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Hi. I am interesting in laminating bookmarks and a few other items. Does anyone know of a laminating machine that works well and isn't too expensive?
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
If you don't want to buy one you can take it to kinkos and they can do it for a couple of dollars. I bought a machine at Walmart for about $20 and it works great.
A cheaper alternative, depending on your current supplies, might be to use a brayer to apply clear embossing fluid, apply and heat clear embossing powder, and repeat the process a couple of times. I'm still using some with coordinated yarns that I completed years ago.
You can also purchase sheets that you place the item between them and just press it together. They stick for sure but certainly aren't quite as sturdy as what a heat laminator would give you. But it's an inexpensive option. You can purchase the sheets in any office supply store and even some craft stores.
I do like the heat laminator I purchased in Office Depot, though.
I have several...I have the large xyron that has a laminating cartridge and I bought the purple cows hot embossing one...LOVE it!!! I think it is like 69.00 at acmoore and i use a 50% coupon...i get the 12x12 pouches...20 for 16.99 and then use a coupon..they have lots of different sizes but you also get ALOT of pouches in the box when you buy it...open the box and make sure they are in there...sooo worth the money..I laminate everything now..
I've had the Xyron since 1998 and have never had any desire for anything else. It's wonderful, and if you get your supplies from stickermaker.com they have $5 shipping and are very quick. Currently, I have the Xyron 850, 510, and the little X one. LOVE my Xyron machines!
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As a teacher, I've done lots of laminating. The thermal (heat) laminators don't seem to stick anywhere near as well--especially if you like to trim the plastic off to the very edge.
I highly recommend the Xyron--I have the old 850 but the new 900 is easier to use. Cold laminating is also better for the materials you are laminating, and Xyron's is even acid-free.
I also like the thickness of the Xyron lamination--it's much sturdier. I use it for bookmarks (I make bookmarks for our graduating students each year.)
That said, (and I know you were referring to bookmarks rather than documents): do NOT laminate precious irreplaceables such as newspaper articles. One thing you learn with scrapbooking is the importance of keeping one side unsealed, so that temp and humidity changes allow the object to shrink/expand ("breathe"). When lamination first came out, a lot of people thought it was the best thing since sliced bread--then they learned the hard way that it actually caused deterioration to increase at a more rapid pace! If the object is acidic (newspaper is notorious for its acidity), the acidic gases were trapped inside and made things worse. (Master's degree in museum studies here--trying to help make folks more aware--I'm always coming across people who laminate important documents, and it makes me so sad!)
I've had the Xyron since 1998 and have never had any desire for anything else. It's wonderful, and if you get your supplies from stickermaker.com they have $5 shipping and are very quick. Currently, I have the Xyron 850, 510, and the little X one. LOVE my Xyron machines!
I love my Xyron machines as well. They are even less expensive than when I bought mine. It was the "in" thing at the time. As a matter of fact, I have mine out right now. I was adding color swatches to my color sample ring of SU colors.
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Another vote for the Xyron. I have the 900, 510 and the X one. The great thing about the 900 is you can get different cartridges to use with it, other than just laminating. It can do adhesive, both permanent and repositionable, and it can do laminating on one side, magnet on the other. I don't know if there are other cartridges, but those are the ones I use the most. LOVE my Xyron and still use it frequently.
I don't have a laminating machine -I run my iron (NOT steam) over the plastic sleeves and this works fine. Each iron will be set differently in temperature, so start on cool and work up the heat until you get it to seal.
I found this out by accident, when the machine the class was using broke down and a alternative needed to be found quickly.
In addition to cardmaking type projects and calendars, I have laminated...
Business Cards:
I make up one with family phone numbers and print a whole sheet on two sides, and give them to all the family and a neighbor for emergencies. Keeps everyone up to date when phone numbers change.
I also make one for my medications (I take 11) to keep in my purse. I leave the unlaminated ones with any doctor I see.
Insurance Proof Cards that I keep in my wallet and the yearly car registration.
Luggage Tags
Duplicate Photos that I want to keep in my purse (keeps them from getting dog-eared).
I use duplicate checks and laminated a family photo as the seperator.
Laminate 8-1/2x11 sheets that are color charts or instructions I reference often.
I made a check-off list for travel so I wouldn't forget things and used a lamination material that you can write on in pencil and then erase it.
This is probably more than you want to know...so, I am done. (lol)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paipear Ban
What kinds of things do you laminate? (I'm new to the world of laminating. . .)
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Hi ladies -- those of you who have the Purple cow or the Xyron laminator, are you able to cut around a shape? For example, I'm wanting to make some magnets for a project and want them to last. If I put through a snowflake, will I be able to trim around it? I'm unfamiliar with pouches for laminating and want to make sure.
I have both...I like the purple cow one better if I am cutting things out because the item is sealed inside and you can cut super close to the item with the xyron you have to leave a good border around it as the plastic is the only sealed part. If i need something quick i use the xyron otherwise its the cow
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I just bought a YOUR STORY bookbinding/laminating machine from AC Moore today. It is originally $100, but used my 50% off coupon - savings of $50!! Gotta love that. Haven't had a chance to test it, but read on other threads that it works well.
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Laminating Machine
