So I was recently on Yahoo’s home page and noticed an article titled “12 alternative uses for coffee filters” found here. That got me to thinking. What are some of the oddest things our customers have done with the products we sell? I have had customers tell me some pretty interesting uses for laminating film.  Here’s what I have come up with.

Top 9 Alternative Uses For Laminating Film

1. Markerboards – Laminating film has a glossy surface that can be easily written on by marker board markers. Laminate a white sheet of paper, stick a magnet on the back and you have a fridge whiteboard.
2. Placemats – I have had people tell me that they have made (and sold) placemats for eating by simply printing a picture and laminating it with a 12 x 18 sheet of film.
3. Coasters - Laminating film is waterproof and will easily protect a table from a cold cup or beverage.
4. Luggage Tags – This one is done all the time. Get a luggage-size pouch and use it as a luggage tag. You can even get luggage-tag size pouches that already have a slot punched for a strap.
5. Bookmarks – This one is pretty popular. Laminate a photograph or a piece of artwork, cut it down into a rectangular shape and use it as a bookmark. I have even had people put a hole punch in the corner and tie a piece of ribbon to it.
6. Cutting Mats – Need a cutting mat? Laminate a sheet of card stock or a poly sheet using a 10 mil pouch and you have an instant cutting mat.
7. Flower Preservation – I have had people put flower specimens in lamination film and laminate it. This is often done for preservation, scrapbooking or for making cards.
8. Funnels – Because laminating film is waterproof, you can easily laminate a sheet of paper and roll it up into a funnel. It’s cheap, temporary and disposable.
9. Snow Scrapers – This one is pushing it, but I have had people tell me that a good 10 mil laminated pouch makes a great snow scraper. This is about as effective as using a credit card.

You can find our entire selection of laminating machines and film here.

When looking for lamination film, you have probably noticed the term mil come up. Lamination film is often available in 1.5, 3, 5, 7 and 10-mil thickness. Logically it would seem the higher the number the thicker the film. That would be correct. But what does the term mil stand for?

Mil comes from the Latin mille, which means a thousand. One mil, in lamination measurement terms, is a thousandth of an inch. Your standard credit card is 30-mils thick, which equals out to be 0.03-inches thick.

If you like to use pouch laminators, you may think that a 10-mil pouch is 0.010 inches thick. That would be incorrect. It is a bit of a trick question. Lamination pouches, when labeled 3, 5, 7 or 10 mils thick, are actually referring to one side of the lamination pouch (total of two sides). Combining both sides of the lamination pouch, the thickness is doubled. A 10 mil lamination pouch is actually a total of 20 mils thick once laminated, not counting the paper, photograph or card being laminated.

Roll lamination film, on the other hand, is a little less confusing. When you buy a roll of 5-mil film, you get a 5-mil roll. Remember, however, that roll laminators use two rolls of film to laminate a poster, map or whatever you need. Using a 5-mil roll on the top and a 5-mil roll on the bottom would be a total of 10 mils of film. Simple math.

Getting back to pouch laminators, you may have ordered a box of 7-mil lamination pouches and noticed on the box that it says 2/5. Yes, 2+5 does equal 7, but what does it mean? That number is letting you know that the pouch consists of 2 mils laminate glue and 5 mils of hard plastic, giving you the total of 7. This isn’t always labeled on the box, but often is.

You can read more about laminators and lamination by reading our lamination guide here: http://www.abcoffice.com/laminating_guide.htm.

Good luck laminating!