Pouch laminators (found here) are wonderful machines to have in the office or even at home. They can be used to protect, enhance and preserve a wide variety of documents. Many people like to laminate photographs, their business cards, menus, signs and more. So what do you do when things go south and your pouch laminator jams? Here are a few tips that may help you get your laminator back up and running.

I would like to break this article don into three categories. I would first like to cover why jams occur and what you can do to prevent them, how to fix a jam if one occurs and what not to do.  While these tips aren’t a guarantee, they should at lest help put you on the right track.

Why do laminating jams occur? The most common reason a laminator experiences a jam is a misfeed. This occurs when a pouch is fed into a laminator at an angle. As the laminating film continues its progression through the laminator, the incorrect angle worsens until the film is crashing into the side of a laminator. If the laminator is not stopped, this can result in permanent damage to the laminator’s gears or motor.

The second most common reason for a laminator jamming is the lack of using a carrier. Laminating pouches are floppy and have almost no rigidity until they are laminated. For this reason, carriers are typically used. Carriers look like manila folders. The lack of using a carrier can often result in the film wrapping under a roller, which can result in the pouch lodging itself in the laminator. While many laminators today claim they are carrierless, I still recommend using a carrier.

How can you fix your jammed laminator? If your laminating pouch is feeding in crooked, try flipping the reverse switch and backing it back out. This will allow you to re-position the pouch. Many laminators, especially those made by Fellowes, include a release lever that releases the laminator’s roller pressure. If your laminator isn’t equipped with a reverse button or a clamp release, turn off the motor and try gently tugging on the pouch. If it moves, try pulling it a little more until you have it released. If the pouch doesn’t move, don’t try forcing it. At this point you’re either going to have to remove the cover of the laminator you’re your going to have to call our Service Technician at 1-800-658-8788.

If the film is wrapped around the rollers inside your laminator (as a result of not using a carrier), you are going to have to remove the cover of your laminator. This will give you access to the inside of the laminator, making film wraparounds easy to remove. Be sure the laminator is unplugged and cool before attempting this. If the idea of using a screwdriver to remove your laminator’s cover is a bit intimidating, please don’t hesitate to call our Service Department at 1-800-658-8788.

Things you should never do. Never under any circumstances try forcing a stuck pouch out of the laminator. This can result in stripped gears and other broken parts. Also, never try using a knife or a pair of scissor to try and “fish out” a jammed pouch. This will often only result in damage to the delicate silicon rollers inside the machine.

If you need additional tips, or would simply like some advice, please call our Service Department at 1-800-658-8788. They are more than happy (and equipped) to help you fix your roll or pouch laminator. They can also provide you with replacement parts. If your laminator is at its end, consider one of our new pouch laminators found here.

Laminators come in all shapes and sizes and isolating the model that will work best for you can be a challenge. The two most popular types of laminators used today are pouch laminators (found here) and roll laminators (found here). These are both commonly used in businesses for laminating a wide variety of documents. In order to purchase the right machine, you will want to ask yourself a few questions.

Here are 10 things you will want to consider before purchasing your laminator:

