Laminating machines are essential machines for any teacher, student or parent. This is because they are now quite affordable, easy to use, reliable and usually save money in the long run as laminating is one of those hidden expenses that we never really notice. In this buying guide, we will explore ten of the best laminating machines that come with thermal and cold lamination, are easy to carry around which makes it easy to carry it to your office when you need it and bring it home when you are done and come with jam release technology to allow you to remove any potential jams quickly and easily. Wondering which laminating machine we regard to be better than the rest? We give a comprehensive analysis of the features offered by each laminating machine and this will help you make a judgment as to which laminating machine will best suit your unique needs. In addition, we will include details about which laminating machine is best for those buying on a tight budget.
Alternatively, just skip to the best laminating machine on Amazon.
Table of Contents
Best Laminating Machine Comparison Table
List of the 10 Best Laminating Machines
1. 5 in 1 Blusmart Lamination Set
This is a lamination machine from the manufacturer, Blusmart. This device comes with a wide host of features. It has a ready time that is between 3 and 5 minutes. This allows for you to be able to start your work without waiting for too long. It comes at a weight of just 3.52 pounds. This makes it very easy to carry around. It is compatible with pouches that are from 1160mic to 250 mic. This makes it ideal for a wide variety of applications which include professional letter/ legal/ business card lamination. It comes with two methods of lamination. These are thermal and cold lamination. Thermal lamination is used with conventional pouches, and cold lamination is used with self-adhesive pouches. It comes with additional features that you may find handy. It has an easy to handle paper trimmer that makes a neat and beautiful cut. The fine quality laminating photo frames are quite ideal for DIY projects, as well as arts & crafts. It has a corner rounder. This protects your skin from being cut from the sharp corners. It comes with separate power and ready LEDs. These indicate when there is indeed power that is being supplied to the device as well as when the device has reached the ideal temperature for operation. It comes with a single hole punch. This allows you to cut a clean hole. It comes with a button that you can use to remove any jams that occur. This makes it easy to remove the pouch and try again. It also has a 250mm/min laminating speed. This product has a few problems. A few customers complained about the corner rounder and paper cutters not working as expected. In addition, a few customers complained about it being difficult to contact the manufacturer. Due to all these factors, we have chosen this as the best laminating machine.
2. Zoomyo laminator machine, with PTC eco-technology
This is a very affordable laminator machine from the manufacturer, zoomyo. This device comes with quite a wide host of features. It comes with a hot and cold lamination feature. The hot lamination feature allows you to laminate regular pouches, and the cold lamination feature allows for you to laminate the self-adhesive pouches. It is compatible with both 3 and 5 mil lamination pouches. A pack of 3 mil hot pockets are included to help you get started. It comes with the perfect temperature setup for both 3 and 5 mil hot pockets. This means that you do not need to perform any additional adjustments. It does not have any harmful materials, and it is made from flame retardant materials. This means that you do not need to worry about the device catching fire and releasing toxic fumes.
It comes with a host of additional features. It has Eco-PTC technology. This gives you up to 75 percent energy consumption saving as compared to traditional laminators. The heating elements are integrated within the silicon rollers to ensure a smooth, even seal for your documents and projects. It comes with ABS jam release technology. This allows for you to remove misfed documents quickly and easily. It is quite durable and this makes it ideal for frequent use in a small office or for domestic use. This product has the main disadvantage that it cannot be used with 10 mil pouches. Due to all these features, we have chosen this as the best budget laminating machine.
