Letter-size laminating pouches are by far the most common and popular pouch size used by our customers. There are many good reasons for the popularity. There are also a few things you should know about this popular size prior to making a purchase. I will provide some valuable tips in this article that will help you get the most out of our letter-size pouches.

A letter-size laminating pouch is naturally the most popular size used by pouch laminator owners for several reasons. For one, letter-size paper is the most common paper size used with printers.  Letter-size paper can be used to print cards, signs, book covers, business cards and more.

You may have noticed, by the title of this article, that letter-size laminating pouches measure in at 9″ x 11 ½” (23 cm x 30 cm). The reason these pouches are slightly larger than a letter-size sheet of paper (8 ½” x 11″) is to provide a tight seal around the document being laminated and to provide a little alignment room.

Laminating pouches are sealed along a single edge, making the two sides of the pouch into a folder. This seal takes up about 1/8″ of the film. Once a letter-size document has been laminated, you generally have about a ¼” clear plastic border around the entire document. This excess can be left as is or it can be cut off using a paper cutter.

Once laminated, a letter-size pouch can easily be cut down into smaller documents. Many of our customers will use a printer to create a 10-up or 12-up business card pattern (using an 8 ½” x 11″ sheet of paper) and then laminate it using a letter-size laminating pouch after. Finally they cut the individual business cards out using a rotary paper cutter. The end results look great.

Cutting a laminating pouch does not cause the laminated document to fall apart, however, it will expose around the edges the laminated document. This may cause the document to peel apart over time.

Ultimately, once cut, a laminated pouch is only as strong as the material the film is bound to. Leaving a laminated edge around a document will improve its water resistance and long-term integrity.

You should also be aware that letter-size laminating pouches come in different thicknesses. At this time we currently offer pouches in a 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil thickness. The higher the number, the thicker the pouch. A mil is a thousandth of an inch. You can read more about everything involved in the thickness of a pouch here.

You can find our entire selection of letter-size laminating pouches here and our entire selection of pouch laminating film here. You can find our great selection of pouch laminating machines here.

Are you tired of your laminated photos, signs and cards being ruined by your laminator? Sounds like it’s time for you to upgrade to something a little more reliable. One great pouch laminator you should consider buying is the Akiles iLam 240 9″ pouch laminator. This is my review.

To start with, Akiles has been making thermal pouch laminators for several years now. They are already well known for the ProLam and UltraLam line of pouch laminators. The new iLam series is available as the 9″ 240 and the 13″ 340.

At first one might think that the iLam is an entry-level machine, perhaps below the Akiles ProLam or UltraLam line. The iLam 240, in all truth, is a pretty robust machine capable of medium to even high-volume pouch laminating. It is packed with features as I will soon explain.

The 9″ width of the iLam 240 allows this laminator to handle most paper sizes, including the ever-popular letter size. While you may need something wider for menus and other signs, the 9″ width is optimal for most people.

I personally like the easy control panel the iLam 240 uses. Setup is as simple as turning a dial on the side of the laminator. The control dial allows the operator to set the laminator thickness and temperature in just seconds. Everything is clearly laid out on the dial. The dial changes colors, letting you know when it is ready to be used.

A reverse button is located on the left side of the machine. This button makes it easy to back out mis-fed items and makes jam clearance easy. If for any reason a jam occurs that the reverse button cannot fix, simply open the laminator and remove it yourself. Two latches allow for easy to access the heated rollers.

Unlike many pouch laminators that simply use a heating element to warm the pouches and film, the iLam 240 has heated rollers. A total of 4 rollers pull material through the laminator, evenly distributing heat as needed. As a result of a heated roller system (2 hot / 2 cold), results are clear, clean and crisp. There is no need to worry about cloudy results.

The Akiles iLam 240 utilizes a heavy-duty motor. This motor allows you to use the laminator on a continuous basis without causing any damage. The build quality on the iLam 240 should allow this laminator to be used for several years.

Overall I consider the iLam 240 to be a perfect laminator for home, business or copy center use. It is tough, robust, easy to use and pretty much portrays everything Akiles quality is known for.

