Laminating - MyBinding Blog

Foiling Troubleshooting Tips

December 2, 2022 by Mallory Morsa

Foil fusing is a fantastic technique to transform regular printed pages into magnificent metallic prints without the need for specialized foiling equipment. Just your dry toner print, a foil roll in the color of your choice, a pouch laminator, and a shielding material called a pouch carrier are required. Here in our resource center, you can find various foil resources, such as guidelines, how-tos, FAQs, and more. You may purchase foil by clicking here.

But let’s get to the main purpose of this piece, which is to troubleshoot your foil lamination. Foiling is enjoyable and simple, however there are occasionally problems that arise. You should be able to solve most, if not all, of the foiling issues you might encounter with the help of this troubleshooting guide.

Foil Not Transferring:

To solve the issue if the foil isn’t transferring, there are a number of possible solutions you can try, all of which are fairly straightforward.

Is the toner in your ink dry? Keep in mind that dry toner is the only thing that will make foil stick, so if you aren’t using the suitable ink, the foil won’t transfer. To determine whether it uses dry toner, check your printer and the cartridge. If not, you might be able to order your prints there, pick them up, and foil them when you get home or to the workplace. Most print and copy businesses offer these machines.
Is the stock of your paper smooth? Remember that textured paper stocks will not transfer foil; the paper must be smooth for the foil to adhere correctly. The foil doesn’t become solid in the creases because of the texture.
Do you have uncoated paper? On coated paper stocks (often written as C1S or C2S on your box of paper), foil will not transfer well because the coating stops the ink from getting the foil to connect correctly.
Is the laminator hot enough? Your laminator should be heated to a minimum of 300° F. However, hotter is preferable. Various foils, such as holographic and translucent foils, as well as some paper stocks, such as larger sheets, will require more heat to transfer well. If the foil laminator is already operating at maximum heat, consider reducing the speed. If your heating or cooling system isn’t adjustable, try simply running it once more. You might need to use fresh foil because it can only be heated a few times before the foil becomes useless. You shouldn’t peel the foil and then run it again because it might not stick after being peeled up. The impression of your design in the foil is usually visible when a transfer has been done successfully just by looking at the sheet.

Foil Transferring onto Pages Without Ink:

Are you using a hot foil laminator? Your laminator can be too hot if you have brushed your paper and the speckles have not been erased (or too slow). To test if the speckles disappear, try reducing the temperature or speeding up the process while running a fresh sheet.
Tool Tip: Since some speckling on the page is natural, it is a good idea to keep a paint or cleaning brush on available to lightly dust the page after foiling. This will assist in removing such flecks.
Tracking Dots: Every sheet of color-printed paper has tiny, invisible-to-the-human-eye yellow tracking dots printed on them. These readable dots can be used to determine the printer’s location, date, and purchaser. This is done so that if someone threatens someone in a printed letter, they can trace the message back to that person. You will be able to see the tracking dots if you print something in color using a loop. Although not all, the majority of printers now have tracking dots. Additionally, Google “tacky dots” and “printers.” When printing in deep black, these dots have no effect on the foil fusing procedure. Therefore, if you purchase a printer that prints tracking dots and you need to print rich black, you must omit the yellow else the sheet will end up covered with tiny foiled specks after going through the foil fuser.

Foiling Tips, Tricks, and Hacks:

Techniques for foiling with thermal toner that will produce the greatest results every time.

Foil on your Pouch Carrier: Always lay a thin scrap of paper on top of your design before foiling to stop any foil from transferring to your pouch carrier folder page. If your foil “bleeds” over the edge of your print, you should always place a scrap of paper behind it. The intention is to keep the carrier and foil from making touch. It is a good idea to have additional foil carriers on available for mistakes like this because foil can transfer onto your carrier otherwise. They are fortunately quite affordable.
Choosing the Best Ink: Solid black ink works well for grabbing solid foils. It can give the most saturated foil finish since it is the most saturated “color.” Additionally, since you won’t be able to see the ink underneath, using a different color wouldn’t matter. Only if you are using a transparent underlay foil, like our holographic foil, would you want to use colored ink instead (which comes in either a silver or transparent underlay). This would allow the ink color beneath the foil pattern to be seen, enhancing it. Your laminator will require more heat when using foils other than black and when utilizing more specialized foils, like translucent or holographic. Also, keep in mind that for this heat transfer foiling to function, your printer must use dry toner ink.

Ready to Get Started?