3. 3M Laminator Kit With Every Size Laminating Pouch
This is a professional quality laminator machine from the manufacturer, 3M. As you probably know, 3M is a manufacturing giant in the office supply market. This product looks quite simple and will definitely blend in with your home or office décor. It comes with a host of features. It operates very quietly. Unlike other laminator machine brands that sound like you are trying to fly a helicopter, this device works as quietly as it possibly can. It works with 3M/Scotch brand lamination sheets as well as with lamination sheets from other brands. This means that you do not need to worry about compatibility issues. It is able to laminate items up to 9 inches wide as well as pouches that are up to 5 mils thick. This product is long lasting. Several customers praised this product for being able to sustain many months, even years with consistent performance. This makes it ideal for teachers as it means that they will not have to go and pay an outrageous amount for laminating their documents. It heats up quickly. This means that you do not need to worry about waiting for several minutes just for the laminator to reach the right temperature for use. It does not usually give any problems with bubbles, white spots or ripples. It comes with a kit which includes every laminating pouch (9″x11″ 20 each) * (2-1/4″x3/3/4″ 20 each) * (3″x4″ 10 each) * (4-1/2″x6″ 20 each) * (3-3/4″x5-1/4″ 20 each) * (5-1/4″x7-1/4″ 20 each). This product has the main drawback that it does not accept 10 mil pouches
4. Crenova 4 in 1 Thermal Lamination Machine
This is a thermal lamination machine from the manufacturer, Crenova. It looks quite modern and stylish. This will make it blend in quite well with your home or office’s décor. It comes with a host of features. It is very easy to use. A lot of customers praised it because of this. It comes with a heat up time of 3 -5 min. This means that you do not need to wait too long for the device to get heated up. It has a speed of 250mm/min. This allows for you to do bulk jobs quickly and easily. It is effective and efficient. This means that you do not need to worry about the device failing to perform to your standards. It comes at a weight of just 2.89 pounds. This makes it very easy to carry around.
This lamination machine also comes with special features. It has an ABS lever that is specially designed to prevent paper jam. All you need to do is to push the ABS lever to release the stuck papers or pouches. This will allow for you to effortlessly remove them from the laminator. It allows for you to make round corners to prevent cuts. It comes with an LED which indicates when the device is ready for use. Once this LED lights up, it means that you can now begin to operate the device. This device has a few drawbacks. A few customers complained that it does not seal correctly and this results in a few bubbles coming up in the laminate. In addition, a few customers complained that the customer service is not very responsive.
5. Fellowes 5736606 Laminator Saturn3i 125Rapid Warm-up Lamination Machine
This is another lamination machine from the manufacturer, Fellowes. This manufacturer makes very high quality devices. This product is quite popular due to its high quality and reliability. It comes with several features. It has the insta-heat feature. In this feature, this lamination machine is able to heat up in just 60 seconds. This allows for you to immediately get to work once it has finished heating up. It is able to accommodate a wide variety of pouches. You can use 3 mil or 5 mil pouches with it. It also allows for you to use both hot and cold lamination. In this feature, you use the hot lamination feature for the 3 or 5 mil pouches and cold lamination for the self-adhesive pouches. It comes with a green light which illuminates and indicates that the machine is ready to laminate. It also gives an audible beep which comes in handy if you are in very bright environments in which the LED may be a bit difficult to see.
It comes with advanced features. It has the auto shut off feature. In this feature, the device automatically turns itself off when it is not in use. This allows for you to save energy and also to prevent overheating the lamination machine comes with a jam release lever. This allows you to remove documents that may have been jammed. It can be used with 120V AC sources, which is perfect for American homes and offices. It comes with ten sample laminating pouches to allow you to get started quickly and easily. It has a few drawbacks. A few customers complained that it makes a bit of noise after a few months of use. In addition, a few customers complained that it would jam and crinkle the paper that they would feed into the device.
6. AmazonBasics 9-Inch Thermal Laminator Machine
This is a laminating machine from one of Amazon’s brands, Amazon Basics. This device is of a decent quality and will be quite suitable for use in the home. It comes with a host of features. It can warm up in just 4 minutes. This is relatively quick, and this means that you will be able to get to work with speed. It comes with two heat settings. These allow you to choose the heat setting that works best with the lamination pouches that you have. It has the ability to laminate pouches up to 5 mil thick. This means that you do not need to worry about your pouch not being compatible with this device as long as it is 5 mil and below. It comes with a jam release lever. This allows for you to easily address any issues that you may have with jams. This device is versatile. It can be used in the home, in offices, in classrooms as well as in a wide variety of other places. It can accommodate multiple sizes of materials that need to be laminated. It allows for you to select a setting for 3 mil which is normally used for documents, 5 mil which is usually used for thinner papers, as well as documents that are up to 9 inches wide. It is compatible with letter-size, legal-size, business-card size and photo-size papers. It comes with a ready indicator light which makes using it quite easy. It is shipped in certified frustration free packaging. This device has a few drawbacks. It is not able to process pouches with a 10 mil thickness. In addition, it needs you to carefully follow the manual otherwise you may get into unnecessary trouble.