You can find the Akiles iLam 240 9″ pouch laminator here and our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Whether you own a laminator machine or are shopping around for one, you may be curious to see what people are using them for. Both pouch and roll laminator machines can be used to laminate literally dozens of different products. Here is what our customers are laminating.

Top 10 Uses Of Laminator Machines

1. Pictures & Photos
2. Report & Book Covers
3. Signs
4. Posters
5. ID Badges
6. Business Cards
7. Scrapbook Pages
8. Stickers (Xyron)
9. Certificates
10. Menus & Programs

Laminator machines can be used to protect, preserve and coat a wide variety of material. So what are you laminating? I would love to hear from you. Post your comments below this article.

At ABC Office we offer both pouch laminators and roll laminators. You can find our entire selection of laminator machines here.

Are you looking for a pouch laminator that can laminate your photos, report covers, business cards and menus? It is tough to find a decent multi-purpose pouch laminator. One model that we now offer, available from a solid manufacturer, is the Akiles iLam 340 13″ pouch laminator. This is my review.

Akiles is one of the most solid and most reputable manufacturers of office equipment that there are. They make great binding machines, laminators, corner rounders and paper trimmers. Akiles is already well known for their ProLam and UltraLam pouch laminators. The iLam series is the next generation. This includes the iLam 340 and the iLam 240.

The iLam 340 is a 13″ wide pouch laminator. That means that, on a scale of width, is one of the largest pouch laminators we offer. The wide 13″ width is ample enough to handle most laminating pouches. This includes 12″ x 18″ pouches, business card pouches and everything in between.

There are a few features I personally recommend you find in a laminator and the iLam has them all. This includes a reverse button, for retrieving jammed documents, and an adjustable temperature control.

The control panel on the iLam 340 is one of the most unique I have ever seen. Most laminators have a control panel on the front of the laminator. The iLam 340 has single knob located on the side of the laminator. This knob is turned to the mil thickness you are laminating, which in turn adjusts the laminator’s heat level.

The end results on the iLam 340 are pristine. This is due in part to the heated rollers. The iLam 340 has a total of 4 silicon rollers that help evenly distribute both heat and pressure. This cuts down on ripples, bubbles, cloudiness and other annoying laminating anomalies.

Have you ever experience a jam so devastating that it required you to send in the laminator for repair? You will probably never experience this with the iLam 340. A couple of locking latches can be released, allowing you access to the inside of the laminator without any special tools.

Weighing in at 15 pounds, the iLam 340 can be used on most tables, desks and work surfaces. It is easy to pick up and move around. The sleek modern design looks great and fits in with most office environments.

As far as pouch laminators are concerned, I have to say that the iLam 340 from Akiles is one of the most solid, durable and tough laminators available. It can be used throughout the day without suffering excessive wear and tear.

I give this laminator extremely high marks and feel confident that you will be happy with this laminator. As mentioned earlier, Akiles products are some of the most solid available and the iLam 340 is no exception. This laminator comes with a 1 year warranty.

You can find the Akiles iLam 340 13″ pouch laminator here and our entire selection of pouch laminating machines here.

Feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions about this laminator.

Do you have a pouch laminator and want to be able to use the coveted 10-mil thick pouch? There are a few things you may not know about 10 mil thick pouches. I will explain in great detail everything you need to know about 10-mil thick film in this article.

In case you are unfamiliar with the term “mil,” a mil is one thousandth of an inch. That means that a 10 mil pouch is 10 thousandths of an inch or 0.010″ thick.

A bit of trivia: A 10-mil pouch isn’t actually 10 mils thick. It is in fact 20 mils thick. This is because pouch thickness measurements only take into account one side of the pouch. That means both flaps together equal 20 mils.

All said and done, counting the paper / material inside the pouch, a 10 mil pouch is closer to 30 mils thick laminated. A credit card is 30 mils thick. I can tell you from personal experience that a laminated 10-mil pouch is extremely rigid.

Ten mil thick pouches are not the most common thickness used with laminators. The 5-mil thickness is actually the most common thickness purchased today. This is due in part to the fact that 5 mil pouches are almost universally accepted by pouch laminating machines.

Not all pouch laminators can handle a 10 mil thick pouch. Before you purchase film, be sure your laminator can handle a 10-mil thick pouch.

