Question for you people... if I’m using a vinyl such as Avery 1105 on a sign and the tech specifics say it’s a 10 year vinyl..... Roland Ecosol max is rated for 4 years un laminated and the 1630 laminating film I have is rated for 4 years would you bother to laminate something that is not on a vehicle such as a sign or storefront or such??
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To laminate or not to laminate?
- Thread starter Jamie0075
- Start date
Solventinkjet
DIY Printer Fixing Guide
I would let the customer decide. Give them two prices. The 4 year price is $$$ and the 8 year price is $$$$.
The biggest reason I ask is because well I suck at laminating! I have a manual laminator one of those cheap Chinese one that does well with the thicker vinyl and laminate but this thin stuff really got me. I couldn’t imagine trying to laminate a wrap 54 inches! Has anybody tried And had good luck with the $2000 eBay Chinese motorize laminators? I really don’t want to invest much more than that
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Solventinkjet
DIY Printer Fixing Guide
Are you me? I have always sucked at it for some reason. That's why I fix the machines instead of use them now!
haha!! Yeah maybe I should do something different also!!
They're likely going to be a $2000 paper weight. They might work.. but once the pressure changes, they'll become garbage. Do yourself a favor and spend a bit more...
You get what you pay for ,and for an item like a Laminator it has to be perfectlyu round, with perfect pressure throughout, otherwise you're going to have tons of bubbles / wrinkles, and it'll end up being more of a pain than your hand laminator.
Royal Sovereign 55" Cold Laminator RSC-1401CLTW $4300.
You get what you pay for ,and for an item like a Laminator it has to be perfectlyu round, with perfect pressure throughout, otherwise you're going to have tons of bubbles / wrinkles, and it'll end up being more of a pain than your hand laminator.
Royal Sovereign 55" Cold Laminator RSC-1401CLTW $4300.
Laminating might take a minute or two to figure out and each machine/set up will have it's own quirk. You might just have to take and moment and figure out a new technique. But yes if it's printed it should be laminated. The only time we don't laminate printed vinyl is if it's temp (like a few days). Especially if your doing vehicle graphics, they need to be laminated.
If this is something that your trying to do professionally than you might want to invest in a decent laminator.
equippaint
Active Member
They're about like every other chinese machine that you buy. With enough screwing around you can get them to work ok but they'll never do what you want them to do. We have 1 and it's good for about 10-12'. If you can't get the hand crank deal to work right then this will be a nightmare. The manual ones are simple and work well. Just adjust the pressure using both hands on each side at the same time so you can feel that it is even. For long runs ask someone to help you, 1 person pull the backing paper and the other turns the crank.
we have a chinese "cheap" laminator and its AWESOME. seriously, it works great. there are no bells or whistles to it, but as long as you load it properly, it works 100% of the time. I can't remember the brand, but I think I bought it on ebay.
and yeah, everyone and their fancy pants will tell you you NEED a RS or whatever, but the economical option works great for us. and I'm going to assume you're not running rolls of material through your printer every day, (or you'd probably not be asking this question), and neither are we. our lam works when we need it, and use it a few times a week. its not going constantly.
and yeah, everyone and their fancy pants will tell you you NEED a RS or whatever, but the economical option works great for us. and I'm going to assume you're not running rolls of material through your printer every day, (or you'd probably not be asking this question), and neither are we. our lam works when we need it, and use it a few times a week. its not going constantly.
I wouldn't call RS Fancy... It's one of the lowest quality laminators, at leas the version I linked. We have a seal laminator at work, it's awesome... it's 15 years old, and runs laps around the RS I purchased for my home printer. It was also something like $15,000. The RS was $4000... So almost 25% of the price.
The problem with Chinese products is they don't have quality control. Your laminator might work... but the next 5 might have flat spots.
And while they do offer refunds... You have to ship it to China, which is worth more than the laminator itself.
You'd be better off checking craigslist or somewhere else for a used laminator. Maybe call your local sign suppliers and ask if they have any demo models for cheap.
The problem with Chinese products is they don't have quality control. Your laminator might work... but the next 5 might have flat spots.
And while they do offer refunds... You have to ship it to China, which is worth more than the laminator itself.
You'd be better off checking craigslist or somewhere else for a used laminator. Maybe call your local sign suppliers and ask if they have any demo models for cheap.
I just did a dry ( pretend ) laminate and found that the pressure was off on each side and it somehow was making it bunch up in the center. I released the pressure till it flowed smoothly and laminated the image. It came out much better although a bit rough at the beginning where I folded the material back and reversed it to get the first edge stuck.. remember this is a manual laminator.. I think with some practice and technique I’ll get it down. Still would like a powered one though... would look cool in my basement! thank you everyone!! You are all a great help!
jkdbjj
New Member
My worked amazing
Spent 5 grand and it was about as good as my old name brand Seal.
jkdbjj
New Member
How weird my wife and I were just in Maine. Though in Bangor. We were in Bangor from October through first week of February.
First time there and while it was damn cold I enjoyed the sites.
I won’t be making that drive again until her next assignment.
I was just hoping we’d get lucky. I love in Southern VA
First time there and while it was damn cold I enjoyed the sites.
I won’t be making that drive again until her next assignment.
I was just hoping we’d get lucky. I love in Southern VA
That’s too funny! I’m right across the river from Bangor! 2 minutes drive. I used to live in Harrisonburg Va. nice place! I grew up here though so had to come home. What does your wife do for work?