Archive for the ‘Laminators’ Category

Tamerica C-Lam 3306 Pouch Laminator Review

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Tamerica C-Lam 3306 Pouch LaminatorAre you looking for a heavy-duty pouch laminator capable of commercial volume laminating? Finding a good pouch laminator that will hold up under rigourous daily use is tough. Have you considered the Tamerica C-Lam 3306 pouch laminator? If not, here are a few reasons why you may want to use it.

The Tamerica C-Lam 3306 pouch laminator is a heavy-duty laminator that features a total of six rollers. In case you didn’t know, the more rollers the better. Four of the rollers are heated and two are cold. The heated rollers help evenly distribute heat, while the cold rollers help remove heat and smooth things out. The end result is a great looking finish.

Built in sensors help adjust the temperature of the rollers, making sure the heat doesn’t get too hot or too cold. This helps cut down on the need to run things through the laminator twice and prevents costly damage from badly laminated material. This also eliminates cloudiness and bubbles in the film.

If you need a fast laminator, the C-Lam 3306 is one of the fastest in its class. With many laminators, you sacrifice quality when you speed up the process. This is not the case with the C-Lam.

In order to save energy, the Tamerica C-Lam has an auto shut-off feature. This means if you leave the laminator unattended for more than 30 minutes, it will automatically shut off. This isn’t only good for safety, but also saves you on electricity.

The control interface is very easy to use. It is completely digital and allows you to set it up for use with a variety of different lamination films. The Tamerica C-Lam can be used with 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil thick films without a problem. It can also be used with glossy and matte film. The temperature on the C-Lam can also be adjusted to accommodate different types of film.

One of my favorite features of the Tamerica C-Lam is the ability to get to the rollers. The outer shell is easy to remove. This allows access to the six rollers. The top three rollers are on a hinge an can be lifted to gain easy access to the inside of the laminator. This is great for removing jams and for cleaning purposes.

If you need a tough reliable pouch laminator, you may want to consider using the Tamerica C-Lam 3306 laminating machine found here. The C-Lam is also available in an eight-roller system called the C-Lam 3308 found here. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminating machines here.

Best Machines For Laminating and Making Restaurant Menus

Monday, June 21st, 2010

We’ve all been to restaurants and have all handled and used the menu. While not always the case, most restaurant menus consist of a single folded 11 x 17 sheet of paper or an 11 x 17 sheet of paper cut in half. Restaurant menus have soda spilled on them, dipping sauce smeared all over them, experience chicken wing accidents and much more. So how do menus endure daily abuse and use? They are laminated.

Laminating film makes a menu easy to clean off, prevents liquid damage and gives menus the rigidity they need to keep from tearing. So what are the best laminators to use for laminating a menu? There are two ways to do this. You will either want to use a pouch laminator or a roll laminating machine.

Restaurant MenusIf you are using a pouch laminator, you will want to use a large 12 x 18 –inch pouch (found here). Place the printing menu inside the pouch and run it through the laminator. Once laminated, the menu can be creased or bound for use. Often times the menu isn’t folded or bound, but left as a single sheet. The slightly larger pouch will allow for a small overlapped border around the menu. If you don’t like this, it can be easily trimmed off.

If you are using a roll laminating machine, you can often laminate two menus simultaneously. This can be easily done if you are using a roll laminating machine that is 25-inches or wider. Once laminated, the menu can be trimmed down using a rotary trimmer. The most common roll film our customers use for menus can be found here.

Roll laminators are typically better for high-volume laminating, but I have found that more restaurants use a pouch laminator for menus.  The thickness of film used will depend on the restaurant’s preference. The higher the mil thickness, the thicker the film will be. A mil is one-thousandth of an inch. I probably wouldn’t go with anything thinner than 5 mils thick.

While not completely necessary, many of our customers also like to use a corner rounder to round the corners on the menus. This makes the menu less dangerous (pointy corners = ouch) and makes the menus look nice.

Here is a list of what you may need for your restaurant menu:

Good luck with your menus! We have a lot of people that do this, so don’t feel too overwhelmed. The end results will look great!

