Laminating FAQ's

• How long should I wait before Laminating?
• My lamination is bubbly / rippling - what has caused this?
• My laminated image looks cloudy - how come?
  
• Silvering - All you need to know
  

How long should I wait before Laminating?

It is important to wait 48 hours before laminating your prints to allow the solvents in the inks to gas off.  Failure to do this may result in excessive laminate shrinkage or delamination as excess solvents can break down the adhesive structure.  Note that some pale colours may look different when laminated but there is no way around this.

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My lamination is bubbly / rippling - what has caused this?

Bubbling is usually caused by the heat setting on the machine being set too high so if your machine has heat control (which most do) then lower the temperature.
! It is a good idea to always run a test print through the laminator first if you are unsure.

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My laminated image looks cloudy - how come?

This is usually the result of insufficient heat so if your machine has heat control, try and increase the temperature. Also, check the specifications of your machine and that you are not using a film that is too thick.

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Silvering - All you need to know

Silvering is caused by the capture of tiny bubbles of air. It looks like a hazy or reflective area in the lamination. It may go unseen over light areas of an image, but will be more obvious over dark or black areas. Silvering is usually caused by too low of an operating temperature. Silvering is most often seen when a machine is not given time to warm up or if the film temperature drops too low.

If approx 40c heat is applied on the rollers when this film is applied the silvering disappears.
This is due to the fact the glue on the film is softened and warmed when applied and speeds up the polymerisation process.  Over time the silvering when applied cold does slightly reduce but does not totally disappear.

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