Pouch laminators are a common sight in today s offices because they offer a convenient and easy way to preserve those important documents. To use one of these devices, you will need laminating pouches. When choosing your supplies, it s important to pick the both the right size and thickness. Size has to do with the dimensions of your item (i.e. if it s letter sized) whereas as thickness dictates how rigid your work will be after it s been run through the machine. This is important because the more rigid your item is, the more protected it will be from rough handling, spills, and so on. Thickness is measured in mils and there are five common ones. Here s some information about the supplies so you can choose the right one for your project.
1. 1.5 mil. These are typically the thinnest pouches available and they re great for documents that don t need to be a stiff as a board. They tend to be inexpensive, so they re the ones to use when cost is a factor and you have a lot of items to laminate.
2. 3 mil. This thickness is ideal for the everyday lamination of letter sized signs, certificates, and more. These supplies will protect your document and still allow it to remain somewhat flexible. However, they re not great for laminating smaller items because the plastic has a tendency to curl up when it s trimmed down to smaller sizes. (In fact, you might not even be able find pouches in this thickness for smaller documents. That s how bad the plastic reacts to being trimmed down.)
3. 5 mil. This is the perfect thickness for when you want a balance between quality and price because these supplies aren t super expensive but they tend to be well made. They re perfect for when laminating bookmarks, ID badges, and other small documents, and they re good for larger projects as well. Keeping a bunch of these supplies on hand is a must if you laminate with any frequency.
4. 7 mil. Seven mil pouches are the next step up and they tend to be pretty rigid, although they re not as sturdy as their 10 mil siblings. (They may also be a bit pricier than the 5 mil ones.) Seven mil supplies are great for all documents.
5. 10 mil. When you want the best, most heavy duty document protection available, 10 mil pouches are what you need. These supplies are ideal for items that may be exposed to the elements (i.e. outdoor signage) or if they ll be handled a lot, such as name badges and menus.
When it comes right down to it, choosing a laminating pouch really has to do with cost (of course) and how often your document will be used. You should also make sure that your particular laminator can handle the supplies you d like to use. (After all, what could be more frustrating than spending a bunch of money, getting your documents ready, and then finding out your machine can t handle what you ve purchased?) If you keep these things in mind when shopping for laminating supplies, you ll have absolutely no trouble in choosing the right ones for your particular needs.
Author Resource:-
Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for http://www.mybinding.com .He has written over 500 articles on binding machines,binding covers,binders,laminators,binding supplies,laminating supplies,paper handling equipments,index tabs, and shredders.
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