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High-Volume, Commercial Lamination Services

Q. What is lamination?
A. Lamination is a film applied to a piece of paper to protect the paper from harm, such as scratches and dust. The film can be applied to one side, or both sides of a sheet of paper. When applied to both sides it can be sealed at the edges, making the sheet virtually waterproof. You see this type of lamination on restaurant menus and covers.

Q. How thick a film do I need?
A. That depends on how much protection you want the sheet to have -- the thicker the film, the greater the protection. The thickness of films is expressed in mils (thousands of an inch). The thinnest films are around 1.5 mils and can be used on items that need to be rolled or folded.

The thickest films, around 10 mils, give a heavy plastic coating to the paper. Heavy films, such as these, protect very well, but significantly increase the weight of the piece.

Q. What are the films made of?
A. There are several materials used to make lamination films. Polypropylene is the most popular and least expensive. It is available in gloss, satin or matte finishes. It is easier to scratch than some of the other laminate choices, but it’s often the most reasonably priced laminate choice.

Polyester is used to provide a hard coating that is very scuff resistant, making it a good choice for folders or covers that need to stand up to abuse. It is available in gloss, satin or matte finishes.

Nylon doesn’t shrink when heated -- so it will not shrink when cooled and cause the paper to curl. Nylon is the most expensive type of laminate and is available in a variety of finishes.  Nylon is often referred to as "Lay-Flat" Lamination.

Q. What kinds of papers work best with laminates?
A. As you might expect, papers with a smooth finish and of medium-to-heavy weight work best with laminates.  Uneven or rough finished papers can be laminated, but it can be difficult to get even coverage on these kinds of papers. Lighter weight papers are more likely to curl when laminated.

Q. I want to have a piece die cut. Which comes first -- the die cut or the lamination?
A. First laminate, then die cut -- and it’s the same process for all types of finishing such as embossing, scoring and folding. The piece doesn’t have to be cut or trimmed before lamination unless the piece is being laminated over the edges of the paper.

Q. Any other cautions?
A. Thick and ultra high gloss laminates can make a piece look and feel as though you’ve dipped it in plastic, so avoid these types of laminates if this is not the finish you want.

If you are going to have a piece laminated, discuss this with TradeLam before the design of the piece is completed for the following reasons:

• Some inks, such as metallic inks, should not be laminated because the laminate doesn’t stick to the ink consistently.
• Inks and varnishes that are laminated later must not contain waxes, silicone and other agents used to make ink flow smoothly.
• If you want to laminate a piece that has been coated with an aqueous coating, the piece should first be primed with an aqueous primer.

Pieces printed on a digital press may require different lamination films than pieces done on an offset press. If you want to laminate digitally printed materials strong, solid coverage, check with TradeLam before the job begins.

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