What are the different types of laminating roll film?
Thermal vs Pressure-Sensitive Laminating Film
What are you laminating? That's an important factor. Maybe the most important. Some laminating films are activated by heat to create a seal. Called thermal laminating film, they can vary with the temperature required to activate them, and they're the perfect solution for durable documents that aren't heat sensitive. ("Activate" is when the adhesive melts and seals the laminating film.)
But heat-sensitive documents such as select photographs and thermal or waxed-based prints, don’t like heat whatsoever, so you wouldn’t want to risk damaging them with thermal laminating film. That's where pressure-sensitive laminating film comes into play, also known as cold laminating film. As your photograph feeds through the laminator, the pressure of the rollers seals your film’s adhesive, rather than heat, to create that protective surface.
School vs Premium vs Low Melt Laminating Roll Film
School laminating roll film activates at 280–300°F and is typically the choice when laminating porous paper stocks, such as regular bond paper, teaching aids and posters. School film is the most common choice of, you guessed it, schools.
Premium laminating roll film activates at a much lower temperature — 230–250°F — so it’s safer for older documents, coated stock and prints with heavy ink coverage. This film’s transparency tends to be a bit clearer and crisper too. It’s primarily the choice of businesses that utilize narrow format laminators, such as print shops and corporations.
Low melt laminating roll film activates at the lowest temperature of the three — 180–220°F. Available for wide format only, it provides high clarity and protection for heat-sensitive inkjet images. Dedicated graphics and print shops tend to be the only users of low melt film.
