Do I need to use a pouch carrier with my laminator?

Using a pouch laminator is pretty easy and it offers a fast way of protecting your important documents and photographs. After all, you really need to do to be successful with this type of device is stick your document in a laminating pouch and then feed it into the machine. However, there is one more thing you should do to extend the life of your laminator: you should place the pouch containing your document in a carrier before it goes through the machine. Here’s a few reasons why…

• First off, you’re probably wondering what a carrier is. A carrier is simply a folded piece of cardstock that you place your pouch in before it goes into the machine. One is included in every box of laminating pouches, so they’re easy to get a hold of. And if you lose the one that came with your supplies, they can be purchased on their own for very little money.
• Every time you use your laminator, the machine emits heat so that the adhesive in the pouch melts to encapsulate your document. As the document makes its way through device, adhesive can trickle out of the pouch and coat the gears and rollers. Over time, the adhesive can build up and make the machine harder to use. There are a number of things that can happen if there’s a build-up of adhesive in your laminator. For one thing, you’ll probably experience a lot of pouch jams. Jams happen when the pouch becomes wrapped around the machine’s rollers. These can be frustrating to deal with and it can take some time to clear them up if they happened to be particularly bad. In the worst case scenario, your laminator could be completely ruined and you’ll have to replace it.
• The good news is you can avoid all the doomsday scenarios by using a carrier each and every time you use your laminator. The carrier will prevent the adhesive from getting all over the place so the inside of your device will stay clean. It will also keep your document straight so it will be less likely to become wrapped around a roller.
• Using a carrier can also help your documents look great. If you don’t use one regularly, you might find that your documents emerge from the device with adhesive deposits on them and possibly heat marks. This will be far less likely to happen if your document is in a carrier when you laminate it. Also, the carrier will prevent the item from becoming marred by fingerprints when it comes out of the device.