GBC HeatSeal H115 ID Badge Pouch Laminator - W59109B

Staff Review

GBC HeatSeal H115 ID Badge Size Pouch Laminator Review

When it comes to laminators, small-format machines aren’t as popular as the bigger guys. But that’s not to say that the small machines don’t have their place. The GBC HeatSeal H115 laminator is one such machine. It’s a good little laminator at a fair price (under $100) and while the box copy promotes the product as an ID badge laminator, it can definitely be used to laminate other small documents, such as photographs. Read on to find what the GBC HeatSeal H115 has to offer and what its limitations are.

The first thing to note about the GBC HeatSeal H115 laminator is that this is a machine that’s specifically designed to laminate small items. The throat (opening) on this machine is only 4.5 inches wide, so if you need to laminate larger items, this isn’t the machine for you. However, if you’re looking to laminate photographs, ID badges, bookmarks, business cards, and other small items, this machine is a good choice. It offers high-quality lamination for a reasonable cost and it’s very easy to operate. You don’t need to use a carrier when laminating with the H115 (in fact, a notice on the machine specifically demands that you not use one). So, by eliminating that need, you’ll save time during the laminating process. The H115 warms up in about six minutes and features a fixed temperature setting, so you’ll never have to guess what temperature the machine should be set at. Both 5 mil and 7 mil pouches can be used, so your documents will be fairly rigid. The H115 can also laminate a document that’s 6 inches long in under a minute, so it’s rather fast in that regard. Finally, the H115 has two rollers to ensure that your laminated documents will be smooth and virtually free of bubbles and other imperfections.

Since the GBC HeatSeal H115 is capable of only laminating small documents, that in itself will be a drawback for many people. Anyone needing to laminate larger documents will obviously need to choose a different machine and if you’re on a strict budget, that could prove to be a challenge. Although the H115’s fixed temperature setting makes the machine easy to use, this does mean that the machine isn’t capable of cold lamination. This means that you can’t laminate heat-sensitive documents with it, which is unfortunate. The rather slow six-minute heat-up time could be off-putting as well, but any machine available at such a low price will have its drawbacks. Finally, the machine isn’t the best-looking laminator on the market. Frankly, it’s rather unattractive, but it gets the job done. (After all, function is more important than fashion at times, right? Especially when it comes to office machines.)

The GBC HeatSeal H115 is a good small laminator that would be a wise choice for offices that need an affordable machine with which to laminate their small documents, such as ID cards. The H115 is available at a reasonable price and offers high-quality lamination, even if it does have a few minor drawbacks.