Over Laminating

[Martin Pearson]

Does everyone over laminate their prints? before I had by printer and subbed out print work some companies over laminated everything other did not????
very confused

The answer is YES & NO, bet your even more confused now lol, this is something that you are going to have to decide for yourself. Some jobs really should be laminated others don’t require it. Lamination is done basically for 2 reasons, firstly with a proper laminating film with uv inhibitors built in to it it will increase the time it takes for the print to fade. Second reason is as a physical barrier to help with scuffing, abrasion & cleaning. For the second reason it may not be necessary to use a proper laminating film, a clear vinyl could be used but always make sure you match it as best you can to the printed vinyl.

So depending on what sort of work you do or are doing will determine what you do as far as laminating goes. The most likely reason for some of your suppliers laminating & some not is down to not fully understanding the reasons for laminating. Sales people will claim 3 years unlaminated so people think there is no need to laminate, truth is they are only talking about the longevity of the ink from fading & that’s under test conditions.

[David Rogers]

Best bit of advice I can give you.

You went to some expense getting a printer, why not spend another £600 ish on a cold lamiator / set of rollers and then laminate faster, easier and without any problems.

We laminate 99% of the vinyl we produce as regardless of expected lifespan…if you can’t pass the cost onto clients you ain’t charging enough!

Dave

[HayleyWalker]

Thanks for your feedback.

[Paul Seeley]

Hayley – check the adhesive on your laminate. I suspect it’s an acylic one and the milkiness is caused by putting on with water. (Some laminates have a solvent adhesive so you can use water without a problem)

[HayleyWalker]

I will check with Hexis Tuesday, Thank you Paul

[KevinGaffney]

Always always laminate

[Chris Windebank]

and its much easier to fit laminated

[Gary Birch]

quote Chris Windebank:

and its much easier to fit laminated

I have to agree, we laminate all but small stickers for this reason.

[KevinGaffney]

Can I as ask the question, why would you not laminate? I can’t think of any situation except cheap election stuff, only required for a few weeks, where it would make any sense

[NeilFox]

We always laminate everything.

Many people think at first they need to get a printer, I then subbed out the lamination with varying results. (matched laminates, and some not)

I soon realised that to have consistant results, I needed to get a laminator. I invested in a Royal Sovereign in 2006. It tended to need a little care when using it and I found that it needed 2 of us to ‘guide’ the material through.

Last year I bit the bullet and paid €8,500 for a Seal Base 62. Best €8,500 I have ever spent. Other than initially webbing a roll of laminate, it is a 1 person job to laminate.

As I found, it was better to do my lamination in house as I was in control of the results. I started off with a cheaper machine because that was all I could afford. When I could shell out the extra cash, I upgraded.

If you have a printer, you need some form of mechanical laminator and it does not have to break the bank. At the end of the day, my customers keep coming back, so they are happy with the results and that is the key factor that matters at the end of the week when you count the cheques that have come in.

All the best with it Hayley.

Neil

[Lorraine Clinch]

I have a real cheapie hand laminator, works well for me. I had an ezy-taper which I couldn’t use, an electric one which I sold, then the current one. It does boards as well as vinyls, and I will be getting a wider one now that I can print wider. Not necessarily for print lamination, but to put print onto boards.
I always laminate, but won’t always be necessary now for me.

[HayleyWalker]

Thanks Lorraine for your feedback I will look into hand laminatator’s too.