If you love making things look clean and shiny, you’ve probably used a laminator before. But did you know that some laminators use a material called “roll film” instead of those clear plastic pouches?
There is a lot of mixed-up information about laminating roll film. In this guide, we’ll bust some of these myths so you can decide if roll film lamination is right for your projects!
What Is Laminating Roll Film?
Before we discuss the myths, let’s define roll film. It’s a long roll of clear plastic film fed into a special laminating machine. The machine heats the film and applies it to both sides of the document at the same time. Roll film also comes in different thicknesses, just like laminating pouches.
Myth 1: Roll Film Is Only for Big Businesses
While big companies do use roll film for large jobs, there are plenty of small roll laminators perfect for homes, classrooms, and small offices. They’re great for projects like posters, charts, and menus. Roll film is especially handy when you need to laminate lots of things at once or have items that don’t fit in standard pouches.
Myth 2: Roll Film Is Hard to Use
Using roll film can be super easy! Modern machines are user-friendly. You load the film, adjust the settings, and feed it into your document. The machine does all the work effortlessly, leaving you with perfectly laminated documents every time.
Myth 3: You Need Special Training
Roll-film laminators have clear instructions and often come with helpful videos. With a little practice, anyone can become a pro. It’s like learning to ride a bike; it might seem tricky at first, but soon, you’ll be laminating all sorts of things without even thinking about it!
Myth 4: Roll Film Is Too Expensive
While the machine itself can cost more upfront than a pouch laminator, roll film itself is often cheaper in the long run, especially if you laminate a lot. For example, a 1.5 mil roll of film might cost around $20 and cover up to 250 square feet! That’s way more for your money than buying individual pouches.
Myth 5: Roll Film Is Only for Large Documents
Yes, roll film is great for big posters and banners, but it’s also perfect for regular-sized papers. You can laminate anything from business cards to letter-size documents. Roll film is also amazing for odd-shaped items that don’t fit in standard pouches, like bookmarks or name tags.
Myth 6: Roll Film Laminates Aren’t as Durable
Roll film laminates can be just as durable as pouch laminates, if not more so! The key is choosing the right film thickness for your needs. Thicker films, like 10 mil, are super tough and perfect for signs or menus that receive a lot of handling. Thinner films, like 1.5 mil, are great for less-handled items like posters.
Are you ready to explore roll film lamination for your projects? Whether you’re in a school, office, print shop, or small business, our team at Filmsource Inc. offers a wide variety of laminating roll film options to suit any need. From thermal to pressure-sensitive, our versatile roll film is perfect for handling tricky inks and substrates. Contact us today to learn more!