Are you in the market for a sub $100 pouch laminator that you can use at home or in the office? Many laminators under $100 aren’t worth much when it comes to quality results. At ABC Office we try to offer only the highest-quality laminators available and the Fellowes Saturn SL-95 pouch laminator is one such machine. This is my review.

Fellowes has developed a stalwart reputation for their huge line of paper shredders. What many people don’t realize is that Fellowes also makes a large line of binding machines and laminators. All Fellowes products have something in common – they look great!

The Saturn SL-95, at the time of this article, runs at a price of about $94 new. This is very affordable, especially for a 9 ½” pouch laminator. Not only is the SL-95 affordable, it touts an impressive 2-year warranty. It even includes a laminating starter kit.

For a laminator, The SL-95 is very attractive. It features a charcoal gray with a lighter gray design with soft rounded curves. It almost looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. The control panel is very easy to use and extremely easy to set up.

The large 9 ½” width is capable of handling most letter-size documents and can be used to laminate small pouches as well. The thermal temperature settings are designed to handle 3 mil and 5 mil laminating pouches. Warm-up time only takes about 5 minutes.

As with any thermal pouch laminator, they can generate a lot of heat. Because of this heat, safety can be an issue with some laminators. The Fellowes Saturn SL-95 features HeatGuard technology that makes the laminator cool to the touch. This is great, especially for home use.

One of the most annoying features of pouch laminators is alignment. If a pouch is fed in crooked, it can eventually run into the side of the laminator and cause a jam. The SL-95 has a special release lever that releases pressure on the pouch, making it easy to re-position. Once re-aligned, the laminator can be clamped back down and laminating can continue.

Portability is frequently an issue with pouch laminators. Many laminators are awkward and difficult to pick up and move around. The Fellowes Saturn SL-95 includes a built-in handle, making it easy to pick up and move around. Weighing in at just 7 pounds shipped, the SL-95 can be used on most desks, tables and workstations.

Be aware that the SL-95 is not designed for high-volume use. It is, however, great for the occasional laminating job. I would rate it for low to medium-volume use.

Considering the price, the warranty, the quality and the great looks, I think the SL-95 to be a great fit for any home or small business.

You can find the Fellowes Saturn SL-95 pouch laminator here, our entire selection of pouch laminators here and our pouch laminating film here.  Feel free to give us a call at 1-800-658-8788 with your pouch laminator questions.

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.

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.

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.

About 60% of pouch laminators today require the use of what’s known as a carrier. A carrier is a type of folder that holds laminating pouches as they run through a laminator. The general purpose of the carrier is to provide support to the pouch, preventing jams, and to prevent gumming glue from contaminating the laminator. Many laminators today, however, claim to be carrier free.

I have found, from personal experience, that it is still a good idea to use a carrier, even if the manufacturer says you don’t need one. This is more from a maintenance perspective. A carrier will still keep glue from squeezing out the edges of a laminating pouch and gumming up the rubber rollers.

If you own a carrier-free laminator, I would recommend laminating something with and without the carrier. If the results look the same either way, use a carrier. If the results look better without the carrier, then you may want to consider ditching the carrier. I know with some of our Intelli-Lam laminators, results actually look better without a carrier. This typically is not the case.

Laminating pouches, at least the ones we sell, come with a carrier in the box. This puts the carrier life at about 100 pouches. Once a box of laminating pouches is empty, the old carrier can be discarded or you can hold onto it if it is still in good condition. The new box will have another carrier with it.

If you have a non “carrier-free” laminator, ALWAYS use a carrier. Don’t even chance it or you’ll end up with a costly mess.

You can find our entire selection of pouch laminators here and pouch laminating film here. Good luck and happy laminating!

Are you tired of cloudiness, bubbles and ripples in your laminating film? If you are experiencing any of these issues, or if you simply need a great all-round laminator, you may want to consider using the Akiles UltraLam 250B or 250P pouch laminators. This is my review.

Akiles has a great reputation with binding machines and their laminators are no exception. Akiles now offers over a half-dozen different pouch laminators. The UltraLam 250B and 250P are some of their newest additions. The UltraLam line of laminators is Akiles higher-end line of laminators.  These new laminators have several benefits that you may like to utilize in your own daily laminating operations.

