Need Help laminating..

[Geneva Olson]

so. does anyone have any tips on laminating smaller widths than the roll? i have a 54 inch laminator but i want to run 30 inch material and 48 inch material through it.

 

[WYLDGFI]

Center it up and use a good tape measure to get the rolls straight..the media and the lamination. As long as your laminator feeds straight, you should be fine.

 

[Boudica]

What Bill said, also, if you save your liner for feed, you can put it beneath the vinyl and run it through. so the extra lam sticks to that instead of your laminator.

 

[ledhead]

Is your laminate 54 inch? If so, in our shop we use the wasted paper backing from laminate. it does not work the greatest with longer lengths but for short pieces it works fine. It likes to get bunch up and wrinkle on the longer runs. Hope this helps.

 

[Geneva Olson]

What Bill said, also, if you save your liner for feed, you can put it beneath the vinyl and run it through. so the extra lam sticks to that instead of your laminator.

I've done that and it seems to bunch up under. Is there a trick ? perhaps tape it?

 

[WYLDGFI]

Another option is to get sacrificial paper from your vendor....brown kraft paper. That is not as slick....that may work better.

 

[Boudica]

I've done that and it seems to bunch up under. Is there a trick ? perhaps tape it?

there is that. It's been a while since I've had to do it... I think I just went really slow. I wouldn't tape anything.

 

[WYLDGFI]

how long is the run you are trying to do? if under 8 ft...use a drop sheet of 2 or 3mm pvc as a carrier.

 

[Geneva Olson]

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how long is the run you are trying to do? if under 8 ft...use a drop sheet of 2 or 3mm pvc as a carrier.

I have a run that 60 inches and one that's 72 inches. (Two different jobs). small enough to do what you are suggesting.

 

[Jake - Advantage Signs]

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I have a run that 60 inches and one that's 72 inches. (Two different jobs). small enough to do what you are suggesting.

With pieces that are 36x60 and 36x72, you could laminate using a sled. Have you ever tried using a sled?

 

[Geneva Olson]

With pieces that are 36x60 and 36x72, you could laminate using a sled. Have you ever tried using a sled?

Ok, what's a sled?

 

[ewded]

Take a hand saw and chop off the end, I laminated 10" smaller media and had no issues

 

[Geneva Olson]

Take a hand saw and chop off the end, I laminated 10" smaller media and had no issues

chop off the end of a real sled?

 

[netsol]

sled is a leader board

 

[Geneva Olson]

Is that the type of laminator you have?

 

[netsol]

no, just looked for a video with a sled.

we have daige quikmount 3 38"
daige quikmount 55"
royal sovereign 65"
seal 4000 44" heated

 

[Geneva Olson]

no, just looked for a video with a sled.

we have daige quikmount 3 38"
daige quikmount 55"
royal sovereign 65"
seal 4000 44" heated

well, My original question was running a piece not as wide as the 54 inches through. I don't have a piece of laminate to place on top to do that with. So, it doesn't seem to make sense to do this.
Unless I'm missing something.

 

[netsol]

you can tape scrap pieces of release liner on both sides of the laminator so the "extra" doesn't stick to the metal and wrinkle

 

[Geneva Olson]

I just finished printing it. I may just go ahead and do that.

 

[Jake - Advantage Signs]

Ok, what's a sled?

Sorry! I missed this question last week...

A "sled" is a piece of board with mounting adhesive applied to one side that has the release paper left on - this make a surface that the laminate won't stick to. You put the piece of vinyl down on the sled, then take a piece of laminate cut a bit larger than your printed piece and start it was printed adhesive vinyl you were going to mount.

Here's a real quick example:


Also, found this video...it's a small manual laminator, but it's all the same idea. Looks like someone else posted the same video! I'll leave it here anyway. Hope this helps!