7. TLC 12-9/16″ Pouch Laminator 5 Year Warranty Thermal Laminating Corp USA
This is a laminating machine from the manufacturer, Thermal Laminating Corp. This is a high quality product and will certainly last for quite a while. It comes at a weight of just 14.32 pounds. This makes it rather easy to carry around with you. It comes with a host of features. It comes with separate heat and run switches. This means that you do not need to worry about accidentally feeding lamination material into the device before it is ready for use. It comes with a speed of 33 inches per minute. This impressive speed makes this laminating machine ideal for bulk jobs. This means that you do not need to worry about bulk jobs consuming a very long period of time as you can greatly shorten the period that such activities take when you use this device. This makes it ideal for an office setting. It has an adjustable temperature control. This allows you to choose the right temperature that offers the best performance.
This device makes the lamination process easy. It comes with an inbuilt ready light signal. This greatly improves the lamination process as you will not have to guess whether it is ready or not. It is able to process pouches that are up to 10 mil thick. It includes a thermometer to help you measure the temperature. It is made in the United States, which means you are guaranteed that it meets the strict quality standards present in this country. The manufacturer shows great pride and offers a 5 year warranty. This product has a few drawbacks. A few customers complained that it is a bit loud. In addition, it is a bit expensive.
8. TL906 Scotch Brand Pro Thermal Laminator with Anti-Jam Technology
This is a popular laminating machine from Scotch Brand. This manufacturer is well known in the stationery industry for producing high quality devices. This is an example of such a high quality device. It looks quite modern and will definitely complement your office’s décor. It comes with a host of features. It comes with a 5 minute warm up time. This decent warm up time allows you to get to work after having a nice, warm cup of tea. It is very light and compact. This makes it very easy to carry around. If you need to pack it in your car and take it to work, you will not have any trouble doing so. It comes with a speed of 15 inches per minute. This allows you to do bulk jobs at a decent speed. It can be used with 3 – 5 mil pouches, up to 9 inches wide.
It comes with special features. It automatically shuts itself off when it detects that there is no activity present. This shut off feature kicks in after a period of inactivity of one hour. This saves energy and prevents the device from catching fire and burning itself. It comes with anti-jam technology. In this technology, the device automatically prevents items from being inserted into the device in the wrong manner and orientation. It comes with a retractable pouch feed to help align your pouch input. It comes with premium, easy to use LED touch controls. It also has a light that is illuminated when the machine is ready for use. This device has a few disadvantages. It is not suitable for use with a voltage or outlet converter as it can only be used with grounded 120V outlets. In addition, a few customers complained that the product is prone to overheating.
9. Fellowes Laminator Jupiter 2 125, Rapid Warm-up Laminating Machine
This is a laminating machine from the manufacturer, Fellowes. Fellowes is a manufacturer well known for producing high quality devices. This device lives up to their high quality standard. It is made out of high quality materials and will definitely last for a very long time. It comes at a weight of just 15 pounds and this makes it very portable. It comes with insta-heat technology. This allows you to warm up the laminator in just 1 minute. This means that you can get to work in no time. It has auto sense technology. This feature allows the lamination machine to detect the pouch thickness automatically and instantly self-adjust the laminator to the optimal setting. It is able to laminate hot pouches up to 10 mil thick. It is also compatible with cold pouches. It comes with anti-jam protection. This allows for you to use the reverse mode to re-center or remove pouches in the event of a misfeed or an overload.
This device provides high quality performance. It comes with a six roller system that provides top-notch quality. This allows you to laminate your favourite picture or create unique bookmarks. It can be used for hundreds of different projects while providing a high-quality laminate finish to your documents. It saves energy. It has the auto shut off feature and this allows for the device to automatically shut itself off when it is not in use. This device has a few drawbacks. A few customers complained about the product overheating. In addition, it comes at a relatively high price point.