1. What is your budget? While a budget shouldn’t hold you back from correct laminator you need, it will still play a role in narrowing down the field. I recommend speaking with a Customer Service Rep (800-658-8788) for help narrowing down the field once you know what you want. They are very good at working within your budget.
2. What will you be laminating? What type of material are you laminating? If you are laminating something that is temperature sensitive, you may want to consider going with a cold laminator (found here) like those from Ledco or Xyron. If you are laminating photographs, consider a laminator with at least four rollers or more. The more rollers, the more professional the results.
3. What is the largest size you will be laminating? Don’t just take into account what you are laminating now, but also what you will laminate later down the road. Remember, wider laminators (both pouch and roll) can be used with smaller laminating pouches or rolls. Also be aware that most pouch laminators max out around 14″ wide. If you need to laminate something wider than 14″ (perhaps a poster, banner or map), I recommend going with a roll laminator. They range in size anywhere from 12″ up to 70″ wide.
4. How much will you be laminating? As a general rule, pouch laminators are ideal for small to medium volume laminating and roll laminators are good for medium to high-volume laminating. I consider laminating a few dozen to a few hundred items a day to be small to medium and a few hundred to a few thousand items a day to be medium to high volume.
5. What thickness of film would you like to use? Laminating film (found here) is measured in mils, which is a thousandth of an inch (0.01″). The larger the mil thickness, the thicker the pouch or roll. Film usually comes in 1.5, 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil thicknesses. The most common used with pouch laminators is 5 mils and the most common used with roll laminators is 1.5 and 3 mils.
6. Who will be using the laminator? While it is best for only an adult to use a laminator, pouch laminators are by far the safest for children to use under supervision. I do not recommend children using a roll laminator. There are far more exposed “hot” components in a roll laminator.
7. Where will you be keeping your laminator? Space is always an issue and roll laminators take up far more space than pouch laminators.
8. Will the laminated documents be used indoors or outdoors? This applies more to film than the laminators themselves. If you plan to use your laminated documents outside, be sure to use UV laminating film. UV film will filter out damaging UV rays that cause color prints to fade. If you don’t expect your laminated items to be outside more than a week or two, you may be fine with standard film.
9. Do you need to mount pictures on foam core board? If you need to mount posters, maps and pictures to foam core board, you will probably need to use a roll laminator. Most roll laminators will specify if they can mount, and if they can, it will usually let you know what the maximum thickness is.
10. Which brand is the best? There are a lot of great brands out there. As far as pouch laminators go, I have had great luck with Akiles, Banner American (now out of business), GBC and Tamerica. As far as roll laminators go, I have had great luck with Ledco, GBC, Banner American (now out of business) and Tamerica.

Hopefully these ten tips have helped you out. If you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to call one of our experts at 1-800-658-8788. You can also find our entire selection of laminators and film here.

In case you haven’t heard, the iconic manufacturer of pouch and roll laminators, Banner American, recently went out of business. While you can still find a few of their laminators here and there (lingering stock), people are now wondering which laminators are good alternatives. Banner laminators were probably some of the best on the market. Luckily there are some great alternatives out there.

Banner American was easily one of my favorite laminator manufacturers. They made laminators like the PL12A, Pl4A, PL100, Easy Lam and many other laminators. Their products were mostly made in America and lasted literally for years. I remember us having a PL12A out on our showroom for 5+ years without issue. We used it to laminate samples, test pouches, shoot video demos, for demonstrations and more. I know of customers who had their PL laminators for over a decade.

I would like to produce a list of some Banner American laminators and their ideal alternatives. These pouch and roll laminators should perform on an equal level to the old Banner American laminators.

• Banner American PL4A Alternative – The best replacement for this laminator is the Akiles Pro-Lam 100 (found here). This laminator is still 4″ wide and is still perfect for quickly laminating ID badges.
  
• Banner American PL12A Alternative – An ideal replacement for this laminator is the Akiles ProLam 320 (found here). This laminator is just ¼” wider than the PL12A and features a very similar build quality.
  
• Banner American PL135 Alternative – A great 13″ wide alternative to this laminator is the Akiles iLam 340 (found here). This laminator accepts most pouches and is just as good.
  
• Banner American PL135-4 Alternative – A good replacement to the PL135-4 is the Akiles ProLam Plus 330 (found here). This laminator has a comparable 13″ width and in my opinion is a better laminator.
  
• Banner American Easy Lam Alternative – A comparable laminator to the classic Banner American Easy Lam is the Tamerica TCC2700 (found here). This laminator accepts the same film as the Easy Lam while producing similar results.
  
• Banner American Easy Lam II Alternative – A great replacement to this iconic roll laminator is the GBC Ultima 65 (found here). It is still a 27″ roll laminator and can still be used in schools to laminate posters, signs, banners and more.
  
• Banner American MightyLam 2700HC Alternative – The standard MightyLam 2700 and newer MightyLam 2700 were both classics. A great alternative to this classic is the GBC Pinnacle 27″ roll laminator (found here). It has about the same build quality and duty cycle. Another good alternative is the Ledco Professor 27″ Laminator.
  