Banner American PL12A Pouch Laminator Review

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Banner American PL12A Pouch LaminatorPouch laminators protect, stabilize and preserve documents by using cheap and inexpensive laminating film. These useful little machines can be used by anyone and are commonly found in schools, homes, copy shops and other businesses. So which pouch laminator should you use? Have you considered the Banner American PL12A? If not, perhaps you should. Here’s why:

The PL12A is a time tested, widely used pouch laminator. In fact, the PL12A is one of the most popular laminators we offer. This compact laminator is 12-inches wide and can be used to laminate menus, photographs, business cards and more. It is designed for continuous use throughout the day and can be considered an commercial / industrial pouch laminator.

The build quality on the PL12A is really nice. The heating element holds up well over time, the rubber rollers don’t prematurely crack or dry out and the external shell does a good job of preventing injury. If for any reason the laminator needs to be disassembled, the outer shell can be easily removed.

The Banner American PL12A uses a four-roller system. These rollers help evenly distribute heat and pressure, which improves the laminating quality. Many laminators only feature two rollers, which often require multiple passes to finish the job.

The PL12A has an adjustable temperature control, which is nice when using laminating film of varying thicknesses. In fact, the PL12A can easily handle laminating film as thick as 10 mils. This laminator is also available with an optional thermometer for precise temperature control.

One of my favorite features is the separate motor and temperature control. Many laminators only have one button that turns the heat and motor on simultaneously. The PL12A has separate buttons. This allows you to keep the laminator conveniently heated without unnecessarily running the motor. This helps prolong the life of the motor.

One thing I would like to see in the PL12A is some sort of digital readout. This would be more for convenience. The design, however, has been time proven to be user friendly.

I have personally used this laminator many times and have to say that I highly recommend it. You can find the Banner American PL12A pouch laminator here. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Differences Between NAP I and NAP II Laminating Film

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Roll Laminating FilmYou may have heard the terms NAP I or NAP II laminating film. This is a term typically used for roll lamination machines. So what type of laminating film does your laminator use and does it really matter?

The term NAP was coined by GBC, who manufactures their own line of laminating machines and film. They will often refer to it is NAP-LAM I and NAP-LAM II. These two different types of film are based on the melt point of the glue.

NAP I film has a higher melting point than NAP II and is the most common type of laminating film used today. This is the most popular laminating film that we offer and typically has a glossy finish. This film is used to laminate posters, maps, signs and other paper documents.

NAP II film has a lower melt point and is less common. This type of film is usually a co-polymer based film and is often referred to as premium laminating film. NAP II laminating film is used for laminating temperature sensitive material. This may include wax-based ink, some types of photographs, inkjet printed material and more.

Most laminators are designed for use with NAP I film. Some laminators, with variable temperature controls, can use both NAP I and NAP II film.

You will find our roll laminating film here. Our most common roll laminating film is our glossy roll film found here.

Best Laminating Machine for Your Job

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

SoPL12A Pouch Laminator from Banner American you have a project or a job that requires a laminator. So which laminating machine should you use? Is one better than another? There are several different types of laminators out there. I will discuss the most popular models and which ones will work for your laminating job.

There are two main types of laminating machines available. These two styles are commonly referred to as pouch laminators and roll laminators. The finished product, from both laminators, is identical. The biggest difference between these two types of laminators is the way in which they laminate.

Between the two, pouch laminators are generally considered to be ideal for low to medium-volume laminating where roll laminators are considered to be ideal for medium to high-volume laminating. Pouch laminators are generally ideal for smaller items, where roll laminators are ideal for larger items.

Pouch Laminators

PL100 Pouch Laminating MachinePouch laminating machines use film called laminating pouches. These pouches open, allowing the operator to insert the document. This may be a photograph, a business card or a menu. Once inserted, the laminating pouch is placed in a carrier.

The laminating pouch carrier looks a lot like a manila folder. The carrier’s primary purpose is to assist the pouch in its journey through the laminator. It provides support, prevents jams, distributes heat and keeps the inside of the laminator free from hot glue.

Pouch laminators are more compact and portable than roll laminators. They are generally used on a table or other surface. Unlike a roll laminator, the rollers, heaters and other components are generally hidden under an exterior cover.

Pouch laminators are available as small as four inches wide. These smaller machines are more commonly used for laminating cards, business cards, photographs and other small documents. Most pouch laminators fall within the width range of 9-12 inches. You will find our entire selection of pouch laminating machine here.

