What Thickness of Laminating Film Is Best for Your Project?

Laminating film is a great tool for preserving items that you want to make more water resistant and that you want to protect from touch and things like dust. Lamination film can be difficult to choose if you are not sure what you need and what is going to suit your project best. There are a range of different laminating films and thicknesses which each serves a specific purpose. The most common roll lamination film thicknesses are 1.5,1.7, 3, 5 and 10 mil.

What Are You Laminating?

The first thing to consider is what you are laminating. What material was the item originally printed on. For example, is it card stock or heavy paper, is it regular paper that is thinner and may need more support, or is it bulky or strangely shaped? These are all factors that are going to help you determine the thickness that is going to work best for your project. Items that already have some rigidity on their own like items printed on cardstock can use thinner lamination film, such as 1.5 mil.

Helpful Tip: Items printed from a thermal printer, like ultrasound pictures, cannot be laminated with thermal film. Your item will turn black when exposed to heat. If unsure make a color copy of the image.

The Durability Needed

The next thing to consider is how much durability you need. If you are laminating an item that is already somewhat fragile and you are going to be using it daily or at least rather often, you might want to get a thicker lamination film to better protect it. Thicker films are going to give added support to the item that you are laminating due to higher polyester content in the film. This is going to be a big factor since thicker films can be more durable and offer longer lasting protection.

The Size of the Item

The last thing to keep in mind is the size of the item that is being laminated. Say you are laminating something very large that is going to need to be rolled up for transport before it can be hung up and used. You want to choose a film that is thin enough that you can roll the item up and that you can easily store until you need to use it rather than choosing a film thickness that is very thick and very rigid.

Regardless of what it is that you are laminating, lamination film is an important factor to keep in mind and finding the right thickness of film can make a big difference in how happy you are with the outcome. Contact us today to find out more!