Isn’t it annoying when your important document loses its print quality and makes it hard for you to understand its content? Such situations are uncalled for and create trouble in retrieving important information. But worry not. Having a laminator machine comes as a lifesaver to prevent such cases. The Lamination Machines help you protect and preserve your important documents and photos for years.
Several factors can affect the writing in a document like- water spillage, tearing of paper, folded paper documents, and many more. And the paper document can contain an important piece of information like admit card, mark sheet, achievement certificates, Voter ID, Adhaar card, Pan card, etc. To ensure that the shelf life of these kinds of documents is maintained, people tend to use a laminator.
You can run across the shop nearby your house to get your documents laminated, but what if you are someone who needs a laminator for more than two or three documents? What if you need a laminator for business purposes?
For such situations, you should have enough information about the laminators available in the market. You should be aware of their functions, price bracket, benefits, and utility. Also, you should keep the information of the brands available in the market. With this intent, we have covered all the required information in our Laminator Machine Buying Guide for your reference when buying a lamination machine.
Top 10 Best Lamination Machines in India
Even though several laminators are available in the market from various Office Product manufacturers. Few brands are the trusted names in the market. Some of the leading brands of Lamination Machines in India are Agaro, Stok, Gobbler, and AmazonBasics. Apart from these top five prominent brands, plenty of other notable brands are also available for purchase on online portals like Amazon.
By the way, if you are looking to despose off your documents in a safe and secure manner, do check out our article on best paper shredders.
List of Top 10 Best Laminator Machines
You can look at our following selection of a few brands that offer durable laminators:
Laminator Machine Buying Guide
What is a Laminator?
A laminator, also known as a laminating machine, is handy equipment that lets you cover any paper document with a thin but sturdy film. The film (lamination paper), made of plastic material, gets used on both sides of the paper document.
The total coverage to the paper document is given by heating the plastic film and pressing it together. Thus, a hard layer covers the paper document, which makes it long-lasting. Additionally, lamination of any paper document makes it waterproof, tear-proof, fingerprint, and stain-proof.
How does the lamination process work?
You must have noticed the lamination process whenever you have visited a xerox or a photocopy shop. It basically works on thermal technology to cover the document.
The shopkeeper lets the lamination machine warm up before beginning lamination. He then covers the paper in a plastic layer (lamination paper). Then he puts it inside the lamination machine.
The heat sticks the plastic film to the paper document. At the same time, the roller present in the lamination machine keeps the paper document pressed together with the plastic layer. The final product is well-laminated paper!
Benefits of Lamination
The ultimate goal of any lamination machine is to preserve the quality of the document. A lamination has the following benefits when it comes to saving important documents:
- It is a convenient way to make any paper document long-lasting. The paper becomes thick, and the photos and paper documents get better in terms of quality.
- It is easy to use. A laminator is a manageable machine with no complex instructions. You can easily use a lamination machine without having to rely heavily on manuals all the time.
- It saves the paper from damage from external factors. As mentioned earlier, your important documents can get damaged from tearing, water spillage, and so on. Laminating the paper document with a lamination paper ensures no chance of the paper document encountering damage from external factors like water, stains, moisture, and fingerprints.
- It is handy for several institutions. Businesses, schools, government institutions, offices, and even people at home can benefit from a laminator.
- Lamination enhances the overall look and appeal of your paper document and images. When you get lamination, you may notice a slight change in your paper document or photo. It becomes shiny, smooth, and has a premium feel to it. The paper document also gets a slightly better contrast and vibrance depending on the type of the document and the laminate paper.
Types of Laminator Paper Available in the Market
A laminate paper is the protective plastic film that makes the paper sturdy. Depending on the need, there are three types of laminate paper available in the market:
Silk Lamination
A silk lamination has a smoother coating and gives a beautifully soft finish to your paper document. The material is neither matt nor glossy, but it provides enough shine to the product wherever it is needed. This type of lamination is usually done on book covers, cards, and brochures to give them a premium shiny look.
Glossy Lamination
Glossy lamination is the most preferred lamination choice among people. The protective covering made of glossy paper lets the paper have more clearer words and images. The contents of the paper documents are sharp and have more contrast. Additionally, glossy lamination protects the paper document better from dirt and dust as it is easy to clean.
