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Getting an in house laminator on a budget...opinions needed.

gnatt66

gnatt66

New Member
a. used Ledco Econocraft 30" like this http://www.ledcolaminator.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=30

$750.00

or

b. new US tech 32 inch "ebay laminator" like this: http://www.bestdgi.com/products-onl...&ustmodel=Master Plus Series - COLD&region=US

is on sale on another site for $1098 shipped.


any opinions would be greatly appreciated. I was leaning towards the new one, but 400 bucks means something right about now..heh.

yeah i know...both arent ideal..but i'd like to get something here that can do atleast the little jobs and is threaded and ready. table space is a struggle lately and my B.S. and oracal 210 is a struggle as well.

thanks in advance!
 
FatCat

FatCat

New Member
How long a piece do you typically laminate? I routinely put down Oracal 210 up to 32" wide with no problems with my BS. I have tried 48" vinyl and with another helper I can do that as well, though its a bit trickier. (You do have to be patient and go slowly.) With my smaller 32" BS I push the with my right hand and pull the liner off the 210 as I go with my left.

Since you said $400 means something right not, I would not buy a small laminator unless I was really cranking out a ton of work.
 
gnatt66

gnatt66

New Member
i have and use a BS all the time. i just have enough lam jobs that i feel i need to be able to lam stuff right away and get jobs out. I'm going to look at the ledco wednesday...from what i can read/search it's a quality machine.
 
Letterbox Mike

Letterbox Mike

New Member
Ledco is Quality for sure. Are you absolutely sure you want to go with just a 30" machine? I assume you only have a 30" printer, but since you're spending some money on a laminator, why not plan for future growth/expansion and buy a little larger machine right now so if/when you decided to upgrade to a wider printer you won't have to reinvest in a laminator? Seems like even if you didn't plan to upgrade printers, a 30" laminator would be horribly restricting. You'll be downright amazed at what all you run through it once you have one. I'd get one you can run a 4' wide board through.

Just my 2 cents, plan for the future so you're not caught with your pants down...
 
Mosh

Mosh

New Member
The key with a laminator is to group or nest as many small jobs together as you can. Better to do one 20' peice than 10 2' peices. We don't run anything under 8' through our laminator, we bust out the BS for shorter stuff.
 
Ken

Ken

New Member
Yes, I am also wanting a laminator..but will wait till I can afford a machine that will do 48 inches comfortably. 4x8's that's what I need.
Cheers!
Ken
 
Ken

Ken

New Member
BS is the Big Squeegee..It is a manual method of applying laminate to a print.
Or a print to a substrate.
Or, applying transfer tape to cut-out decals..it is berry good..takes some practice.
There are other applications...and it is a low-cost solution to laminating.
Cheers!
Ken
 
Doyle

Doyle

New Member
Have you looked at the Daige Quickmount? A 38" machine will run less than $2k with a stand and foot pedal (around $1700 I think). I have been using mine for almost 5 years and it has been a great machine. Great for mounting prints, but I mainly just use it for laminating. Many will talk trash about these machines and tell you to get a "real" laminator, but I tell you that if all you want is to laminate prints this will get the job done just fine.
 
WB

WB

New Member
I'd recommend buying the largest higest quality laminator you can find with service in your general area. We've been using our Seal Laminator for close to 13 years and our GBC for 12yrs. THe proper investment now will pay for itself many times over down the road. The last thing you want is a laminator thats hard to use and ruins you prints and wastes material.
 
Circleville Signs

Circleville Signs

New Member
I'm glad Doyle has had success with the Daige, but in my experience, they are CRAP. For anything longer than a small print, you need two people to run it (one to pull back the backing paper as there is no uptake reel).

The amount of pressure they apply is nowhere NEAR even.

I dunno - I've used them, and I never will again if I have a choice.


Gary
 
gnatt66

gnatt66

New Member
thanks for the replies. I'm going to look at/purchace the ledco tomorrow. It's what i can handle right now and definately as big as i can shoehorn into my space. yes i have a 30" Roland. I have a friend with a big ass Royal Sover. if needed, but I'd sub out any larger prints/lams anyway for now.

I can't read anything bad about the ledco at all, and i get to see it in use before i make any decisions...so it can't hurt to take a trip.

Thanks again everyone.
 
Signs4Realtors

Signs4Realtors

New Member
Laminator

I have a US Tech 62" laminator and for the price, it works great for laminating and especially for mounting to coroplast/pvc.
 
Doyle

Doyle

New Member
Circleville Signs said:
I'm glad Doyle has had success with the Daige, but in my experience, they are CRAP. For anything longer than a small print, you need two people to run it (one to pull back the backing paper as there is no uptake reel).

The amount of pressure they apply is nowhere NEAR even.

I dunno - I've used them, and I never will again if I have a choice.


Gary
Click to expand...

Don't know which one you were using, mine has a take-up reel, and have never needed 2 people to run it, and even pressure has never been a problem. Only problem I have ever had with it was when I first bought it, the drive belt always jumped, they replaced that belt on the next model with a different type, which I purchased a kit for mine to update it, that eliminated the problem.
 
WB

WB

New Member
are you planning on getting into vehicle wraps? or maybe getting a larger printer..?
 
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