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.

Have you ever run a picture or an important document through a pouch laminator only to have it come out with cloudy splotches all over it? It can be pretty frustrating, especially if it is something you really care about. So is there anything that you can do to fix the cloudy splotches? Here are a few tips.

You may have noticed, when you first place a document in a laminating pouch, that the film is translucent. That is because the glue, which lines the inside of the pouch, hasn’t been melted. Once melted, the glue becomes clear and stays that way. If the glue isn’t properly melted, some of that translucent cloudiness remains.

I would say 9 times out of 10, when cloudy splotches and spots appear, the laminator being used is running too cool. Some areas of the film melt and laminate properly, but the rest remains in an “unlaminated” state.

There are two things you can do to fix this problem. The first thing you can do is run your pouch through the laminator again and hope that a couple of passes will properly laminate the film. Your second option is to increase the heat of the laminator and run the pouch through. This should eliminate the cloudy spots.

If you are still noticing cloudy spots, even after adjusting the temperature or re-running the pouches through the laminator, your film may be too old or the laminator may be defective. If the film is too old, you’re probably out of luck and will need to buy new film. Unfortunately, the item you are laminating may be irreparably cloudy. I would certainly try at least running the pouch through another laminator before deeming the project a failure.

Some lower-end pouch laminators may require that you run the laminator through multiple times, every time. This is often the result of the laminator only having 2 rollers, which sometimes results in uneven heat distribution, or the laminator may simply have a week heating element.

For clean and clear results every time, I highly recommend using a laminator with 4 rollers or more. The more rollers used, the more evenly heat is distributed, which in turn produces great results.

You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here and our entire selection of pouch laminating film here. If you feel your laminator may be defective, or in need of servicing, feel free to contact our Service Department by calling 1-800-658-8788 x129. Good luck!

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.

When customers are shopping around for laminating film and supplies, I often get asked which thickness is the most popular. Laminating pouches (and rolls) can be found in 1.5, 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil thicknesses. While all thicknesses of laminating film have certain benefits, the 5 mil thickness is the most commonly used. This is why.

To begin with, 5 mil laminating film is the most universally accepted mil thickness used by laminators, especially pouch laminators. Both 7 and 10 are often too thick for most entry to mid-level laminators. Thinner 1.5 and 3 mil film is also very popular with roll laminators.

Five mil thick laminating film is popular because it provides a nice clean look with great support without being too flimsy or as thick as a credit card. It can be used to effectively laminate photographs, business cards, menus and more.

Cost is another factor. The 5-mil thickness is also a great balance on price. The thicker the film, the more expensive it is.

While all these factors point to 5-mil laminating film as being the most popular, thicker and thinner films have their benefits as well.

You can find our pouch laminating film here and our roll laminating film here. Be sure to check the user manual prior to purchasing film. You don’t want to end up with film that is too thick for your laminator. Using laminating film that is too thick often manifests itself in cloudy patches in the film.

You can find our entire selection of laminators here. Have a great day!

So you have a roll laminator and now need some replacement film for it. So what size core should you get? There are three common sizes available. This includes one-inch, 2 ¼-inch and three inch. Here are a few ways to get the right film for your laminator.

The easiest way is to simply measure the inner diameter of the hole on your old roll lamination film. Unfortunately this isn’t always an option. Often times the old rolls are no longer around or the person that used to buy the film is no longer with the company.

Another way to determine the size of film you need is to measure the mandrel. The mandrel is the rod that the roll film is slid onto. A one-inch mandrel is pretty easy to spot out. The 2 ¼ or three-inch mandrel may require you to break out the tape measure.

As a general rule, roll laminators that fall within the 25 to 27-inch wide range use a one-inch core. The one-inch core diameter is the most common size used today.

Larger roll laminators (30-inches plus) typically use a wider core. This is because the wider film usually requires more stability.

What if you have a one-inch mandrel on your laminator but the film you want to use is only available with a larger 2 ¼ or three-inch core? Some laminator manufacturers make core adapters that will allow you to use a larger core film with a smaller mandrel.

Still not sure what film you need to use with your laminator? Call one of our specialists at 1-800-658-8788. Are you in need of a core adapter for your roll laminator? Contact our Service Department at 1-800-658-8788 x129.

You can find our entire selection of roll lamination film here.  You can find our entire selection of roll laminators here.

Laminating sheets, sometimes referred to as laminating pouches, are commonly used to protect and preserve business cards, report covers, photographs and much more. What are the different types of laminating sheets and which types are the best to use? Here are a few recommendations.

Laminating sheets come in a variety of different thicknesses. These typically come in 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil thicknesses. A mil is a thousandth of an inch. A 10-mil pouch has two 10-mil sides equaling a total of 20 mil. This means that 3, 5, 7 and 10-mil pouches are 6, 10, 14 and 20-mil thick once laminated (not counting the material being laminated). A credit card is 30-mil thick. Hopefully this hasn’t confused you too much.

The most common sizes of laminating sheets purchased today are 5 and 7 mil thick. A 10-mil sheet is very thick once laminated and is typically only used to laminate extremely thin documents. Five mil thick laminating sheets are probably the most common size used for laminating photographs.

Most pouch laminators can handle 5-mil thick laminating sheets, but not all can handle 10-mil thick sheets. Be sure you know what your laminator can handle prior to making a purchase.

You can find our entire selection of pouch laminating sheets here.