Matt Lamination
Matt lamination, unlike glossy lamination, goes with a softer look and feel. The contrast in a matt lamination is low, but the colors have more vibrance and a sophisticated look and feel. However, both glossy and matt lamination are the most preferred laminate papers in the market.
Types of Laminator Machines Available in the Market
Depending on the need, there are three types of laminators available in the market.
Hot Laminator or Thermal Laminator
A hot laminator or a thermal laminator is the most common type of lamination machine. A hot laminator machine uses heat to melt the laminate paper and stick it to the paper document by applying pressure.
You first have to heat the laminator, then bring the paper document inside the laminate paper. After that, the heat lets the laminate paper or the adhesive in the document melt. Then the paper document gets laminated by applying pressure and sealing it completely.
One of the concerns with the hot laminator is that it can damage the material or lighten the document due to the high level of heat.
Cold Laminator
The cold laminator machine uses pressure and adhesive to laminate the paper. These laminators are referred to as pressure-sensitive laminating machines in the market.
The cold laminator comes without a heating device. It makes them a cheaper option than thermal lamination machines. It is an ideal option for places where you may not have any energy sources. Also, they are safer to operate.
Pouch Laminator
The pouch laminator is a more portable lamination machine. It comes with predefined plastic pouches and is smaller than other laminators. These pouches have adhesive material in them to seal the paper document.
To use a pouch laminator, keep your paper document inside the pouch. After that, place the pouch in the machine. The lamination film gets attached to the paper document with the help of the adhesive and gets laminated.
One of the shortcomings of the pouch laminator is that you cannot laminate anything bigger than the pouch area.
If you need to pick up the best lamination pouches, here is the list of top 5 bestselling lamonator machine supplies.
What factors to consider before buying a Laminator Machine
As a sensible buyer, you have to look out for certain aspects while making any purchase. Consider the following pointer while looking for a reliable Laminator.
Design of the Laminator
Choose a machine design that fits your need. For example, if you need to move the laminator, go for a compact machine. But if you need to keep your lamination machine in a fixed place, go for a heavy one. The benefit of owning a heavy laminator is that it will last long.
Size of the Laminator
Before buying a laminator, check that it is capable of handling different sizes of paper. A typical lamination machine can deal with A3 and A4 size sheets. If a laminator can manage these sizes, it will be easier to deal with smaller sizes too.
Capacity
For a small household or office and schools that use a laminator for minimum need, a laminator with a capacity cycle of 20 sheets will suffice. But if a business like a photocopy shop needs a laminator, then look for a laminator with at least a 50 sheet lamination cycle. The requirement of the laminator is dependent on the type and nature of the business.
Lamination Type
Choose your laminator depending on the type you want to use. If you are comfortable with using a thermal laminator, then purchase a Hot Laminator. But if you want a cheaper option and no heat, go for the Cold Laminator. Also, some machines work on both Hot and Cold lamination. If you feel like going for a two-in-one option, choose these lamination machines.
Speed of Lamination and Warmup
Lamination Speed refers to the time taken by the laminating machine to complete one lamination. On the other hand, the warmup speed refers to the time taken by the laminating machine to heat up. Both of these factors get used to determine the time taken for the lamination process. Make sure you purchase a laminator that suits your laminating needs. Do note that the less warmup speed and more lamination speed will result in increased prices. So invest wisely.
Lamination Thickness
When you choose a laminator, make sure you pick the one with a good quality laminate. The better the quality, the better the protection. Keep in mind the purpose of your laminator. Choose the laminator depending on the type of your paper document.
Durability and Budget
It is only reasonable to choose a durable laminator. And it should not cost a heavy amount or drain the buyer’s pocket. There are plenty of brands that offer laminators at a different price bracket. Depending on your need, choose a durable laminator that offers maximum functions at a reasonable price.
Conclusion
Conducting in-depth research before buying any office appliance product lets you make wiser decisions. Be thorough with reviews, warranty, and functionality while searching for your perfect lamination device online and offline. We hope that our buying guide leads you to your desired laminator and gives you the best user experience for a long time!
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Product details last update on 2025-01-30 at 14:44 / Contains Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API