A laminator is a machine that welds two pieces of plastic together and a sheet of paper in the middle. Lamination is a great way to keep important documents. Laminators are used in schools to protect posters and bulletin boards, and are used in offices to print certificates and licenses. A laminator can be a very large, immovable piece of machinery, or a smaller, portable piece of machinery. Follow these steps to learn how to use the laminator.
Steps
Step 1. Load the laminating plastic into the machine
Most laminators require two separate plastic spools. The machine's user manual should provide step-by-step instructions on loading the rolls.
Step 2. Preheat the laminator
Turn on the laminator and let it warm up. The instruction manual should provide clarification on how long it takes for the machine to be warm enough. Most of the machines are equipped with a light that signals that the machine is on and another light that signals that the optimum temperature has been reached.
Step 3. Prepare the paper to laminate
Cut and adjust the document to be laminated well so that you are fully satisfied before enclosing it in the plastic.
Step 4. Place the paper you want to laminate on the laminator bed
Place the document close to the reels, so the machine can grab the paper more easily -
Step 5. Operate the feed switch
The laminator will start feeding the paper into the machine.
Step 6. Wait for the sheet of paper to laminate completely
Let the machine work until the sheet of paper comes out and you can cut the film.
Step 7. Stop lamination by pushing the Stop button
Starting and stopping lamination in the middle of the lamination process, however, is a bad habit.
Step 8. Once the document is completely out, cut the plastic with scissors
Some machines have perforated corners to help you tear the plastic.
Step 9. Trim away the excess film, leaving approximately 3mm thick around the edges
Step 10. When done, turn off the laminator
Advice
- Most types of paper can be laminated, including card stock and rigid poster media.
- Take our hand. You could start small until you learn how to use the machine to laminate the most important documents.
- To laminate posters, there are larger laminators. If the object you want to laminate is too large for the laminator, an idea might be to cut it in half.
- You can laminate more than one object at a time. However, make sure you leave plenty of space between one document and another. You can also continue to insert sheets into the feeder, one after the other. Be careful though, and make sure the documents don't overlap.