10. GBC Thermal Fusion 7000L Laminator Machine
This is a laminator machine from the manufacturer, Swingline. This product looks quite minimalistic and will easily blend in with your other office products. It comes with a host of features. It works rather quickly. The manufacturer claims that it works at “lightning speed.” It is able to laminate documents with a speed of 55 inches per minute. This is quite a decent lamination speed, and this means that you can laminate up to 45 documents in a 10 minute period. It heats up in just a minute. This allows you to start the lamination process quite quickly without having to wait for a long time in order for the device to warm up. It comes with 6 rollers. This means that the projects are supposed to be smooth and wrinkle-free. The 12 inch laminating width allows for greater speeds and variety on projects. It is compatible with 3, 5, 7 and 10 mil pouches.
This laminator machine comes with a few advanced features. It has thickness detection. In this feature, it is able to identify the mil thickness of your pouch and document. This allows for the device to adjust to the optimal settings and create a perfect seal. It comes with auto jam detection and this feature allows for the device to reverse the document inserted and allow for you to properly align it and then re-insert it. The laminator comes with an industry leading 3 year warranty as well as 50 letter size premium speed pouches. It has a few drawbacks. A few customers complained of frequent jamming of documents after using this device. In addition, a few customers complained that the product was not as durable as they expected.
Best Laminating Machine Brands
The best laminating machine brands are Blusmart, 3M and Fellowes. The Blusmart device that we reviewed offers solid performance and it is quite easy for the average user to use it. 3M is a reputable company and their product that we reviewed is quite popular and it is long lasting. Fellowes also makes long lasting devices, and their laminator machine that we reviewed comes with a host of features that make it easy to use.
Best Laminator Machine
5 in 1 Blusmart Lamination Set
This is the best laminating machine. It comes with a wide host of features. It comes with a button used to remove any jams that occur, it has a ready time between 3 and 5 minutes, and it is lightweight and portable.
Here are the key features we liked about the best lamination machine:
- LED visual indication lights
- Thermal and cold lamination
- Button to remove jams present
- 250mm/min laminating speed
- Lightweight
Best Budget Laminating Machine
Zoomyo laminator machine, with PTC eco-technology
This is the best budget laminating machine. It comes with Eco-PTC technology that gives you up to 75 energy consumption saving, it comes with ABS jam release technology and it is quite durable.
Here are the key features we liked about the best budget laminator machine:
- Hot and cold lamination feature
- Temperature setup for both 3 and 5 mil pouches
- Eco-PTC technology
- ABS jam release technology
- Durable and very affordable
How Much Does a Lamination Machine Cost?
Lamination machines are not usually expensive. You can find them in the 15 – 400 USD range.
High End
These are the lamination machines that are in the 150 – 400 USD mark. Such devices come with advanced features such as quick heating, auto-sense technology as well as very high quality output. An example of such a device is the Fellowes Laminator Jupiter 2 125, Rapid Warm-up Laminating Machine.
Mid-range
These are the lamination machines that are in the 40 – 120 USD range. Such devices come with all the features that you would expect in a laminator machine but may lack advanced features such as auto-sense technology and quick heating capabilities. An example of such a device is the 3M Laminator Kit With Every Size Laminating Pouch.
Low End
These are the lamination machines that are below 40 USD. Such devices come with all the basic features that you would expect from a laminator machine but often lack features such as the ability to use 10 mil pouches with it. An example of such a device is the Zoomyo laminator machine, with PTC eco-technology.
Why Do You Need a Laminator Machine?
Cost Savings
If you are someone who regularly goes to the Home Depot to get your documents laminated, then why not just buy a laminator machine? On average, it costs $2 to get your documents laminated. There are very cheap laminators that we reviewed that will make it worthwhile for you to go and buy yourself a laminator machine and save money that you use laminating your documents.