• Banner American ValueLam 4500HC Alternative – This laminator was one of Banner American’s heaviest-duty models. It could be used for laminating, mounting and more.  There are a couple of laminators that compare, although they are a bit more of an investment. The first is the Pro-Lam PL-244WF and the second is the MRL 42 Roll Laminator.

While it is extremely sad to see a valued manufacturer like Banner American go, it is nice to know that there are some high-quality alternatives out there. I have personally used laminators from Tamerica, GBC, Ledco and Akiles and can vouch for the fact that you will be just as happy with them as you would have been with the Banner American alternative.

We also carry a great selection of other laminating machines that you may want to consider using. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here and roll laminators here. If you need additional help finding a Banner American alternative, please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788.

While many things in this world have gone digital, business cards still play an important role in helping establish contacts and promoting an individual or business. There are many ways to create, produce and print business cards. Some are glossy, some have a dull luster and others are created on a laser printer. Regardless of the style of business card you use, you can benefit from laminating them with a business card laminating pouch (found here).

Lamination adds a lot of qualities and benefits to a business card. Aesthetically, it looks great. A laminated business card has a nice shine and glossy “new” look to it. If you don’t like the glossy look, matte pouches are also available. Laminated business cards have several other benefits:

• They have a longer lifespan.
• They don’t get bent out of shape.
• They are less likely to be discarded.
• They have a professional sturdy feel to them.
• They are waterproof.
• They stand out from other business cards.

Business card laminating pouches measure in at 2 ¼” x 3 ¾” in size (5.72 cm x 9.53 cm). The standard business card is 2″ x 3.5″ in size. The laminating pouch adds a thin border around the card for added security and durability. This border is usually no more than 1/8″ wide. While most people are fine with a small border, it can be trimmed off by using a rotary paper cutter (found here).

Business card laminating pouches are typically sold in quantities of 100 per box and generally cost less than $5 per pack. They come in different thicknesses, referred to as mil thickness (1 mil = .001″). The higher the mil thickness, the thicker the pouch.

Which mil thickness should you use? In the business card size, there are 5, 7 and 10 mil thick options. The thickness you use really depends on the thickness of your card. If your business card is printed on card stock, you are probably going to be fine with a 5 mil thick pouch. Five mils is the most popular thickness. If you are printing your own business cards on thin stock or standard copy paper, I recommend using a 7 mil thick pouch. Once all is said and done, a 10-mil pouch will give our business card the thickness, weight and feel of a credit card.

Laminating a business card is easy. Place your business card in the pouch, place the pouch in a carrier and run it through a laminator (found here). Once done, you may want to consider rounding the corners by using a corner rounder (found here).

At ABC Office, we offer bulk quantity discounts. We offer price breaks at 5 boxes, 10 boxes, 25 boxes and 50 boxes of film. We are a wholesaler for laminating pouches, so we can typically get you the best price possible. If for any reason you find the price for less, we can almost always match it. You can find our entire selection of business card laminating pouches here. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

Pouch laminators (found here) are the most popular type of laminating machines used today. This is because they are affordable, can be used by just about anyone and the supplies are extremely affordable. While the end results are pretty obvious, have you ever wondered how one actually works? This article will cover in great detail exactly how a pouch laminator works.

Why do people use laminators? Most people who use a pouch laminator want to add an extra layer of protection or stability to a document. This may be a picture, a card, a sign or other piece of material. While some laminators can be used with plastic sheets or foam core mounting board, most are used with some sort of paper. Laminated documents are water resistant, are easy to clean and do not damage easily.

There are two crucial elements to keep in mind when talking about how a pouch laminator works. This includes pressure and heat. I would first like to explain how the laminating pouches themselves work.

Laminating pouches (found here) consist of a hard plastic outer shell with a softer plastic lining. The lining, which usually makes up about half of the pouches thickness, gets soft and liquefies with heat. It is very similar in makeup to a hot glue stick. As this glue softens, it sticks to the object that has been placed inside the pouch. Once heat is removed, the glue cools and solidifies. The cooled glue is clear and transparent.

