Using Rollover to laminate vinyl prints

[David McDonald]

Hi Gavin

We can sometimes get this problem when using our table to laminate prints – the prints won’t lie truly flat so you can get creases in the finished product due to the ‘bunching’ you describe. Likewise we don’t get an issue when mounting to boards. We don’t do this very often but more so for backing clear prints with white vinyl and we want to manually cut and put white vinyl down without covering the contour cut registration marks.

It can help to warm the vinyl on the bed with a heat gun, or tape it to the table stretching it slightly all round, or just roll over it backwards and forwards a few times to even it out (but that can also crease it).

I don’t think think this is just you table but what printing does to the vinyl, we’ve had the same issue with both solvent and latex prints. If we try and laminate a non printed vinyl then we don’t get the same level of ‘bunching’.

Cheers
Dave

[Gavin Dooley]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the reply.
My supplier swore blind that the rollover will laminate vinyl 100% no problems as I was purchasing this to replace my old easymount laminator that was beginning to give terrible trouble when trying to do jobs wider than 1m.
I buy all my equipment & vinyls etc. from the same company, so a bit p***ed off that I’m having this issue.

[David Stevenson]

We’ve a rollover table and I definitely wouldn’t use it to laminate anything longer than about 4ft. Find it totally useless for laminating, that’s definitely a job for the easy mount in my eyes. Apart from that you could only laminate the length of the table, any longer would cause issues

[Jamie Wood]

We bought a mounting table as an addition to our roll fed laminator. It’s OK to use occasionally for laminating, but it doesn’t replace a proper laminator.

[Gavin Dooley]

Looks like I should have come to the boards for the answers to my questions instead of asking the "specialists" who sell the equipment. Even earlier today I was told: "don’t think it’s the rollover, must be the material". :bangshead:

[Pete mitchell]

Ive got a cheap eBay applicator at the minute as im a bit tight for space. Laminating is ok – but I find its best with very little pressure on the first pass at least. Anything heavier and it starts to ripple.
I applied some boards yesterday – then laminated after…. possibly a big no no… but the results were decent!

[Omar Benmez]

try using a clean sheet of 3mm foamex (or equivalent brand) under the job you are looking to laminate, this may give you a better finish