Laminate Paper
When you laminate paper, you protect the paper from dirt, creasing, aging and discoloration. You may choose to laminate a keepsake document, such as a wedding announcement, or a document that will be handled frequently, such as a menu. This article will teach you to laminate paper either with or without a machine.
Contents
Steps
Using a Laminating Machine
- Choose a laminating machine that suits your needs. Most home users buy machines that can accept documents as large as the standard 8-1/2" x 11" letter size (216 by 279 mm).
- Turn on the machine and allow it to warm up. Most laminating machines have an indicator light that will tell you when the machine is ready.
- Place your document inside the laminating pouch. These are 2 sheets of laminate plastic attached at one end.
- If the pouch is only slightly larger than your document (for instance, if you are laminating a business card with business-card size pouch) you will need to carefully center the document so there will be an even border all around.
- If the document is significantly smaller than the pouch, it's not necessary to center the document because you can trim the edges.
- Place the laminating pouch containing the document inside the carrier. The sealed end of the pouch should be snug against the sealed end of the carrier. The carrier is 2 sheets of treated cardstock that protects the laminating machine from adhesive buildup.
- Feed the carrier through the machine. Insert the sealed end first until the machine grabs it. Don't force the carrier through the machine; it must go slowly enough for the machine to fuse the sheets.
- Allow the pouch to cool before removing it from the carrier.
- Trim the edges if needed using a paper cutter or scissors. Leave at least a 1/16" (2mm) border.
Laminating with Self-Adhesive Sheets
- Buy self-adhesive laminating sheets. The best come with a grid on the backing and allow you to reposition the paper if you make an error placing it on the sheets.
- Remove the backing to expose the adhesive. Handle it by the edges so you don't leave fingerprints in the adhesive. If the backing has a grid, then save it to use as a guide when placing your document.
- Position the adhesive. Lay the sheet on your work surface adhesive side up with a grid under it. You can use the grid on the backing you just removed, a sheet of graph paper or a grid you drew on a plain sheet of paper. Tape the grid down so it doesn't slide around.
- Line up your document so it's centered on the sheet. With small documents on large laminating sheets, alignment isn't important. You may need to adjust the laminating sheet on the grid.
- Press 1 corner onto the sheet. Press the corner down with your finger.
- Secure the rest of the paper onto the laminating sheet. Smooth the paper your hand so that it lies flat with no wrinkles or air bubbles.
- Expose the adhesive on a second laminating sheet by removing the backing. Discard the backing.
- Add the second sheet on top of the first. Start at 1 corner and smooth the sheet down a bit at a time to remove wrinkles and air bubbles. You can also use a tool called a brayer to smooth the sheet, or you can burnish it with the edge of a credit card.
- Trim the edges with a paper cutter or scissors. Leave a 1/16" (2 mm) border so that the laminate doesn't loosen.
Tips
- You can also laminate paper using clear contact paper. Contact paper is available by the roll in most home improvement or home decorating stores.
- If you frequently laminate documents but don't want a hot laminator, you can buy a cold laminating machine that works with cold laminating pouches. Some hot laminators also have a cold setting.
Warnings
- A hot laminator is not appropriate for heat-sensitive documents, such as photos or artwork created with wax crayons.
- Avoid laminating valuable historical documents.
Things You'll Need
- Laminating machine
- Laminating pouch
- Carrier
- Paper cutter
- Scissors
- Laminating sheets
- Brayer or credit card
- Grid