Convenience
When you own a laminating machine, you can use the laminating machine any day of the week, at any time of the day. If you have a document that needs to be laminated after hours, you do not need to worry about having to rush to a stationery store just before they close or about having to make special arrangements.
Reliability
Lamination machines are very easy to use and they often last for years on end. It is a great idea to invest in these machines as they may come in handy. For example, if you enjoy foiling projects, then you are guaranteed of a device that is reliable and will help you become a foiling expert.
Types of Laminator Machines
There are 3 main types of laminators that are used in the industry.
Pouch Laminators
These have the inside of the pouch that is coated with heat activated film. The film adhered to the product being laminated. The board substrate side holds the adhesive. The heat activated adhesive is used.
Heated Roller Process
In these laminators, the melted glue is applied to film with hot rollers. Two rollers are used, with one being on top and the other fixed at the bottom. The glue is a solid at room temperature and becomes a liquid when heated. It re-solidifies when it is cooled.
Cold Roller Process
After the removal of the glossy finish, the adhesive sticks to the film. This allows products that are heat sensitive to be laminated. Smaller rollers are used together with plastic films.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Lamination Machine
Frequency of Use
This is the most important factor to consider when buying a laminator machine. You need to have a look at how often you carry out lamination. If you do so less than once a month, then it may not be a good idea to purchase a lamination machine as it will not be of use much of the time. If you laminate weekly, then you definitely need this device.
Application
You need to think where you are going to use it, and what you are going to use it for. If you want to use your laminator machine at home, then issues such as the warm up time may not be relevant to you. If you want to use this in your business or office, then it may be a good idea to go for laminator devices with a shorter warm up time.
Lamination Capabilities
Some lamination machines are able to laminate pouches that are 5 mils thick, and others go up to 10 mils. This a very important feature to consider as you do not want to buy a product that is not compatible with your pouches.
Heat
Different laminators come with different heat settings. Some are able to operate with 2 heat settings, and others introduce a third heat setting – no heat. This setting is important if you have documents which you will place into pouches with self-adhesives.
Weight
You may need a lamination machine that is portable. This will make it very easy for you to carry it to your office and bring it back home. It is a good idea to go for a product that is rather lightweight.
Additional Features
Not all laminators are made equal. Some come with extra features such as laminate cutters, corner rounders and measuring grids. Try to look out for these features and see if you really need them.
What is a Laminating Machine?
A laminating machine is an electronic device that is used to add a plastic coating to a paper document, card or image. This helps you to preserve your documents and keep them in pristine condition.
How Does a Lamination Machine Work?
A lamination machine has three main components. The first component deals with the inputs. This includes the power buttons, the visual indicators as well as the input tray. The power button is used to switch the entire device on or off. Once the device has been switched on, the user has to wait for a few minutes or so for the heater to heat up to the required temperature. After that, an LED lights up indicating that the device is ready for use. The pouch is then inserted through the input tray
The second component deals with the processing part. In this stage, there are rollers, and heaters. The rollers rotate at a fixed speed and they move the pouch past the heaters. The heaters are used to heat up glue, or fuse the plastic with the paper.
The third component is the output and correction stage. If there are no faults, the document is output and the user takes it out. If there are faults, then the user usually presses a jam button, or the device automatically operates the rollers in the reverse direction for the user to properly insert the pouch.
Laminator Machine FAQs
Can I Laminate a Folder?
Yes. But that is not a good idea in most cases.
What Is The Cold Laminating Process For?
You use cold laminating with pouches that do not need any heat to be applied. These are usually self-adhesive pouches that are used with devices that can be damaged by heat e.g. thermal receipts, sonograms, etc.
Can It Laminate 4×4 Photos?
In most cases, yes.
Can I Undo The Lamination Process?
No. It is like making coffee with milk and trying to get back hot water, milk and the coffee beans.
Are the Machines Auto Fed?
In most cases, yes.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored the top 10 best laminating machines. We have given a thorough analysis of each laminating machine. We also included a comprehensive guide aimed at equipping you with the skills of identifying the best laminating machine to suit your unique needs. In addition, we included a list of comprehensive FAQs for your convenience.
Check out the best laminating machine on Amazon.
