Good pouch laminators are hard to come by. Many of the cheap laminators do not produce good results, with a lot of the film producing bubbles, ripples and other defects. If you need a solid, high-quality laminator, you may want to consider the GBC HeatSeal H600Pro 13″ pouch laminator. This is my review.

The HeatSeal brand has almost become synonymous with pouch laminators. Once known as DocuSeal laminators, HeatSeal laminators are known for providing clean, clear and vivid results. The HeatSeal line is broken up into several different models, with the main difference typically being the width of the laminator.

The GBC HeatSeal H600Pro is a 13-inch wide pouch laminator that uses a total of four rollers for laminating photographs, document covers, signs and other material. The H600Pro is categorized as a commercial pouch laminator and is capable of using anywhere from 1 ½ to 10 mil thick laminating pouches.

The HeatSeal H600Pro is a direct replacement to the DocuSeal 3500 13″ pouch laminator. The quality is pretty much the same, with just a few minor design changes. Both laminators feature the ability to be used all day long without suffering any wear and tear.

A few things that I really like about the H600Pro is the variable speed control (up to 60-inches per minute), the warm-up time (2.5 to 8.5 minutes) and the ease-of-use. Simply put, the H600Pro is extremely easy to set up. This is due in large part to the handy digital control panel and the LCD readout.

The heated rollers and cooling fans help evenly distribute the heat, ensuring clean and clear results every time. If for any reason you end up with a misfeed, a reverse button makes it easy to back the pouch back out, cutting down on jams.

Overall I am impressed with the build quality and the simply control interface. I would definitely recommend the HeatSeal H600Pro for most laminating jobs.

You can find the GBC HeatSeal H600Pro 13″ pouch laminator here. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Are you looking for an energy efficient roll laminator that not only does a good job, but also uses less electricity? One model you may want to look at is the Banner American Easy-Lam Green roll laminator. This is my review.

To begin with, Banner America is known for making some of the most reliable roll and pouch laminators today. They make a wide variety of Easy-Lam roll laminators and PL series pouch laminators. The company has been around for well over a decade and has developed a great reputation.

The Easy-Lam Green is Banner American’s energy efficient model and is designed to save you money in operating cost. The Easy-Lam Green does this in two ways:

Energy Saving Features

1. While in standby mode, the Easy-Lam Green drops the temperature down from 300 degrees to 150 degrees. Most laminators maintain the maximum temperature the entire time. It only takes seven minutes for the Easy-Lam to go from 150 back to a 300-degree operating temperature.
2. The Easy-Lam Green is designed to shut off after one hour of inactivity. This is a very convenient feature to have on hand. Most laminators will continuously run until they are manually shut off.

Not only does the Easy-Lam green include these energy-saving measures, it is also very easy to use. It is designed to laminate posters, maps, signs, banners and much more. The Easy-Lam Green can be used in schools, print shops, copy shops, churches and more.

The Easy-Lam green is 27-inches wide, which allows it to laminate most common materials. The core size is one-inch in diameter, which is the most common size used today. It comes pre-loaded with two rolls of 1.5-mil thick film and can be used with laminating film up to 3 mils thick.

One thing I really like about the Easy-Lam Green is the built-in LCD readout. It is really easy to see exactly what the temperature is. Many other laminators feature an analog temperature gauge, which I personally find hard to precisely read.

While the Easy-Lam Green is a 110-120 volt machine, it is available in a 220-volt version up on request.

Overall I find the Easy-Lam Green to be right up there in quality when it comes to similar 3 mil laminators in its class and width. If you need something that can use 5 or 10-mil film, you will need something a little heavier duty.

You can find the Banner American Easy-Lam Green roll laminator here. You can find our entire selection of roll laminators here.

Are you looking for a laminator that is hassle free and affordable? One model you may want to consider using is the GBC HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZLoad roll laminator. We have one of these laminators in our showroom and I have had a chance to use it. This is my review.

To begin with, GBC (General Binding Company) has been making laminators for years. One of their most popular lines is the HeatSeal series. This consists of both pouch and roll laminators. One of their newest, and most popular lines, is the EZLoad line of roll laminators.

The biggest selling point for the GBC HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZLoad (try saying that three times fast) is the lamination film. It uses 1.7 to 10 mil Nap-Lam® II roll film that comes in a cartridge.

Unlike other laminators, where you have to load the film onto a mandrel and fish it through the machine, the EZLoad system is as easy as changing out a cartridge on a printer. Simply pop out the old roll of film and put another one in. This also helps cut down on burns. If you’ve used a traditional roll laminator, you know what I mean.

The HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZLoad is designed to laminate documents up to12-inches wide. It runs at a speed of 36-inches a minute. That’s not blazing fast, but it isn’t bad compared to other roll laminators in its class. The Ultima 35 EZLoad is designed for daily use in schools, churches and businesses.

The main focus of this laminator is ease-of use, and easy it is. After about one minute your up and running, which is pretty fast. It even includes a built in trimmer that can be used to cut off material as it exits the laminator.

If the laminator isn’t being used, it will automatically shut off. Not only is this a nice safety feature, but it saves energy as well.

The control interface on the HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZLoad is very simple and easy to use. There is a button to turn the laminator on, another with forward / reverse functions and a dial for temperature control.

The only downside I can think of is that the film is proprietary. You can’t order normal rolls of laminating film. You have to use the GBC EZLoad film cartridges, which cost more than normal one-inch core film. This is a sacrifice many people are willing to make fore easy operation.

The HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZLoad is available in a larger model called the GBC Pinnacle 27 EZLoad found here.

Overall I am impressed with this compact roll laminator. The build quality is great and it should easily last several years.

You can find our GBC HeatSeal Ultima 35 EZLoad roll laminator here. You can find our entire selection of thermal roll laminators here.

Are you in need of a compact, durable and commercial-quality pouch laminator that can be used to laminate ID cards, business cards and other material? One pouch laminating machine you may want to consider using is the Banner American PL4A pouch laminator. I have used this laminator and this is my review.

Banner American, the people who make the PL4A, have been making laminators for years now. In fact, the actual design of the PL4A has been around since I started working for ABC Office 10 years ago. The design has been tried and tested. Customer complaints are nil.

The Banner American PL4A is a 3 ¾-inch wide pouch laminator primarily designed to laminate photo ID cards, luggage tags, business cards, photographs and other documents. Not only does the PL4A do this quickly, it does it well.

The PL4A utilizes a four roller system, which is really nice (and uncommon) for a laminator this small.  Four rollers, versus two, more evenly distributes heat and pressure. This means fewer bubbles, ripples and cloudy results.

The PL4A is capable of using laminating film up to 10 mils thick. This is the thickest film that we sell. This means you can laminate documents using 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil film.

The adjustable temperature, located on the bottom of the machine, makes it possible to get the perfect temperature for the item you are laminating. The PL4A is even available in a version called the PL4AT that includes a built in thermometer for precision.

Another nice feature about the PL4A is that it has separate motor and temperature controls. This means you can keep the PL4A fully warmed without having the motor running. Laminators that use one single switch for heat and motor often suffer premature motor issues.

One thing I would like to see in the PL4A is more digital controls. The PL4A is very analog with switches and dials. This is more of a wish than a complaint. Of course the PL4A is a solid machine and as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This is probably the case with the PL4A.

I have to say that the PL4A, after having used it for years, is probably my favorite pouch laminator in the four-inch range. It simply works well, very well.

You can find the Banner American PL4A pouch laminator here. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Would you like to use a laminator but don’t have the funds available to purchase one at this time? One laminator you may want to look at is the Banner American QuickFinish PL100 pouch laminator. This laminator is packed with many high-end features, but won’t break the bank. This is my review.

First of all, the QuickFinish PL100 is made by Banner American, which is a good thing. Banner American has been making laminators for well over a decade. This includes both pouch and roll laminators. This should come as peach of mind. You know that not only is the PL100 made by a reputable manufacturer, but it will also be supported for years to come.

Once plugged into the wall, the Banner American PL100 only takes about three minutes to warm up. This is pretty fast for a laminator in this price range. The PL100 is capable of using both 3 and 5 mil laminating pouches.

The laminator is 10-inches wide and can be used to laminate documents up to 9.5-inches wide. This is really nice because it means you can laminate 8 ½ x 11 and legal-size documents without a problem.

While the PL100 isn’t designed for high-volume use, it can be used in the home or at the office for various laminating jobs throughout the day. You can use the PL100 to laminate important documents, business cards, report covers and more. Simply place your document in a pouch, put it in a carrier and run it through the laminator.

While this is an entry-level laminator, I have to say that it does a pretty good job at laminating. Results are clear and clean.

You can find the Banner American QuickFinish PL100 pouch laminator here. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Are you looking for a pouch laminator that is about nine-inches wide or perhaps big enough to laminate a document up to 8 ½ x 11-inches? There are a lot of models out there. One you may want to consider is the Akiles Pro-Lam 230 pouch laminator. Here is my review.

To start with, the Akiles Pro-Lam series of pouch laminators really don’t get the credit they deserve. They have been around for years, but often get passed up for “prettier” laminators from manufacturers like Fellowes. What it all comes down to is that the Akiles Pro-Lam laminators are solid machines, capable of daily, continuous use.

The Pro-Lam 230 (aka PL-230) weighs in at 20 pounds. That means that 20-pounds of heavy-duty metal have been packed into a smaller nine-inch pouch laminator (9.10-inches to be specific). That just goes to show you how heavy duty it is.  Even the gears in this laminator are made from steel when many comparable laminators use plastic or nylon gears.

The Pro-Lam 230 uses a total of four rollers, which ensures even pressure and heat distribution. The extruding aluminum heat plates also better distribute the heat. The end result is cleaner, clearer laminated material. This also helps cut down on cloudiness, bubbles and ripples in the film.

The Pro-Lam 230 uses electronic circuitry to adjust the operating temperatures. This means the temperature you set the laminator to is the temperature you get. The temperature varies from 230 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit. This laminator is hot enough and tough enough to easily handle 10-mil (4/6) lamination.

Although the manufacturer says you don’t have to use a carrier with the film, I still recommend it. Sometimes when the pouch gets heated up, excess glue will spill out the sides when run through the rollers. A carrier will help catch this glue and cut down on glue messes gumming up the rollers.

Overall I am very impressed with this laminator. Simply put, it is a workhorse. It is designed for commercial use throughout the day. You can find the Akiles Pro-Lam 230 pouch laminator here. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here.

Are 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.

Pouch 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.

Fellowes 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:

• Sircle HQ-230 9″ Pouch Laminator
• Banner American PL100 Pouch Laminator
• Sircle HQ-330 13″ Pouch Laminator
• Sircle SG-230 9″ Pouch Laminator

Our entire selection of pouch laminators can be found here.

So 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.