Check out the vast selection of thermal reactive toner foil we provide, which includes hundreds of choices like iridescent patterns, holographic patterns, sparkly foil, metallic and matte colors, and more. Additionally, we provide formal foil fusing machines for bigger volumes, a number of high-quality pouch laminators that have been tested and approved for foiling, as well as foil roll cutters to reduce the width of your rolls.

Lamination and Laminators Troubleshooting Guide

November 15, 2022 by Mallory Morsa

Laminating is a combination of art and science. Here are some pointers to help you use your roll laminator to produce the highest quality laminations. MyBinding provides a wide selection of hot and cold laminators.

Making Heat Settings Modifications:

When first starting off, it is important to stick to the laminator’s recommended heat settings. Nevertheless, depending on the film you’re using and the materials you’re laminating, those settings could need to be changed. Here are the fundamental principles and theories guiding the proper heat settings.

When the laminate comes out of the laminator, it will be transparent but wavy if there is too much heat present. This is because there wasn’t enough time for the film to cool in between two pairs of rollers. The laminator’s temperature needs to be lowered as a fix. To give the laminator a chance to cool, you must wait before running more material.
Your document will become silvery or cloudy if you don’t have enough heat if the heat is applied unevenly. If this occurs, you will have to raise the heat’s temperature in order to “wet out” the glue. After a lengthy laminating session, you might also need to give your laminator adequate time to regain heat because the rollers’ temperature will decline as heat is transferred to your documents. The kind of printing techniques being used could be another factor contributing to silvering. For instance, the ink and toner used in inkjet and color copier output contain additives that call for specifically made films.

Secondly, ensure that you have the correct thermal laminating film for your hot laminator.

Making Speed Modifications:

Your laminating machine may be a single-speed or a variable-speed machine, depending on what it is. Only laminators with adjustable speed settings should be used, according to these remarks. The quantity of heat that is delivered onto the film can be directly influenced by changing the laminator’s speed setting.

When the laminate comes out of the laminator clear yet waved, this indicates that the film has absorbed too much heat. The film will spend less time on the heaters when the laminator’s speed is increased, minimizing the amount of heat it absorbs.
By slowing down, you extend the time the film spends on the heaters, which increases the amount of heat the film absorbs if your document has silvering or cloudiness.

This example demonstrates how temperature and speed work together harmoniously. Finally, to select the ideal setting for the kind of paper you are laminating, you must strike a balance between heat and speed.

Making Tension Adjustments:

How tightly the laminate is stretched when it exits the laminator depends on the tension setting. You want your movie to have as little stress as possible.

The goal is to impart just the right amount of tension to the film just before it hits the nip rollers, the first set of rollers, to smooth out any creases. If the wrinkle disappears before it reaches the nip where the two rolls of film come together, a small amount of wrinkling at the top of the roller or heat shoe is OK.

Remove all the tension from the film mandrels before adding your film.
After inserting the film into the device, gradually tighten the top and bottom rollers. If you don’t do this evenly, the film will cup or bow as it comes off the rollers.
The top or bottom rolls of film are stretched more than the opposite roll, which is what causes this. You might need to change your tension settings because when the film on the roll is utilized, the roll of the film will weigh less.

Just keep in mind that if you are running the same kind of film on both sides, the tension on both rollers should be always set at the same level.

Issues with De-Lamination:

De-lamination has grown to be a source of issues as the print industry transitions to digitally produced output. The biggest problem is with color copies or output from digital printing that contains a lot of fuser oil. If you are experiencing this issue, you might find that when your finished documents are face trimmed, the laminate will simply peel off. Consider utilizing a high-tack laminating film like Color-Bond if you are using this kind of digital output. To assure attachment to this coated output, this kind of film utilizes specialized adhesive chemistry.

In conclusion, the lamination process involves components of chemistry and physics. However, when you, as an operator, comprehend the science underlying lamination and can modify your equipment accordingly to produce the ideal output each time, then lamination becomes an art.

Laminating Sheets vs. Pouches – What’s the Difference?

November 14, 2022 by Mallory Morsa

There is a distinction between both a laminating pouch and a laminating sheet even though the phrases are frequently used interchangeably in the laminating industry. They both contain polyester and adhesive, however, lamination pouches often have a far higher ratio of polyester to adhesive than lamination film. Lamination pouches feel significantly stiffer as a result of this than laminated with roll film. This is the key basis for why roll laminating is less expensive than laminating pouches.