Banner American Easy Lam School Budget LaminatorRoll Laminators

Roll laminating machines use film called laminating rolls. A roll laminator uses a total of two rolls. One roll is located on top of the machine and the other below. No carrier is required for a roll laminator. Once heated up, the poster or sign can be placed on the feed tray where it is pulled into the roll laminator and laminated.

While roll laminators are generally considered ideal for laminating maps, posters, signs and other large documents, they are also ideal for high-volume laminating of many small items at once. Roll laminators generally take up more space than pouch laminators, weigh more and are generally more of an investment.

Roll laminators generally start off at about 25-inches wide, although smaller versions are available. Roll laminators can get as big as 60-plus inches wide. You will find our entire selection of roll laminating machines here.

A few recommended pouch laminators:

A few recommended roll laminators:

Whether you are laminating a simple photograph, or need to laminate a large banner, laminating machines are handy machines to have around.

Fellowes Cosmic CL-95 Personal Pouch Laminator Review

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Fellowes Cosmic CL-95 Personal Pouch LaminatorFellowes is well known for making a wide variety of paper shredders, but did you know they make laminators too? One of Fellowes most popular pouch laminators is the Cosmic CL-95 personal pouch laminator. This laminator is capable of laminating documents up to 9 ½-inches wide, which means it is capable of handling standard 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. So is this the right laminator for you?

Let’s break down this laminator. First of all, it weighs about 6.6 pounds, which means it isn’t terribly heavy and can be carried around from one place to another without any problems. It also includes a handle. This means the Fellowes Cosmic CL-95 can easily be used in the office as well as at home.

This laminator isn’t going to break any records for speed, taking about one minute to laminate a sheet of paper. This shouldn’t be an issue, however, if you are only laminating a few documents throughout the day. I definitely wouldn’t rate this as a high-volume laminator. For the price you can’t really complain.

From the minute you plug in the CL-95, it takes about five minutes to completely warm up. This isn’t too bad. It uses HeatGuard technology as well, which means you shouldn’t have to worry about being burned while using this laminator.

The biggest pro that I have found with the Fellowes Cosmic CL-95 is that it has a release lever that disengages the rollers for easy re-positioning of material. If you have ever experienced a jam in a pouch laminator you’ll understand why this is so nice.

The biggest con I have with this laminator is that it can only used lamination pouches up to 3 mils thick. Most laminators can handle at least a 5 mil thick pouch. The thinner 3 mil pouches can be difficult to find as most smaller pouches are only available in 5, 7 and 10 mil thicknesses. The higher the mil (thousandths of an inch), the thicker the pouch.

My overall conclusion with the Fellowes Cosmic CL-95 is that it is good for low-volume lamination, but if the budget is there, another laminator may provide you with more flexibility. You will find our Fellowes Cosmic CL-95 personal pouch laminator here.

Good Alternatives to the Fellowes Cosmic CL-95:

Our entire selection of pouch laminators can be found here.

Easy-Lam School Budget Roll Laminator Review – Cheapest 27-Inch Available

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Banner American Easy Lam School Budget Roll LaminatorSo you’re on a budget, the money and funds aren’t available, yet you desperately need a roll laminator. A few years ago I would have told you “sorry,” but not anymore. With the introduction of the Easy-Lam School Budget roll laminator, this is no longer an issue. In the 10 years I have been in this industry, I have never seen a roll laminator this affordable.

Banner American has been around for years and are known for making some of the best laminators we sell. They make the popular PL12A pouch laminator and the Easy-Lam series of roll laminators. This new roll laminator is a chip off the old block.

So are there any sacrifices made with this new low-cost roll laminator? There are a couple, but none that will affect most schools, print shops and other businesses. The laminator is fairly simple in its design. It is a little slower than most roll laminators and it can only handle film up to 3 mils thick. It can still be used to laminate posters, signs and maps, but is not designed for high-volume use.

Overall I will have to say that I am pleased with the quality of the Easy-Lam School Budget. The film is turning out well and the pictures I have laminated look great. I haven’t heard of any quality issues or returns with regards to this laminator.

If you need a roll laminator and are strapped for cash, I would seriously consider getting this laminator. You can find our Banner American Easy-Lam School Budget roll laminator here.

Laminator Troubleshooting Guide – Common Laminating Issues

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

GBC Heatseal Pouch LaminatorSo you’re laminator is heated up and ready to go, but the results aren’t turning out exactly the way you had hoped. Don’t worry, you’re not alone in this. We get calls from customers on a regular basis with laminating woes. Luckily most laminating issues can be quickly resolved by making a few simple adjustments to your laminator. Here are some of the most common issues we see on a daily basis:

My lamination film ends up cloudy.