A pouch laminator essentially provides the heat and the pressure needed to make the pouch look good. You could technically use a hot iron to laminate a pouch, but the end results wouldn’t look very good. A laminator has a heating element. This may be in the form of a heating plate or as heated rollers. This is how the heat is transferred to the laminating film.

As the pouch warms up, pressure is applied to the pouch via silicon rollers. Pouch laminators feature at least 2 rollers (top and bottom), with many including four, six or even more rollers. As a general rule, the more rollers you have the better the results will be.

This diagram shows you where the rollers are generally located, where you typically find the heat source and how the carrier (with the film) makes its way through the laminator:

Sometimes seeing things in action helps better demonstrate a point. This is a video demo of a thermal pouch laminator being used. This will demonstrate how a laminator works from start to finish.

The end results look great. Laminating pouches themselves come in a wide variety of sizes and thickness. The thickness of the pouch is referred to as a mil (thousandth of an inch). Not all laminators can handle higher mil thicknesses. Prior to purchasing film, find out what your laminator’s maximum thickness is.

Features you may want to look for in your pouch laminator, that I consider to be nice to have, include an adjustable temperature control (for precision laminating) and a reverse switch (in the event your laminator gets jammed). I also like a laminator that has an independent switch for the motor and for the heating element.

You can read step-by-step instructions on how to use a pouch laminator by reading our guide here.

Many people ask me which brands I personally recommend. I have used and like laminators by Tamerica, Fellowes, Intelli-Lam and Banner American. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here and pouch laminating film here.

Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions regarding pouch laminators. You’re also more than welcome to leave a question as a comment. Happy laminating!

If you have been shopping around for laminating film, pouches or lamination rolls (found here), you have probably come across terms such as mil thickness or micron thickness. There are several different ways to measure the thickness of a laminating pouch. I have come up with this conversion chart that should help you determine which pouch thickness you need and which your laminator can handle.

In the United States, lamination film is typically measured in mils and in Europe it is measured in microns (aka micrometer). One is based on English measurements and the other is based on the metric system. In between these two common measurements are other less common measuring units used for determining the thickness of film.

In the US, laminating film usually comes in 1.5, 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil thickness. The higher the number, as is the case with microns, the thicker the film. Because most people in the United States measure laminating film by mils, I am going to use mils as the base measurement.

Here is a chart that will help you with your conversions:

Hopefully this information helps you out. As far as mil thickness goes, I have found that 3 and 5 mils are the most popular for pouch laminators and 1.5 and 3 mils are most popular for roll laminators. Ultimately the thickness you use will depend on preference, budget, purpose and laminator capabilities. As you probably know, the thicker the film, the more it will cost.

At ABC Office we offer a great selection of pouch laminating film (found here) and lamination rolls (found here). Our film is extremely affordable, is made from high quality materials and produces beautiful results. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions regarding what type of laminating film you may need.

We also offer a great selection of pouch laminators (found here) and roll laminators (found here).

If you have been waiting around for a great deal on a roll laminator, your time has arrived. The Banner American Easy-Lam School Budget roll laminator (found here) is on sale for a limited time for only $729. This laminator retails for $824, which means your saving almost $100. This deal is for a limited time only.

While it is possible to find roll laminators for under $800, you will not find a 27″ roll laminator for that good a deal. The Easy-Lam School Budget is the perfect 27″ roll laminators for schools. It stays within budget, uses film from 27″ or smaller and can be used by schools to laminate posters, banners, maps, signs and much more.

The Easy-Lam School Budget can be used with both 1.5 and 3 mil film, which is extremely affordable. You can find our 27″ wide roll laminating film here.

I have personally used this laminator and can vouch for the fact that it is easy to set up and use. It isn’t the fastest roll laminator out there, at 3.5 feet per minute, but it will easily keep up with most school laminating needs.

You can find our entire selection of roll laminators here. Please call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions. Hurry! This deal won’t last long.

