Lamination helps to preserve and protect documents, photos, artwork and more from fingerprints, smudges, tears and spills. It also enhances colour and contrast, giving materials a quality, professional-looking finish.

With the multitude of laminating machines out there ranging in size, functionality and price, it can be confusing finding the best one for your home or office.

BusinessBase has a huge range of laminators depending on your needs and requirements, ranging from credit card size, right up to A2 or even bigger for Commercial and Industrial usage.

There are several factors to consider when selecting a laminator, so we have put together a list to help you choose the correct laminator for your needs:

• Pouch laminators are the most commonly used laminator type worldwide. You take your document, put it in a pouch, and the machine does the rest.
• Roll laminators excel in speed and flexibility. If you deal with larger volumes, odd sizes and demanding deadlines, it might be your best choice.

Laminators are mostly available in A4 and A3 sizes which suit most users. If you want to laminate small or medium-sized documents such as recipe cards, ID tags or up to A4 size documents, then a smaller entry width, such as an A4 laminating machine, is all that is required.

For larger documents or items up to A3 size, a wide format laminator such as A3 laminating machines is ideal. Much larger documents will require a laminator machine with a larger entry width such as A2 laminators. Some businesses or schools may choose to use A2 laminators but this is less common.

Split this part into 3 categories:

1. A4 machines: These machines laminate A4, A5, A6 and smaller items. {Insert link to all A4 machines}
2. A3 machines: These machines laminate A3, A4, A5, A6 and smaller items. {insert link to all A3 machines}
3. A2 machines: These machines laminate large items and accommodate items sized A2 and below. {insert link to all A2 machines}

Laminating frequency:

A laminator designed for heavy use would be best for a busy office, while more affordable machines may be the best choice for home or occasional use. To narrow your selection, identify how often you’ll be laminating. 

• Size and Thickness

Laminating pouches are available in a wide variety of sizes and formats, from as small as 54 x 86mm up to A2. The most popular sizes are A4 and A3 laminating pouches. The more frequently documents are handled, the thicker the laminating sheets required, to ensure adequate protection.

Laminating pouch thickness is measured in microns (1 micron = 1000th of a millimetre). The thicker the laminating pouch, the more rigid the result. Laminating pouches are available in 80, 100, 125, 175 and 250 Microns.

Before buying, make sure your laminating machine can handle the desired laminating pouch thickness.  

• Features to Consider

Look for these extra features to help you get the best performance out of your laminating machine.