Laminating Pouches:

A “laminating pouch” is a laminate film piece with a pre-sealed edge making a pouch or sleeve. A laminating pouch, available as a cold pouch or thermal pouch, is used for two-sided laminating. The cold laminations can be produced without a machine or using a laminator that has a cold option. A heated pouch laminator is always required to seal thermal pouches.

Laminating pouches are ideal for providing all-around protection for a variety of documents, including ID cards, multipurpose papers, and images. Both the front and back sides of your page will be safeguarded because they totally enclose it. They also increase the document’s rigidity and stability by two, which increases its durability and resistance to bends and tears.

TIP: Your laminator is too hot if your pouch comes out wavy. It is too low if it turns out milky. Accordingly, alter the speed or heat settings. You could use or skip a laminating pouch carrier to either shield your pouch from excessive heat or enable more heat to reach it if there are no heat or speed adjustments.

Laminating Sheets:

The typical laminating sheet size is made for papers up to Letter or A4 size. This means the sheet is somewhat bigger (9 x 11.5 inches) so that your document has an edge on either side. If there is too much extra plastic at the borders or if you are laminating anything smaller, you can trim the sides of the laminating sheet following centering and sealing your paper.

A single piece of laminate film that isn’t sealed or joined to another sheet is referred to as a “laminating sheet” in simple terms. To laminate one side only, use a laminating sheet. Most of the time, they are self-stick, thus laminating your paper does not require heat or a machine. Rather, they merely apply pressure. You would peel off the paper lining covering the glue and stick it to your page.

For certificates, flyers, signage, schedules, and more, laminating sheets are ideal. Typically, there aren’t many sizes available, but they can always be shrunk. They provide a little bit more stability for your pages than plain sheets, but not the full protection from spills and bending that a completely contained laminating pouch would provide.

Advice: Only peel off the corner of your line, then fold it back so that the adhesive is visible. Use the grid if the liner has one to align your page correctly with the bag before pressing it down to the exposed corner. While placing your page into the laminate sheet and smoothing it from the corner toward the edges, slowly peel off the liner. Either by hand or with a little roller are options.

Shop Laminating Pouches

Shop Roll Laminating

Give us a call at 1-800-944-4573 if you have any questions, and we’ll be happy to help you choose the best sort of lamination for your needs.

Top Laminators for Foiling

October 6, 2022 by Mallory Morsa

The best laminators for foiling will share a few features, including adjustable heat settings that can achieve a minimum of 300° F, customizable speed, heat rollers in place of heat plates, and the ability to handle thick lamination pouches of at least 10mil.

In order to give you some interesting ideas for the kinds of foil prints you may generate with a pouch laminating machine and our toner reactive foils, let’s take a moment to drool over some of the amazing foilings I have done using the SpeedyLam (the first laminator I list below).

SpeedyLam 330R Pouch Laminator

Even when printing text with thinner lines, the SpeedyLam 330R pouch laminating machine creates flawlessly foiled documents. You can adapt it to precisely meet your foiling needs with customizable heat and speed settings. This is crucial since the amount of heat and the time it is heated can differ slightly based on the type of foil you are using and even the paper stock you printed on (transparent foils, for instance, frequently require a little more heat and a longer heating time to adhere successfully). It’s no coincidence that “speedy” is in the name. It provides the highest-quality output while working at the fastest desktop pouch laminating device in its class, up to 12 feet every minute. The finest foil laminating is produced, along with beautifully laminated photos and prints of every kind. It is unquestionably a magnificent work of foiling and lamination paradise.

To learn more about the SpeedyLam or to purchase it online, click here.

Sprinter-Lam 335R6 Pouch Laminator

The Sprinter-Lam 335R6 is less expensive than the SpeedyLam and is produced by the same company, Spiral. They produce these high-end laminating devices that are superior to every other brand I have used. Even the SprinterLam is an excellent laminator for foiling (and laminating!), even though it retails for less than half the price of the Speedy. Additionally, this machine is extremely quick, moving up to 3-1/2 feet per minute, and it has all the programmable parameters required to produce the strongest foil. Another bonus feature of the SprinterLam 335 pouch laminator is the ability to store 2 programs into memory; so, once you tweak the heat and speed settings for a specific kind of paper stock and foil that you use most often, you can save that setting for quick-recall the next time you need to foil. To find out more about the Sprinter-Lam or to order one online, click here.