If you need to laminate posters, signs and banners that fall within a 27″ width, you probably need to use a thermal roll laminator like the Banner Easy-Lam 27″. This laminator has been around for well over a decade and has a good track record with customers. I have used this laminator several times myself and this is my review.

While the American-Made Banner Easy-Lam roll laminator has undergone a few aesthetic changes over the years, it still remains true to what the laminator was originally designed for, an affordable “budget” laminator for schools, copy shops and other businesses. This laminator has an effective laminating width of 27″, which is one of the most popular sizes used today.

Made in the USA, the overall build quality is exceptional. It features higher-than-normal quality electronic components, which includes the motor, switches and wiring. This becomes evident when removing the side protective shell. This laminator also features a durable metal frame as well as a metal shelf, metal mandrels and much more. This is far better than your typical “foreign-made” machines. It even comes with 2 free rolls of 25″ x 100’ 1.5mil film, which is a great deal.

The Banner Easy-Lam is very easy to set up. A toggle switch lets you adjust the laminator between 1.5 mil (0.0015″ gauge) and 3 mil (0.003″ gauge) film. It also features a built-in LED temperature readout that keeps the operator in the know. There really isn’t much “fine tuning” involved in getting this laminator up and running. It only takes about 15 minutes to get up to full operational temperature.

As mentioned earlier, the Easy-Lam is designed for use with 27″ wide film that has a 1″ diameter core. While it can be used with 27″ film, it can also use 25″, 12″ and other smaller width film. Loading the film, unlike many roll laminators is easy. Simply place a mandrel through the top roll, one through the bottom roll, and insert the mandrels back into the machine. The film can then be wound around the heat shoes and tension bars.

While thermal roll laminators can get blazingly hot, the Banner Easy-Lam is designed with safety in mind and even includes an attached safety shield, which keeps the hottest parts covered. While it does still get hot, it is far safer to use than many comparable machines.

The laminator itself measures in at 20″(50.8cm) L x 35″(88.9cm) W x 16″ (40.6cm) H and weighs 68 pounds unboxed. While it isn’t going to win any races, it still operates at a reasonably fast speed of 4.5 feet per minute. It can be plugged into a standard 120volt (60Hz) outlet and draws 1800 watts at its peak. A 200-volt version, however, is available for the same price.

This is a video demo of the Banner Easy-Lam 27″ roll laminator:

What can I say? The Banner Easy-Lam 27″ roll laminator (found here) is a solid machine and I personally recommend it for light to medium-volume use. A slightly upgraded version, known as the Banner Easy-Lam II 27″ (found here) is also available. It is great for schools, copy shops and any business that needs to laminate signs, banners, posters or even several small things at the same time like business cards, menus, letter-size paper and more.

You can find our entire selection of thermal roll laminators here. Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions. Have a great day!

When shopping around for laminating pouches (found here) or rolls of laminating film (found here), have you ever wondered what the film itself is made out of? Plastic…right? While laminating film is made out of certain types of plastic, it is usually a combination of several types. This article will go into great detail regarding the composition of laminating film.

The first thing you need to be aware of, when shopping for laminating film, is that a sheet of laminating film is composed of various layers of plastic. The harder layer is on the outside and the softer layer is on the inside. Combined, these layers make up the mil thickness, with a mil being a thousandth of an inch (0.001″). Outside the United States, laminating film is measured in microns rather than mils. A micron is a thousandth of a millimeter (0.001 millimeters).

Have you ever shopped around for a laminating pouch (or roll) and saw 4/3 on the outside of the box, or perhaps 3/2 on the outside of the box? These are numbers displaying the ratio of hard to soft plastic used in the laminating sheet. A 4/3 would be 4 mils of hard plastic and 3 mils of soft plastic (glue), totaling 7-mils. A 3/2 pouch is a 5 mil thick pouch. This ratio can change depending on the amount of hard and soft plastic used, however, the ratio will always add up to the total “mil” thickness of the sheet of film.

