A Guide To Lamination
When it comes to flyers, leaflets, box sleeves, door hangers, bottle neck hangers and swing tags, you’re going to want to consider adding lamination to your printed product. But what is lamination? What are the different types? Why bother with it at all? We answer all your questions in our guide to lamination!
What is lamination?
No guide to lamination would be complete without defining the term. Merriam Webster defines lamination as: : ‘the process of laminating 2 : the state of being laminated: a laminated structure’…. Not hugely helpful! Let us take a stab at it!
Lamination is a term used in printing and production, used to describe the process where a thin layer of a material is securely bonded to the surface material of a product. The material is often plastic, but can also be a polymer or another material. It is bonded to the product with heat, pressure or both.
What are the different types of lamination?
There are many different types of lamination out there, including standard thermal laminating films, low-temperature thermal laminating films, heat set (or heat-assisted) laminating films, pressure-sensitive films and liquid laminates.
Of the standard lamination, these four are the most popular:
Matt – matt lamination is cost-effective and offers an elegant, subdued aesthetic. It’s very popular for flyers, brochures and leaflets aimed at adults.
Gloss – gloss lamination is generally the cheapest lamination and adds a shine to your product. It also gives the illusion of brighter colours, and as such is a great choice for printed materials aimed at kids.
Soft-touch – soft to the touch, this velvety lamination looks and feels fantastic: perfect for high end luxury products.
Dry-wipe – make your product dry-erasable with dry wipe lamination. This allows you to write on your product and then erase it, like a white board. This is especially popular for large scale novelty cheques.
Why do I need lamination?
Lamination adds a few benefits to your printed product including:
- Lamination adds durability, meaning your product is less likely to rip or tear
- Lamination adds some limited weatherproofing (dry wipe will add substantially more, and waterproof laminations are also available)
- Lamination provides additional aesthetic benefits to your printed products
- Some lamination types make your product easier to wipe down (like dry-wipe), allowing you to disinfect and reuse your print materials
We hope you found our guide to lamination helpful! If you’re looking to add durability and finish to your printed products, get in touch with our friendly team today, who can advise you on your ideal lamination choice.