At ABC Office we offer a huge selection of 10 mil thick laminating pouches and film. This includes credit card, IBM card, business card, luggage tag, letter size and many other pouch sizes. You can find our entire selection of 10 mil thick laminating film here.

You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here. Our laminators, under the specifications, will indicate the thickness of laminating film they can handle.

I had a customer ask me a while back how long laminating pouches and lamination rolls lasted before they stopped working. I honestly didn’t know a definitive answer at the time. I just sent this question over to TJ with Banner American and he provided me with a detailed answer to this question, “Does Laminating Film Expire?” This is his answer.

Does Laminating Film Expire? Answered by TJ McCarthy with Banner American:

Thermal laminating films are made by coating a film such as polyester, polypropylene, nylon, etc.. with a thermal polymer based plastic adhesive.  During the extrusion coating process the adhesive is treated to increase its surface energy to a specific level which enhances the adhesives’ ability to wet-out as it is laminated onto the print which improves the ability to the adhesive to stick to the item being laminated.

The measurement of the surface energy is called dyne level.  Banner American’s premium HMR grade laminating films for traditionally printed output are treated to a range of 44-52 dynes. Digikote laminates for inkjet prints are treated to a range of 52-54 dynes.  BANLAM DLF laminates for fuser oil based color copier output are treated to a range of 52-56 dynes.  Digikote and BANLAM DLF films have a higher dyne levels because inkjet and fuser oil based prints are much more difficult to adhere to than traditionally printed output. Over time the dyne treatment slowly decays and as the dyne level drops the adhesive loses some of its adhesion.

The industry standard recommended shelf life for all types of thermal laminating films is 1 year.  This does not mean that film older than 1 year is no good it only means the film’s adhesion level has dropped below its ideal level and therefore the manufacturer no longer stands behind its performance.  It really depends on what is being laminated.

Old film probably won’t adhere to inkjet or fuser oil based output because they are the most difficult types of output to stick to.  Most traditionally printed output is much easier to stick to so old film may work fine on it for several years.  I still use Glenroy pouches, which are at least 8 years old, and they work fine on my black & white laser printer output, newspaper articles and even traditional photographs.

Recommended shelf life for cold pressure sensitive laminating films and mounting adhesives vary by manufacturer and product and range from 6 months to 5 years and are always based upon storage in ideal conditions.  Banner American’s cold laminating and mounting films have a maximum shelf life of 3 years under ideal storage conditions – 60 to 80° F; 40 – 65% relative humidity.

BANTAC Exhibit 5 has only a 1 year maximum shelf life under ideal storage conditions – 60 to 80° F; 40 – 65% relative humidity.  Exceeding shelf life on cold films can cause the adhesive to dry out which can result in bond failure and release liner removal difficulty.  Also, PVC (vinyl) films lose plasticizers over time, which can cause the film to shrink and lose flexibility.

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So there you have it! That is a great answer to a very common question. You can find our entire selection of Banner American laminators here and our entire selection of laminating film here.

Are you in the market for a pouch laminator and are looking for a slick deal? We have a few models that may meet your need for an excellent price. While these laminators may not be the best for industrial jobs, they are excellent for home and small business laminating.

Our least expensive pouch laminator, the Intelli-Lam IL200 from Intelli-Zone, is back in stock. This laminator has been hot, and for under $50 you really can’t go wrong. The IL200 can be used to laminate documents up to 9” wide, making it perfect for laminating letter-size documents and smaller.

Other popular “bargain” laminators include machines from SircleLam, Fellowes and Banner American. All three of these brands are well established and have developed a great reputation with our customers.

Top 5 best deals on pouch laminators:

1. Intelli-Lam IL200 Pouch Laminator
2. SircleLam HQ-230 Pouch Laminator
3. Fellowes EXL 45-2 Pouch Laminator
4. SircleLam HQ-330 Pouch Laminator
5. Banner American QuikFinish PL100 Pouch Laminator

These laminators are all available to you for under $100. They have proven to be reliable machines and should help you protect, preserve and enhance a wide variety of documents. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Are you in the market for a roll laminator, but aren’t sure which laminator width is best for you? You’re not alone. Many people have this same concern. I have been using roll laminators for the past 10 years and have a few good tips that should point you in the right direction.

