How to Choose a Laminator for Small Spaces
Choose the Best Laminating Machine for Your Small Home Office
Finding the right laminator can be a bit of a headache — especially if you have a small space. Laminators take up a lot more room than you may have available for most machines. But space isn’t the only factor to consider: There are a ton of other variables when it comes to choosing the right laminating machine.
Buying a laminating machine is an investment, so you want to buy the right one the first time. We’ve been in the laminating machine business since 1996, so we are uniquely qualified to help you narrow down your choices for small laminating machines.
Here’s what to consider while you look for the right laminating machine.
How often will you use the laminator?
What do you need to laminate?
How much space do you have for your laminator?
Once you answer those questions for yourself, you can decide what type of laminating machine you need for your project scope. We’ll help walk you through the process and if you have any other concerns you can contact us for more information.
Okay, let’s work through this together.
How often will you use the laminator?
You’ll need to take how many documents you’re planning to laminate into account. How much you’ll be laminating weekly or even daily can help you decide between pouch laminators and roll laminators.
Both types of laminators have their own advantages and drawbacks. For instance, pouch laminators cheaper but slower and can only do one document at time, while roll laminators are more expensive but much faster, making them a better choice for large quantities.
What do you need to laminate?
When you’re working on legal-size or letter-size documents, a smaller machine can typically get the job done. Both roll and pouch laminators will work for you if your goal is to laminate business cards, name tags, or even customized luggage tags.
However, if you need to laminate large-scale poster boards or display signage, you’ll need to choose a wider laminator. In these cases, we recommend working with a wide-format laminator like the Phoenix 4400-DHP Thermal and PSA Laminator. Not only is this roll laminator wider than normal, it also lets you gap the rollers up to one-fourth of an inch, allowing you to mount a print on a board.
Roll laminators are typically larger but you can find some less expensive pouch laminators that accommodate prints up to 19” wide.
Additionally keep in mind what kind of products you’ll be working with. If they’re sensitive to heat, a thermal laminator won’t work for you, as it may damage your documents.
Save time and resources by choosing the right machine for your needs — and the size of your office space.
How much space do you have for your laminator?
We get it — not everyone is able to work in a warehouse or a spacious office. If you’re operating within a home office or just a tighter space in general, we have the laminators that will still get the job done.
A roll laminator won’t fit in a small corner of your office; in fact, most won’t fit comfortably on a standard-sized desk. If you’re looking for a two-roller system, you can find a roll laminating machine from 12″ to 27″ in width. Based on how much room you need to save for office supplies, you might be able to squeeze a smaller roll laminator into your home office.
Pouch laminators, however, are far more compact and can easily fit on a desk during the laminating process and for storage. We offer thermal pouch laminators from industry-leading manufacturers in a variety of sizes, including 6″, 9″, 12″, 13″, and 18″. Ease of use and portability make these pouch laminators ideal solutions for a small office or print shop. One of our favorite pouch laminators is the beautiful Akiles ProLam Ultra X10. The Ultra X10 has a ten-roller system (six hot and four cold), providing one of the fastest laminating speeds in its class.
Don’t forget to save space for the type of laminating film you’ll need, too. Each machine has a specialized type of film — based on the temperature settings needed for the type of lamination. For instance, if you go with a pouch laminator, make sure you save space in your office for the laminating pouches that are needed for this type of work.
For exact dimensions of certain machines, please contact us using the live chat feature in the bottom-right of your screen. You can also check out our customer reviews here for any potential questions or concerns you may have.
