What laminators are you using?

[D&Tgraphics]

We use a 55" Quickmount 4. We use it to Lam & Mount. I think it works pretty good for a lower end machine.

 

[cartoad]

We have a 55" Quickmount 3, we were not happy with it for laminating so after a year got the GBC, love it, can run prints thru quickly, and no need for sleds. We use the Quick mount for mounting and works great for that.
Hal

 

[JERHEMI]

I have a Seal 54 base hot/cold laminator. Hated that friqen thing for the first year I had it because all it did was ruin my prints, seriously if that thing wasn't so damn heavy I would have thrown it out the window! I dreaded printing something and having to have to use that laminator because I was afraid it was going to ruin it and I would have to start all over which most of the time it did ruin it and I would have to start over! But as of recently I decided to stop getting so frustrated with that stupid thing and took the time to actually learn how it works and use it the correct way and it has been absolutely great! I love it! haha

 

[totalimage]

We have a 38" printloc pro....Hot and cold.. bought it on ebay and drove to Ohio to get... Paid $255.00 Great deal worth driving from Florida ... Just alittle bit cold up there when I went !!!! Use it all day long...

 

[chopper]

I have a seal image plus 62 hot and cold wouldn't think of having any thing else this thing is awesome, there is a learning curve to running a laminator no matter which one you buy so be prepared to spend some time and material when learning how your machine works //chopper

 

[Derf]

1) Seal Ultra 44
2) Ding Tec 62" cold laminator. ( Great all around tool )

 

[flat rock stan]

Hey FM, GX!!! John sold me on the dingtek el-cheapo too. The other day the motor was running but the rollers were not so I called and was told to hit the manual roll handle with a hammer. It worked so I mounted the hammer on the wall and if I can find someone to make me a sign I want to label it “dingtek repair tools”! We should get together and talk since we are so close we could throw a rock and hit each other………..

 

[Flame]

Hey FM, GX!!! John sold me on the dingtek el-cheapo too. The other day the motor was running but the rollers were not so I called and was told to hit the manual roll handle with a hammer. It worked so I mounted the hammer on the wall and if I can find someone to make me a sign I want to label it “dingtek repair tools”! We should get together and talk since we are so close we could throw a rock and hit each other………..

hahahahaha

Yeah, John's a cool guy. But yeah, that handle on the side is dumb. What it does is over-ride the motor feed to the rollers. You need to "knock" it into gear when you first get it. Pull it out if you ever want to manually laminate (though, I can't figure WHY on earth you'd want to?)

Hey, how about all the Vancouver, Portland signs101ers hit up a pizza joint here in the near future. Whaddya say?:Big Laugh

 

[JERHEMI]

I have a seal image plus 62 hot and cold wouldn't think of having any thing else this thing is awesome, there is a learning curve to running a laminator no matter which one you buy so be prepared to spend some time and material when learning how your machine works //chopper

Yes, definetely a learning curve! When my equipment got delivered...the Mimaki JV-3, Mimaki FX plotter, and the Seal Laminator I never would have thought out of the three the laminator would be the biggest pain in the ass to learn but it was!:Big Laugh

 

[iSign]

Yes, definetely a learning curve! When my equipment got delivered...the Mimaki JV-3, Mimaki FX plotter, and the Seal Laminator I never would have thought out of the three the laminator would be the biggest pain in the ass to learn but it was!:Big Laugh

my sentiments exactly.. Mimaki printer, Mimaki cutter, and GBC laminator... and I've considered the laminator to be the biggest source of unpredictability too.

 

[Conor Knoxx]

Well, a bit of an old thread but exactly the topic I was looking for

sooo....

I may be a total "newb" in the sign biz, but I'll certainly agree, the hardest thing I'm having to learn so far is LAMINATING! grrrrrr....

I started out using only big squeegees (26 & 54 inch ones) - and really Dale, they are incredible tools! However, despite my best efforts for wide prints(36 to 48inch), I really had a hard time laminating with them. I was sure "I" was doing it the same each time, yet one time I'd get a good finish/run, the next I'd get bubbles that would take a month to fix up...

After ruining one-too-many big prints... I decided to move up a notch and get a basic laminator. Yes, one of the cheapo-imports-from China. But I figure (as mentioned above somewhere..) its an incredibly simple machine, 2 big fat rollers pressing media together... can't see dumping 5 to 7k on one.

So, where laminating successfully used to be a 50/50 chance, now I've got this nice machine, and laminating seems to be about a 50/50 chance of coming out nice... hmm.. something's not right here...

I'm not losing hope yet, but lordy, this is taking patience! The key "seems" to be getting that first bit of Lam on nice and straight.. if that goes ok, its all good.

Anyway, if anyone has any tips for successful laminating techniques, or links to some videos, the info would be VERY much appreciated.

Ok.. I gotta relax now, before something just explodes:

 

[PVS]

We have a GBC Orca 64 Hot/Cold. Works very well in my opinion. Top & Bottom rolls, take up rolls, adjustable speeds and heat. Mounts up to 1" thick substrates.

Only problem I ever had was the heating element became disconnected from the glass tube. Reconnected and life is good.

-mike