mean the same when referring to laminating films or pouches.
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11. WHICH BINDING COVERS ARE "SOLID" AND ARE NOT TRANSPARENT OR SEE-THRU?
For a solid, opaque cover, choose from the "Leather", "Buckskin", "Grain" or "Sand" textures in any color except clear or frost.
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12. IN LAMINATING MACHINES, WHAT DOES "MAX CLEARANCE" OR "THROAT" REFER TO?
The "throat" is the width of the opening to the laminator. This determines the maximum width of laminating film or pouch that will fit through the machine. "Max clearance" refers to the gap or vertical clearance between the top and bottom rollers of a laminator. This is important when determining if the machine is capable of laminating thick stock or can be used to mount prints to foam-core or other rigid backers.
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13. ARE THE DIMENSIONS LISTED FOR YOUR LAMINATING POUCHES THE SIZE OF THE PLASTIC OR THE SIZE OF THE DOCUMENT TO BE INSERTED?
The dimensions listed are the actual sizes of the lamination pouch plastic. We recommend that your insert document be at least 1/4" smaller in both directions. This enables you to have a minimum of 1/8" sealed edge on all 4 sides (1/8" + 1/8" = 1/4").
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14. CAN I USE A DRY-ERASE MARKER WITH LAMINATION?
Dry erase markers can successfully be used with clear or glossy lamination film in either roll or pouch form; however, we cannot guarantee the results. Since there are numerous variables that will determine how well the marker erases, we recommend that you test the exact laminated product with a sample dry erase marker to determine if the results are acceptable to you. Our testing has shown that some brands of markers work better than others, and also some colors (usually the lighter ones) tend to erase better over time than others. Expo brand markers tend to work the best, however, the black and red colors tend to leave a stain over time that is difficult to erase.
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15. CAN LAMINATING FILM BE RECYCLED?
According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc.’s latest publication, “Scrap Specifications Circular” dated 11/19/07, plastic films are considered "Green" products as the films and their resins can be 100% recycled and re-used.
In addition, it should be noted that by laminating paper products, the average life of a paper product is extended by 7 to 10 times. By extending the life of the printed product, the need for additional paper for reprinting documents is greatly reduced thereby creating a greener environment.
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16. CAN YOU RECOMMEND ANY LAMINATING SERVICE PROVIDERS?
YES! The following is a list of recommended laminating service providers (IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA). If you have a large laminating project or would like to outsource your next job, please give them a call.
When calling each company, be sure to say that you were referred by Lamination Depot to obtain the best pricing.
You may click on each listing to be directed to their website (if one is available).
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