Laminators: Research Is the Key

All businesses need equipment. Whether it's a simple, one-man operation requiring just your computer and a cell phone, or a huge corporation with thousands of employees, all businesses need some sort of equipment to get started and to continue productively.

The trick, often, is deciding what equipment is right for your particular situation. What kind of hard drives do your computers need? What phone system should you have installed? What kind of coffee makers should go in the break room? All of these are important questions that need answers if you want to keep things running smoothly.

So, speaking of smoothly, what about laminators? It may seem like a small, inconsequential piece of equipment, but the first time you spill coffee all over that important document, you'll be wishing you had read up on and purchased a laminator at the very beginning.

To avoid someone telling you that "hindsight is 20/20," do a little research on the product. You'll find that there are many different kinds of laminators out there, each suited for particular needs.

Probably the simplest kind of laminator you can get is a cold laminator. The name says it all; this type seals a document between two sheets without the use of heat. This is essentially like taking two big pieces of tape, and putting them around the item you want laminated. You can find sheets at your local office store that you can use with just your own hands, or you can use the type of laminator that has a roller that presses the pieces of adhesive together through good old-fashioned cranking. Saves on electricity, and gives you an arm workout at the same time. Not too shabby.

Heat is the more common way to seal up an item, and probably the more effective. Things that are cold laminated may very well be more likely to peel apart in time. But heat is effective at really getting a tight seal, which you might like for the more important items you're laminating.

Hot laminators come three ways: pouch, roll and dry-mount. The pouch type seals the item in a pouch (so it's not just a clever name), while the roll type uses a roll of film to seal the material. A dry mount involves a tissue adhesive placed between the document and a bottom layer (called a "substrate"), and then that's all heated and pressurized together, until it's turned into a sandwich of sorts. But a durable, protected sandwich. Like the world's most effective plastic wrap.

When you really start to do the research on laminators, you'll learn about wide format, compact, and even single-sided types. It's best to research as much as possible so that you get the proper (most efficient, most cost effective) laminator for your situation.

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