GBC Introduces New Digital Lay Flat Laminating Film for Single Sided Lamination of Digital Prints

At the end of 2006, GBC made the decision to replace its line of Hi Tac Lay Flat laminating films with its new Digital Lay Flat Laminating films. These new digital lay flat laminating films are specifically designed for single sided lamination of digital prints for book covers and jackets. This film is designed to combat two problems commonly associated with this type of application making it a unique product in the laminating industry.

The first problem that this specialty laminating film is designed to combat is the curl that comes with single sided lamination. One of the biggest problems that comes with single sided lamination is product curl. This is a tremendous problem when laminating covers for soft cover books. Soft cover books have no real support for the covers making any curl in the covers very obvious, thus eliminating curl is something very important for this application. GBC’s new Digital Lay Flat laminating film is a Nylon laminating film which is designed to minimized curl in single sided applications. However, it is important to note that curl can still sometimes be a problem (even with a nylon film) if you are not using a laminator specifically designed for single sided lamination. Single sided roll laminators which start at about $20,000 have special features such as a breaker bar that work together with the properties of the nylon film to completely eliminate curl. Still, this film can be run on a normal laminator with decent results.

The second problem addressed by GBC’s new Digital Lay flat laminating film involves the lamination of Digital Output. Most standard laminating films have a great deal of difficulty laminating digital output for flush cut trimming. The high fuser oil content of most digital output makes it impossible for most laminating films to adhere to the surface of the print. When these prints are flush cut the laminating film will often simply peel off the surface of the print. However, GBC Digital Lay Flat film includes a Hi Tac adhesive that is specifically designed for laminating digital output. The adhesive in this film is able to bond with your prints and is designed not to peel or separate when flush cut.

Addressing these two problems, GBC’s Digital Lay Flat Laminating Film is a 1.5mil laminating film.GBC Digital Lay Flat film is available on your choice of a 2.25” core or a 3” core and in your choice of clear or matte finishes. Laminating Rolls are available in sizes from 10.75” up to 19.5” in width.