#laminating 101

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MULTI-PURPOSE MOUNTING ADHESIVES & LAMINATES

MULTI-PURPOSE MOUNTING ADHESIVES & LAMINATES

We stock a wide variety of mounting adhesives for many different applications. Indoor or Outdoor applications: face mounting to glass or floor mounting: permanent or removable. We stock gudy Window, optically clear adhesives as wells general mounting adhesives for all substrates. Our key philosophy is providing you, the client with the best product available for your application at a reasonable price. Our product line also consists of a wide variety of finishes in our pressure sensitive laminating films. Whether you are looking for matte, satin, luster, gloss, high gloss or textured. We have a finish for you. We have both vinyl, polyester and opp based films. From large exhibit panels to menus to mouse-pads to custom packaging, we have a laminating film for you. (SoFT TOUcH® Laminating Films) Our low temperature thermal laminating films are excellent quality high polyester heat-activated films with UV protection for lamination and encapsulation of a variety of printed media. These films are manufactured in the USA and are designed to be used in heated roller laminators. (all brands Seal, GBC, etc) RemiGuard Lustre & Satin Matte laminates are quality low temperature heat-activated films for lamination and mounting of ink jet, photographic and canvas media. These laminates and adhesives are used extensively in the picture framing industry and dry-mounting industry.  

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Laminating 101- Everything you wanted to know and then some

Laminating is not rocket science. It can, however, seem to be an art-form. We believe in Murphy's Law. With that being said, here are a few tips, tools, and definitions pertaining to the laminating and mounting industry; otherwise knows as the  finishing department.  As in any case, please find as many different sources for information and compare the ideas.  There is no end-all solution since everyone is different. This is why Crayon's are sold in 256 colors.  Laminate is no different.  It is available in a very wide range of styles, each with its own attributes. Deciding on the correct laminate can be difficult.  Several things must be considered. What finish do you want? Will this be indoor  or outdoor? How thick do I want my finished product to be?  Am I trying to cut my cost?  Below you will find information explaining the different options available in wide format laminate, what they have to offer, their differences, and other helpful information on lamination.

Laminate Types

Thermal: These films are the least expensive of the three and require relatively high processing temperatures (185 - 240) heats the adhesive releasing it from its solid state allowing to to firmly adhere to the print. Thermal films bond when cooling, meaning it is important to maintain steady, uniform tension on the web after processing. Use of pull rollers or chill bars are often recommended. Thermal lamination is widely used due to its inexpensive price, allowing for low cost printing, but tends to be more difficult to apply then cold laminate.

Cold: Cold laminate, also called PSA films or pressure sensitive laminates, use an adhesive layer and release liner to apply the laminate to the print. As the release liner is separated from the laminate, the laminate is evenly applied to the print 

permanently bonding to the print. Cold laminate will adhere to ALMOST any surface, tends to be easier to apply correctly than thermal laminate, and does not require equipment to heat the laminate and may be used for outdoor applications. While the price of cold laminate is higher then thermal laminate, these added benefits make it very popular. Their chemical make up is quite different.  Most of our psa products utilize a solvent acrylic adhesive that works well outdoors when coupled with a high-quality calendered or cast vinyl.

Inside Core diameter: 1" core, 2.25" core, 3" core. What do these terms mean. These refer to the diameter of the inside of the cardboard core on which the laminating film is wound. 1" core film is what we refer to as school or document laminating film since they are mainly used in libraries, schools, universities and small offices.