Lamination - coating of printed products with a special film. The main goal of such an event is to protect the product from external influences, in particular from mechanical damage, precipitation, etc. For this, a lamination film is used, which is made in several ways. Work is performed using a special automatic machine called a laminator. Now let's take a closer look at this topic.
About features
Lamination film is used not only to protect against external influences. It is also a great way to significantly improve the appearance of the product. For example, a laminated poster looks many times better than usual. This also applies to other printing products, such as book covers, documents, promotional items, etc. Nevertheless, the main value of such a device as a laminator is precisely because it allows you to protect valuable documents from damage for a long time. They are not so afraid of moisture, abrasion, as well as other mechanical and age-related defects. For example, every motorist always carries a driver’s license with him and often presents them to the traffic police inspectors. If they were not laminated, they would have deteriorated after a few years of operation.
Briefly on the benefits of laminating films
The film itself has suitable technical characteristics, which made it possible to use it for these purposes. For example, a high level of adhesion suggests that the film can be used on almost any surface. High adhesion to various materials makes it simply irreplaceable. In addition, it is a complete protection against moisture, as well as temperature extremes. Therefore, if a document or poster is kept for a long time at high subzero temperatures, and then immediately gets into heat, nothing will happen to it. Well, it is impossible not to say that the film for laminating A4, A3 and other formats does not emit unpleasant odors during operation. Moreover, there are no harmful chemicals that could affect the health of the owner. Now let's move on.
About film thickness
Modern film for lamination can have a different thickness. This is due to the need to achieve certain operational characteristics in a particular case. In most cases, the thickness ranges from 8 to 250 microns. Naturally, the scope is completely different. So, to cover the covers of books, calendars and business cards use the film of the smallest thickness, but archival documents and important papers are covered with a thicker layer, about 100-150 microns. As for 150-250 microns, this thickness is most often applied to various kinds of passes, driver’s licenses, badges, etc.
Immediately it must be said that the film for laminating A4, A5 formats and some others is made soft and hard. This indicator directly depends on the thickness of the layer of polyester and glue. If the glue layer is larger, then the film is hard, if less - soft. There is not much difference here, but sometimes it makes sense to make a softer or, conversely, hard coating.
Film texture
Currently, manufacturers of films for lamination offer glossy and matte products. The first species is considered more popular and in demand. The fact is that the glossy surface gives the printing product durability, and also makes it pleasant to the touch. All this affects the fact that the cost of production increases. But, despite this, only matte films are able to hide various kinds of glare. In addition, if it is necessary to give a certain style, then they use a matte finish, since in this case it fits an order of magnitude better.
If we talk about outdoor advertising, then films that imitate the texture of flax, sand or canvas are very popular here. This option is most in demand when creating expensive souvenirs, wedding albums , etc. If the film is not so much protective as decorative, then color options are most often used. Compared to ordinary ones, they look more attractive, but their use on valuable documents is unacceptable.
Cold and hot lamination
Hot lamination technology involves heating the film to a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius. The product on which the film will be applied is heated to the same temperature. As a result, the glue layer is heated and it becomes possible to connect the film and the product. For example, a film for laminating an A3 format for hot lamination will be more popular than an analog made by the cold method. In any case, currently hot lamination prevails over cold in the market, as it has several undeniable advantages. Firstly, ease of manufacture, and secondly, the high integrity of the product and its reliability.
A film for cold lamination is used when the temperature effect on documents and securities is unacceptable and can be fatal. In this case, neither the film nor the product is heated, but passed through a press. As a result, we can talk about the effect of high pressure on the glue, which softens and adheres to the surface.
Film for lamination roll and batch
Almost all printing products are covered with a film using a roll or batch technology. In the batch method, the processed paper is placed in a special sealed bag and passed through a press. Ultimately, document processing is carried out in one cycle. This technology has such significant advantages as ease of manufacture and high processing speed. But as for the shortcomings, the main minus is that there are restrictions on the size of the processed documents. Many manufacturers currently offer a wide range of formats, from A2 to A6, while you can also make discount cards and business cards in sizes of 70x100 mm.
But the self-adhesive roll film for lamination has practically no size restrictions. The material wound into a roll is automatically fed to the laminator, while allowing you to process both large and small documents, as well as any other paper.
Basics for film
Polypropylene, which is considered the most popular and in demand, is used as the basis of the film for lamination. The product is relatively soft and elastic. From this material, the film for lamination is made glossy, as well as matte. In addition to polyester, polyvinyl chloride is also used. The main advantages of this material are resistance to ultraviolet, elasticity and also high elasticity. But it is worth noting that such material is most often used in outdoor and indoor advertising, since the surface of the film is usually textured.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are various types of film. They differ depending on the manufacturing method, material, thickness, etc. If you bought a self-adhesive cloudy film for lamination - do not be alarmed, this is how it should be. After you apply it to the surface, the glue layer will melt and grow together with the document. The surface will again become transparent and clear. But if you want to process any security or something like that, then it is better to contact professionals. This is due to the fact that non-compliance with the technology can lead to damage to the product, and sometimes it is very expensive to restore documents. However, if you have a laminator, and you have experience working with it, then why not do it yourself. Basically, now you know almost everything about the film used for lamination.