How Thick of a Laminating Film Should You Use for Your Project?

When laminating print, plastic film is bonded to printed sheets. This protects the printed sheets from things like moisture and stains. Laminating your sheets also adds sheen and vibrancy, which makes your printed documents appear professional. There are several types of laminating film, and these come in different thicknesses. Here’s how you can choose the right thickness for your project.

The Purpose of Laminating

There are many reasons why you may choose to laminate your printed sheets. This means that whenever you are laminating, you will have an expected outcome. For instance, maybe you want to increase the rigidity of a sheet of paper. You can choose thickness depending on how rigid you want the paper to be. If you want it to be very rigid, you might have to use thicker laminating film. On the other hand, if you want your paper to be flexible and thin, you will have to choose a thickness that gives you that kind of outcome.

Budget

As you might imagine, a laminating film with different levels of thickness will have different price points. The thinner film is likely going to be cheaper for obvious reasons. While the thinner film may not add sturdiness to a printed piece, it will still protect it from stains and moisture. To achieve the same level of rigidity as when you use thicker film, you can choose to print on thicker pieces of paper and then laminate with a thinner film. According to Elegant Press, if you are printing thick materials like heavy cardstock, you can use the thickness of 1.5 mil film. This is extremely thin. The cost of the thinner film also makes it ideal for temporary pieces like holiday menus and maps for marathons.

The Level of Protection You Want

This is another factor that determines the thickness of laminating film you should choose. Starting from 3 mil thickness, you will get adequate protection. However, this will still be thin and flexible enough, making it ideal for pieces that you may want to fold. Thickness levels of 5 mil add a significant amount of sturdiness. This can hold up well against frequent use. If you are looking for higher levels of rigidity and protection from creases and folding, you may want to go for a thickness of 10 mil. This is perfect for ID cards and reference sheets. You can also use it for your restaurant menus.

These are some of the factors that determine the thickness of laminating film to use. It’s important to figure this out before you laminate because thickness also determines the cost. If you’re looking for laminating film for your next project, Filmsource Inc is the way to go!