To begin with, the UltraLam 250B and 250P are essentially the same laminators with one minor difference. The Model 250B utilizes a traditional bimetal temperature control (screw) where the 250P uses a more modern digital electronic temperature adjustment (dial). Both laminators produce identical results.

The UltraLam 250 series laminators have a 9″ (A4 size) opening. This opening is able to accommodate most letter-size documents with about a ¼” buffer on each side of the paper. This helps cut down on jams and makes it easy to laminate not only letter-size paper, but also photographs, businesses cards and other material.

The Akiles UtraLam 250 is a tough little laminator, capable of laminating documents up to 10 mils thick. It can be used to laminate not only 10 mil thick film, but it also handles 3, 5 and 7 mil thick film without any problems. This is due in part to the UltraLam’s great temperature range (85° -160°C).

These laminators are designed for daily, continuous use. There is no need to worry about this laminator overheating, and thanks to solid metal gears, you shouldn’t have to worry about any downtime.

If you need to keep the laminator on all day, you can help prolong the laminator motor’s life by turning it off. This way the laminator stays hot for fast lamination and the motor stays off when not in use. This is all possible thanks to independent temperature and motor controls.

Both the 250B and 250P utilize special heat plats and silicon rollers to evenly distribute heat. This helps to cut down on cloudiness, bubbles and ripples. This design also allows these laminators to laminate documents with or without a carrier.

Overall I consider the Akiles UltraLam 250 series laminators to be solid laminators. They should be up to the task of laminating just about anything. I would personally have no problem using this laminator for my own medium to higher-volume laminating jobs.

You can find the Akiles UltraLam 250B or 250P pouch laminators here and our entire selection of pouch laminating machines here. Feel free to call us at 1-800-658-8788 with any questions.

If you’re going to hand over your hard-earned cash for a pouch laminating machine, you’d better be sure you’re getting the right product. I have years of experience with pouch laminators and would like to offer you 7 simple tips you should consider prior to purchasing a machine. Once you have read through these tips, you should have a much better idea on what to look for in a laminator.

8 Things To Look For In A Pouch Laminating Machine

1. Adjustable Temperature – I personally like to have an adjustable temperature in my pouch-laminating machine for fine-tuned precision. This isn’t a requirement, but is definitely a nice feature to have.
2. Mil Thickness - How thick a laminating pouch do you want to use? The thicker the laminating film, the hotter and more robust your laminator has to be. Most people are fine laminating using 3 or 5-mil thick film (mil = thousandth of an inch). More robust laminators can handle 7 or even 10-mil thick film.
3. Rollers – The number of rollers often determines the quality of the laminating job. Typically the more rollers the better.  Most cheap entry-level laminators only have 2 rollers. Commercial laminators often feature 4 rollers and some high-end photography laminators have 6 to 8 rollers.
4. Separate Buttons – I personally like to have a separate temperature and motor switch on my laminator. This allows you to keep the laminator warm without running the motor. This is optional, but you will probably get more life out of your laminator with two separate switches.
5. Reverse Button – A reverse button is a HUGE plus. If you feed laminating film in crooked, or the laminator begins to jam, a reverse switch can mean the difference between clearing out a jam or sending the machine in to be repaired.
6. Width – Make sure your laminator has enough width to accommodate what you are laminating. Just because you have an 11″ laminator doesn’t mean you should laminate documents 11″ wide. Laminating something the exact same width as the laminator is a formula for trouble, especially since laminators are not very forgiving when pouches are fed in slightly crooked.
7. Warm-Up Time – Most laminators will specify how long they take to warm up. Most laminators will warm up in under 15 minutes, but some will warm up in just a few minutes.
8. Footprint – You may want to take into consideration how big the laminator is. Some people order a 13″ laminator not realizing how big it is, when they probably would have been fine with a 9″ laminator. This isn’t a big deal, but if counter space is in short supply, you may want to make yourself aware to the size prior to making a purchase.

At ABC Office we offer one of the largest selections of pouch laminators available online. This includes Fellowes, Tamerica, Akiles, Intelli-Lam, GBC and many others. You can find our entire selection of pouch laminating machines here.