To begin with, laminators range in width from 8″ up to 80″ depending on the make and model. A few questions you will need to address prior to purchasing a roll laminator include:

• What is the widest document you will need to laminate?
• Do you have room for the laminator?

Larger 30″+ machines are typically reserved for printing presses and sign manufacturers. While these larger laminators are great for laminating the large stuff, the typical business, school or church isn’t going to need something that big.

I have found personally that most people like to stick around a 25″ to 27″ wide roll laminator. This can laminate most documents and can even handle the larger 24″ x 36″ posters. If you’re skilled, you can even laminate a 27 x 39″ poster.

What if you only need to laminate something around 11″ wide? While smaller roll laminators do exist, such as the GBC HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZload (12″), I recommend (room permitting) going with a 27″ roll laminator anyway.

What many people don’t realize is that a 27″ roll laminator can still use smaller 12″ rolls of film. That way you still have the option of laminating larger stuff later down the road.

If you do decide to go with a 27″ roll laminator, be sure it has 1″ mandrels. Laminating rolls with a 1″ core are by far the most common available in a 27″ width. While the majority of 27″ roll laminators have a 1″ mandrel,  some may have a 2 ½” or 3″ mandrel size.

So there you have it. A 27″ width, in my opinion, is the best laminator width to have for general every day laminating jobs. You can find our entire selection of 27″ wide roll laminators here.

We are excited to announce the addition of a new roll laminator to our site. This new roll laminator is the MightyLam 2700HC from Banner American. Here are a few details about this new addition.

To begin with, the MightyLam 2700HC is a 27″ wide laminator capable of being used to laminate posters, signs, maps and other wide material. It can also be used to laminate several smaller items, including up to three 8 ½ x 11″ sheets of paper at once.

This laminator has the ability to mount pictures onto foam board and handle material up to ¼” thick, which is pretty impressive for a laminator in this price range. It also can be used for hot thermal or cold pressure sensitive laminating.

The control panel is feature rich, including an LED readout, an adjustable temperature control, built in slitters and much more. The 2700HC also includes the ability to use laminating film up to 10 mils thick.

Overall this American-made roll laminator has a great selection of features for the price. You can stop by and check out the new MightyLam 2700HC roll laminator here.

Laminators are pretty nice machines to have on hand and can be used for a variety of projects. Contrary to what you may think, you don’t have to operate a copy center to own one. There are many laminators out there that are reasonably affordable for home use. One such laminator is the Intelli-Lam IL200 pouch laminator. I have used this laminator on several occasions and this is my review.

Intelli-Lam laminators are made by Intelli-Zone, who also makes a wide variety of paper shredders, folding machines, cutters and other office products. Intelli-Zone office machines, including their laminators, feature a modern design and easy-to-use controls.

The IL200 is a small little laminator. It only weighs in at 6 pounds shipped. It has a mouth width of 9 inches. That means the IL200 can handle documents and material up to about letter-size paper. It can also be used to laminate smaller material such as business cards, photo ID cards, photos and other small documents.

Having handled this laminator myself, I have to say that the footprint and weight isn’t much more than a small radio. It is easy to pick up and move around and is small enough that you can put it in a drawer or cupboard for storage.

The design is impressive. It features a silver color and well-rounded edges. The control interface is pretty straightforward. Simply plug in the laminator, flip the switch on and you’re ready to go. A red light lets you know that the laminator is on and a green light will let you know when the laminator is fully warmed up. The laminator takes about 10-15 minutes to warm up.

The IL200 is an entry-level laminator that is designed for light use. That doesn’t mean it is a bad laminator by any means, but it is not a good option for continuous laminating throughout the day. It is best used for home to occasional small business laminating.

The Intelli-Lam IL200 can be used with laminating film up to 3 mils thick. This is a pretty common thickness for laminating photos, signs and protecting other documents.

Overall I really like the IL200. While it isn’t the toughest laminator out there, the price is excellent. Few laminators out there offer what the IL200 does for the same price.

You can find the Intelli-Lam IL200 pouch laminator here and our entire selection of pouch laminating machines here.