So what kind of plastic is used in laminating film? While this isn’t always going to be the case, the harder outer layer is usually made from PET plastic (Polyethylene Terephthalate) and the softer inner layer is made out of EVA plastic (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate). Occasionally a combination of PET plastic, PE (Polyethylene Plastic) and EVA plastic are all used together.

PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) – This type of plastic is commonly used in food, beverage and other plastic containers. It is also used for producing synthetic fibers used in clothing. It is a resin of the polyester family. It can be easily formed into various shapes, and in the case of laminating film, it is formed into a thin sheet. The funny thing is that PET plastic doesn’t actually contain Polyethylene, which is why PET is sometimes simply called Ethylene Teerephthalate. In the case of laminating film, the PET is clear. It was especially popular in the 70’s for the production of polyester clothing.

EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) - This type of plastic is condiered to be extremely durable, stress resistant and is commonly used as a hot-melt adhesive. Have you ever used a glue gun? Glue sticks are made out of EVA plastic, the same material that lines the inside of a laminating sheet. EVA is also used in materials such as plastic wraps due to its “clingy” properties. EVA plastic is also used in expanded rubber or foam rubber for padding in ski boots, fishing reel handles and more.

PE Plastic (Polyethylene) – This is by far the most common plastic used today and is commonly used for bags, packaging and more. This isn’t as common in laminating film, although some may contain PE plastic.

I hope this helps you out. While this may not influence or change your mind on the type of laminating film you purchase, I still think it is helpful and educational to know what laminating film is made out of. Hopefully this will help you better understand how laminating film works and exactly what it is.

You can find our entire selection of pouch laminating film here and roll laminating film here. As far as machines go, you can find our pouch laminators here and roll laminators here.

If you still want to learn more, or need help finding the right film for your laminator, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-658-8788. Have a great day!

When shopping around for laminating pouches (found here), you probably want to use the best thickness for the job at hand. While you may not know what thickness to buy, I can tell you that 5 mil laminating pouches are by far the most popular thickness. ABC Office offers a great selection of 5 mil pouches in a wide range of sizes. So why is the 5 mil thickness so popular? I’ll explain in this article.

To begin with, you probably need to know what a mil is. Mil is not short for millimeter, although many people think it is. A 5-millimeter pouch would be extremely thick. A mil is one hundredth of an inch (1 mil = 0.001″), where a millimeter is 0.039″ thick. In relation to what we are used to dealing with, a mil is pretty thin. A 1.5 mil pouch is about as thin as they come and a 10-mil pouch is about as thick as they comb. Five mils is a great compromise between price and durability.

At ABC Office, we offer 5 mil pouches in about 18 different sizes. These include:

• Business Card (2 1/4″ x 3 3/4″)
• Credit Card (2 1/8″ x 3 3/8″)
• Driver’s License (2 3/8″ x 3 5/8″)
• IBM (2 5/16″ x 3 1/4″)
• Key Card (2 1/2″ x 3 7/8″)
• Miliary (2 5/8″ x 3 7/8″)
• School Card (2 1/2″ x 3 5/8″)
• Jumbo (2 15/16″ x 4 1/8″)
• Luggage Tag w/o Slot (2 1/2″ x 4 1/4″)
• Luggage Tag w/ Slot (2 1/2″ x 4 1/4″)
• Index Card (3 1/2″ x 5 1/2″)
• Circulation Card (3 15/16″ x 5 11/16″)
• Postal Card (3 9/16″ x 5 5/16″)
• Extra Circulation Card (3 15/16″ x 6 7/8″)
• 6″ x 9″
• 9″ x 11 ½”
• 9″ x 14 ½”
• 12″ x 18″

These various size pouches can be used to create photo IDs, laminate photos, business cards, menus, cards, signs and much more. The 5 mil thickness is affordable, with 100 pouches per box costing very little, yet it still has enough stability to keep the item being laminated from being easily damaged.

Unlike other online dealers of laminating pouches, whose quality is often questionable, ABC Office’s pouch laminating film is fresh, new and high-quality stuff. It has a crystal clear finish with a glossy surface.

You can find our entire selection of pouch laminating film here and our entire selection of pouch laminators here. Please feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.