The Top Three Reasons You Should Get a Laminator

If you’re worried about protecting your favorite photos and important papers, you may want to consider getting a laminator. Purchasing such a machine may seem like an unimportant, even daunting, task, but there’s no better way to protect your precious documents than with a laminator. Here are the top three reasons why you should get one. Some of them may surprise you.

1. Preservation and protection. This is the first and most important reason you should buy a laminator. We all have documents and photos that need to be preserved, whether it’s an old photo that’s been passed down through the generations or a birth certificate or some other important document. Businesses can also benefit from laminating their work as well, and there’s no shortage of things that can be laminated including menus, name tags, signage, and so on. A laminated document is sturdier than a non-laminated one and will hold up to repeated handling. Plus, a laminated item won’t be ruined by spilled coffee, dirty fingerprints, and wrinkles. Think about that the next time you accidentally knock over your latte and an important document is ruined.
2. It’s easy. You might be surprised at how easy it is to start laminating. If you want to go low-tech, you can purchase self-sealing laminating pouches that enable you to quickly and inexpensively laminate something without a machine. Self-sealing pouches are also a good choice if you don’t want to use a heat laminator because of the cost or the risk of injury or what have you.But if you want to go all out and actually purchase a laminator, there are several things to think about. First, there are two types of laminators: roll and pouch. Roll laminators are good for laminating big things such as posters and maps. These types of machines are usually found in schools and print shops. Unless you need to laminate large documents frequently, chances are you’ll be happy with a pouch laminator, which is the most common type of laminator. Pouch laminators are a breeze to use. All you do is place your document in a plastic laminating pouch, put the pouch in a carrier, and run it through the machine. It couldn’t be easier. Using a laminator is also a lot faster than using the self-sealing laminating pouches and odds are, you’ll be happier with the results because documents laminated by hand are often marred by such unsightly things as air bubbles. Using a laminator can result in a much better-looking document, which is a must, especially if you’re laminating business documents.
3. It’s not as expensive as you might think. It’s undeniable that using self-sealing laminate is the cheapest way to protect your documents. But you’ll probably be surprised to know that laminators can actually be very affordable, with many models available for $100 or less. For example, if your business laminates a lot of small items, such as ID cards and name badges, you can pick up the GBC HeatSeal H100 Pouch Laminator for about $40. It’s a great little machine that quickly laminates your small documents and the price can’t be beat. If you need a bigger machine that can laminate a lot of documents quickly, the Fellowes Cosmic CL-125 and Saturn SL-125 are both affordable units that are suitable for both home and small business use. Of course, the bigger and faster the machine, the more expensive it’s going to be, and some units can cost between $200 and $2000. But if you just want to get started laminating, there are lots of affordable machines to choose from. Keep in mind that laminating supplies are inexpensive as well: a box of 100 laminating pouches will cost you about $12. Not bad, especially when it will help preserve your document for years to come.

So now you know the top three reasons you should get a laminator. Laminating is easy, fast, can be done inexpensively, and best of all, it’s a great way to preserve and protect your important photos and documents. What are you waiting for? Get laminating today!