IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT LAMINATING

 Please review this – it may apply to your project.

LAYOUT REQUIREMENTS:

ONE-SIDED LAMINATING 

Sheets  that need to be laminated on one-side only must have at least a 1/2" space from image area to edge of sheet on all four side.  Image area is anything the press puts on the sheet including varnish and aqueous coating.  If varnish or aqueous coating runs past the image area and close to the edge of the sheet, special handling may be necessary which may require additional fees (see aqueous coating below).   

DO NOT TRIM TO FINAL SIZE PRIOR TO LAMINATION.

TWO-SIDED LAMINATING

FLUSH CUT - Film trimmed flush to the edge of the paper.  In order to get a precise flush cut edge it is recommeneded that sheets should be trimmed down after lamination.

 

EDGE SEAL - (An 1/8”, or your preference, edge of sealed lamination encapsulating the sheet):  If the piece is to be laminated with a sealed edge, please supply sheets trimmed accurately to the final size.  If the sheets are not exactly the same size then your edge seal size or finished sheet size will vary.

 

CUTTING AND TRIMMING:

Always supply a rule-up sheet or provide printed crop marks indicating where sheets should be cut.  Please mark the gripper & guide sides.

 

AVOID THE FOLLOWING

For best adhesion results, ink, varnish and aqueous coatings must be free of waxes, EVA, silicones and Teflon.  Also, special attention should be given to press chemistry as alcohol substitutes and one step fountain solution contain glycol, an oil based product. Lamination will not adhere to oil.  Please consult your supplier to be sure of product compatibility. 

 

AQUEOUS COATING

Aqueous coatings must be used with caution as they may impair adhesion of the film to the substrate. If AQ coating must be used, they should be specially formulated for use with lamination. In addition, for one-sided laminating, the press sheet must be free of AQ coating within 1/2” of the edge of the press sheet to ensure proper film separation between the sheets. If AQ coating is closer than 1/2" to the press sheet edge, sheets will have to run at sub-standard production speeds resulting in up-charges to the customer.  Be sure to clean aqueous unit well prior to change over. 

 

FOIL STAMPING/EMBOSSING 

Foil Stamping should be done on AGS (glueable/stampable) film only. We recommend embossing/debossing after laminating as the pressure from the laminating rollers can crush the embossing/debossing and leave air bubbles around these areas. 

   

SCORING AND GLUING 

Scoring should be done after laminating with 1.7, 3, 5 mil.  We do not recommend scoring10 mil laminate. We recommend allowing 24 hours between the laminating process and scoring and even cutting as the laminate will need time to set-up to avoid releasing and peel back. Areas that are to be glued require AGS (glueable/stampable) film unless the glue tab(s) can be laid out so as to avoid laminating the glue tab(s). Feel free to check with The Lamination Center personnel regarding your layout prior to printing to avoid the cost of AGS film use.

  

OFFSET SPRAY POWDER

If your press sheets have visible amounts of powder prior to laminating, the powder will be more prominent after laminating. Please keep the use of powder to a minimum or plan on a dust pass on both sides of your press before scheduling a pick-up for laminating.

  

PAPER STOCK

Film laminate will pick-up the texture of any stock used and may cause a silvering affect where the adhesive on the laminate has failed to fill in the pores of the stock.  Smoother paper stocks will have a better look after laminating than rough paper stocks.  The thicker the laminate the less apparent this affect will have as the thicker laminates have more adhesive. 

   

COPIES AND PAPER STOCK

Thin paper (24/60#) or less from high-speed copiers tend to get waves.  The Lamination Center has developed a process that reduces the issue and processes all short run work at no additional charge.  Jobs larger than 1000 sheets will not be processed, or can be processed for an additional charge.  The Lamination Center recommends copies to be laminated are copied on thicker copy paper to avoid this extra expense. 

   

DIGITAL PRINTING/COLOR COPIES

The use of fuser oils in the transfer of toners in digital printing inhibits adhesion with Thermal Film Laminating. Special laminating films are available that have been designed for the Digital Print market.  Some Digital prints with heavy toner coverage may not be able to be laminated, even with the most aggressive adhesives.  When asking for a quote for digital printing, please be sure to specify which digital press the job was printed on so the proper film will be used.  Some digital printing requires specialized film.

  

COLOR CHANGE

There can be some change to colors after lamination (PMS and Process).  Some ink colors are affected more than others.  Please test or ask us to run samples if color match is critical.

  

SEALED EDGES/ROUND CORNERS

Sealed Edges on thin film at or below 1.7 mil is not recommended.

 

Heavy laminates (10 mil) have sharp square corners and can puncture the skin.  The Lamination Center highly recommends rounding the corners of 10 mil products for protection.

 

LAMINATION AND WATER RESISTANCE

Lamination is water-resistant not water proof.  There are films available with higher resistance to water and will last longer in high humidity or wet conditions.  Please consult with us concerning the need for this material.

  

UV PROTECTION AND OUTSIDE USE

Lamination does not provide UV protection.  There are films available with UV inhibitors that will increase the life of the print.  UV resistant inks should also be used to increase longevity.  If the product will be used outside and is expected to endure the elements, please advise so that the proper film can be used. 

 

PRIOR PLANNING 

Prior planning in print production is essential.  Please check with The Lamination Center regarding equipment capabilities and overs required for set-up, make ready and run waste before printing your job.  PLEASE MARK THEM CLEARLY.

    

Feel free to call The Lamination Center at (469) 241-1877 with any questions regarding your finishing needs. 

    

Send questions to our estimator:  angela@thelaminationcenter.com