Cloudy film is very common in thermal laminating film and is almost always a result of the laminator being too cold. The cloudiness in the film is un-melted glue. Turning up the heat on your laminator will almost always fix this. In rare cases, this can be a result of using old film.

My lamination film has ripples and waves in it.

Ripples and waves are caused by either too much heat or bad silicon rollers. If you notice waves in your laminating film, turn down the heat and see if that fixes the problem. Although rare, this can be caused by warped or damaged rollers in which case you will need to speak with our Service Technician at 1-800-658-8788 x129.

My laminating film ends up with bubbles in it.

Bubbles are almost always caused by excessive heat. Bubbles are caused when the glue gets so hot that it actually boils. This can be quickly fixed by turning down the heat on your laminator.

Can laminating film get old?

The effectiveness of laminating film can diminish with age. One sign your film is getting too old is cloudiness in the film after it has been laminated. Laminating film, however, has a shelf life of several years. Need new film? You can find our pouch laminating film here and our roll laminating film here.

My laminator is jammed, what do I do?

First off, don’t use scissors or a screwdriver to try and fish out the paper as this can damage internal components. If your laminator has a reverse button, try using it. This will often safely back out the film. In worst-case scenarios, the cover of the laminator may need to be removed to gain access to the jammed film.

If you are still experiencing issues, even after trying these tips, feel free to call our Service & Repair Department at 1-800-658-8788 x129. You may also contact our Service and Repair Department by filling out this form.

Lamination / Laminating Film for Pouch & Roll Laminators

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Roll Laminating FilmSo you’re in the market for lamination film, but don’t know exactly what to get. Well, you’ve stumbled upon the right place. I can help you out with that. Once you learn the laminating film ropes, it shouldn’t be too hard to isolate exactly what you need. I will be discussing the most common type of lamination film referred to as thermal or hot lamination. Here are a few questions you will want to ask yourself prior to purchasing laminating film.

What type of laminator do you have?

The two main types of laminators are pouch and roll laminators. To see an example of what these look like, you will find pouch laminators here and roll laminators here.

Both types of laminators use different types of film. Pouch laminators use “folder-like” pouches that open up and allow you to place your document inside. Roll laminators use two separate rolls of film to laminate a document, using a top and a bottom roll.

Fellowes Pouch LaminatorBoth of these laminators use heat to activate the glue. Once warm, the glue sticks to the document. The glue is designed to stick to documents without damaging them. After the glue cools down, it is clear and transparent.

What type of film would you like to use?

The most common type of laminating film is clear glossy film. This film has a shiny clear finish and looks great. The second most common type of film is matte lamination film. Matte film has a dull finish and does not reflect light like the glossy film.

Additional types of film include UV film and low melt film. UV film blocks out ultraviolet rays from the sun and prevents fading (for outdoor use). Low melt film uses glue that requires less heat to activate. Low melt film is good for temperature sensitive documents.

What thickness of film does your laminator use?

The thickness of laminating film, in the U.S., is referred to as a mil. A mil is a thousandth of an inch. The higher the number, the thicker the film. Most pouch and roll laminators can handle film up to 5 mils thick. If you would like to use 7 or 10 mil film, you will need to reference your machine’s manual to see if this is an option.

Where can you find laminating film?

You can find our pouch laminating film here and our roll laminating film here.

Still have questions? Call us at 1-800-658-8788 or post a comment here.

Laminadoras, Máquinas de Encuadernación, Trituradoras / Cortadoras de Papel y Mas!

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Maquinas de Encuadernacion

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Bienvenidos a ABC Office, donde se encuentran las mejores maquinas de oficina. Estamos felizes de anunciar que ya podemos ayudarles en español por telefono o e-mail.

Estamos en el processo de traducir mas información en español. Mientras traducimos paginas a español, puede ver nuestra compañia completamente en español con la ayuda de Google. Haga click aqui para ver nuestra pagina en español.

Estos son unos de los productos que ofrecemos:

Tiene preguntas? Nos puede llamar con sus preguntas maquinarias de oficina (en español) por telefono a 1-800-658-8788. Que tenga un buen dia!