ProLam Ultra Pouch Laminator

The ProLam Ultra is produced by Akiles, a separate company. They are renowned for their pouch laminating machines, such as this one, and other paper-finishing equipment. It costs a little less than the SprinterLam but still has the customizable heat and speeds you need for laminating foil. It is an excellent option for foil laminating since it has a high-quality and full 6-roller system for even, continuous heat from the beginning of your sheet to the end of your sheet. This system was specifically created to perform well with traditionally difficult-to-laminate photo paper. To find out more information about the ProLam Ultra or to purchase it online, click here.

All-in-all

The four laminators I’ve talked about are affordable for offices and enterprises of all sizes, but what about home foiling by individuals and crafters? Will laminators that don’t fit these requirements work? Sure! There’s a good chance that alternative laminators will function as well; some of our customers use inexpensive craft store laminators with a single heat setting, running their foil over 2-3 times until the right amount of heat is applied; other customers even just use a regular household iron. If you get inventive with a heating element, you can foil laminate without laminators as long as you do it safely at all times. However, buying one of these devices, which have been tried and approved as some of the best laminators for foiling, will be your best choice for the highest quality, most robust, and secure foil.

Before you head out, check out this blog post on how to foil laminate. When foil laminating, there are a ton of options and factors to consider in order to achieve the greatest results. It covers topics including how to foil laminate, how to print for foil laminating, what paper to use, how to make your laminator work better, and how to apply foil to specific project portions. You can also peek at this article about how you can foil laminate with multiple foil colors. It has step-by-step instructions on how you can add multiple colors to your documents, cards, or certificates. It only takes a few minutes to complete and you don’t need expensive dies. If you’re ready to get started, head here to discover the laminating foil best for your projects.

How to Make Your Own Chore Charts

August 21, 2012 by Jeff McRitchie Leave a Comment

With Summer winding down and back-to-school on its way, now is a great time to start getting your kids settled into a routine. For many parents, that can mean instituting (or reinstituting) a chore chart. Chore charts are easy to make and even easier to find online. The information added will depend highly on your child’s age, abilities, needs, etc. Recently two of our employees, Chelsea and Tarragon, got together with our children (six between the two of us!) and created individual chore charts. Here’s how we did it.

First, we went to ChoreCharts.com and picked out exactly what we needed. ChoreCharts.com has hundreds of styles and designs, and not just for chores. On this site, we found options for chore charts, behavior charts, and reward charts. Even with six kids of all different ages, we were able to find designs that matched each child’s personality.

As alternative, you could create your own chart in Excel with specific things, such as your child’s name, what type of chart it is, what is expected, days of the week, measures for rewards, etc. Once you’ve customized your chart, simply print it out. You could even use paper printed with a pale design and get the same look we did with the benefit of having exactly the image and text you want.

Either way, the first step is to choose a chart and print. You may choose to mount your chart onto colored cardstock to add a border as well as support. For this demonstration, we used a lady bug chore chart without a backing.

Next, we laminated each chart. This process is so simple that Tarragon’s pre-teen daughter, Alex Rose, was able to do this without any help. Granted, this was not her first experience with a laminator. In their house, things are laminated often and she has been taught how to safely use this particular laminator. Plus, there were two adults supervising the entire process.

1. First, Alex put the chart into a laminating pouch, lining it up carefully. Laminating pouches come in a variety of thicknesses, ranging from three mil up to ten mil on average. The higher the mil, the thicker the laminate, the more protected your materials will be. For our purposes, we used five mil laminate.

2. Next, she put the pouch into a laminating carrier. Carriers are always a good idea to use, even if your machine doesn’t require one. Carriers protect the rollers from coming into contact with the laminate. As a result, your machine will last longer and your laminated materials will be smoother and cleaner.

3. After the materials in the laminating pouch are lined up in the carrier, Alex inserted the carrier into the laminator, crease end first.

4. As she gently fed the carrier into the laminator, the machine grabbed onto it and took over. Lamination works fairly quickly, even on this home device. This specific laminator is the GBC Creative 9, a nine-inch pouch laminator perfect for home and small office applications. The laminator pulled the item through, sealing as it goes.

5. Alex watched to make sure it stayed straight. When it appeared to be slightly crooked, a light tug kept the carrier from jamming the materials.

6. Just to make sure it didn’t fall and wrinkle, she waited for it to finish. The laminator could just as easily have been placed further on the table so that upon exiting it would simply lay flat.

7. There you have it, a perfectly laminated chore chart! While we took several pictures to be able to show the entire process start to finish, the whole thing only took a few minutes.

And here is a close up of the finished product:

This is a great project you can do with your kids to get them more interested in completing a chore chart. For more fun craft ideas, check back next Monday to see what happens when Mom find your stuff lying around the house.

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