Why Should You Laminate Your Scrapbook Pages?

Having a laminator around the house is a great way to preserve memories and unforgettable moments. One popular project we hear from our customers? Laminating scrapbook pages.

Whether laminating just photos to attach to your pages or the entire scrapbook page, this can be a fun and beautiful way to capture and return to your favorite moments in time.

Why is Laminating your Scrapbook Pages a Good Idea?

The purpose of making a scrapbook is to create something that you can come back to or even share through generations. Laminating is one way to help ensure it can stand the test of time. Here is why:

1. Protects pages from tearing: Tearing at the binding or edges that are grabbed when turning is common when scrapbooks are handled over the years. Laminating will prevent this from happening from end to end. Plus, it can easily be punched and bound into any kind of scrapbook you are making.
2. Protects pages from spills: A little “oops” is bound to make an appearance when flipping through scrapbooks with children. Not to mention a tear or two that drops from your eyes as you revisit these cherished memories. Or maybe a spill from the wine glass that you can’t catch in time before it hits the edges of your pages. Whatever the liquid, lamination protects your pages from all kinds of moisture.
3. Protects pages from dirt: Laminating means no more little chocolate-stained fingerprints (though, that sounds like a nice touch in a baby book) or sticky dust attaching to your pages and affecting their integrity.
4. Protects from the sun: Some lamination also offers UV protection to help prevent the degrading and fading of your photos. While scrapbooks may not see enough sun to really damage the contents in the moment, choosing to laminate them can help ensure photos stay bright and true-to-color through the generations.
5. Enhances colors and contrast: Glossy pouches can make color photos look even more vibrant while matte pouches can reduce glare and make them easier to see.
6. “A place for everything, everything in its place” - Benjamin Franklin: If you choose to laminate the entire page, then you can also ensure any little embellishments remain in-place and don’t slide around or fall off over time. Just note that you won’t be able to laminate over thicker scrapbook embellishments, only flat paper-style ones.

Alternatives to Lamination for Scrapbook Pages

Page protectors are a common alternative to laminating a scrapbook page; however, the top of these sleeves remains open. The benefit of that, of course, is that you can pull your sheet out to edit it. But the potential problem is that it leaves your contents susceptible to moisture damage.

What You Need to Laminate Scrapbook Pages

• Your Finalized Designed Page + a test sheet of similar thickness
• Pouch Laminator
• Laminating Pouches
  • TIP: Choose a pouch that allows enough extra width on the edge for your binding of choice. We recommend at least 1/4” on each edge for base encapsulation, so add about 1/2" or more extra width on top of that for your binding style. You can always trim a pouch to-size, but you can’t make it wider.
• Pouch Carrier (optional)
• Hole Punch or Binding Machine

How to Laminate Scrapbook Pages

Get yourself a pouch laminator and some laminating pouches to fit your pages, and you’re ready!

1. Turn on your pouch laminator to let it warm up. Set the heat or speed settings for the pouch thickness you are using according to the user manual.
2. Arrange your items on a sheet of thinner paper; you don’t need to worry about having thick cardstock since the page will be laminated anyway. You can use a small piece of 2-sided tape or an adhesive applicator to hold them in place.
3. Slide your page into a laminating pouch and center it while allowing more space on the left edge to punch your binding holes after.
   1. TIP: Always laminate a test sheet with similar or mock-up elements so you can make any adjustments to the heat or speed before sending your final scrapbook page through. Once laminated you cannot undo it, so testing is always a good rule of thumb.
4. When your laminator is ready, send your pouch through with the pre-sealed edge first.
5. Key Step: Place it to flat on a table until completely cool to keep it nice and straight. Do not handle the page or let it hang partway out of the laminator, creating an unfixable bend.
6. Punch the pages for whatever kind of scrapbook you have. Popular options include loose-leaf rings, 3-ring binders, and sometimes spiral coil.

If you don’t want to buy a hot pouch laminator, you can also use self-stick/cold laminating pouches and the back of a spoon to laminate each page.

Other Fun Things to Do with a Pouch Laminator

Pouch laminators can do more than just add lamination to your scrapbook pages. They can be used to add exciting metallic or iridescent foils, make placemats with your kids’ drawings, make magnets, dry-erase activity sheets, and so much more. You can even pair them with a fun sticker maker for more fun opportunities.

Finding the Best Pouch Laminator for Scrapbooking

When choosing a laminator to preserve your most beloved memories, you won’t want to just choose any machine off the shelf. Here are our top four picks for the best laminators for scrapbooking:

	The HP 1220: At only about $20, this is the most affordable scrapbook laminator you will be able to find. And with the HP name to back it, you know you are getting a quality machine. It can handle pages up to 12” wide and pouches up to 5mil thick, so you will need to keep embellishments on the thin side. The only problem: this machine is discontinued so stock is extremely limited and only available while supplies last.
	The Fellowes Spectra 125: This brand-name laminator is priced below $100, handles up to 12.5” wide pages, and pouches up to 5mil thick. It has a quick 4-minute warm-up time and comes with a starter kit for free.
	The Akiles Pro-Lam Plus 330: Moderately priced for the quality provided, this pouch laminator handles 13” wide pages, allows for hot and cold laminating, and has a reverse switch to help with realignment when fed off-center. It is also designed for photos, ensuring a crystal-clear finish for photo paper prints and thicker stocks.
	The Sprinter 335R6: If you want to invest in a truly high-quality laminator, then this is your best bet. Variable heat and speed controls let you fine-tune the lamination and it can handle up to 10mil pouches, so you can use some thicker flat embellishments. It will handle 13” wide pages, which gives you plenty of extra room for that binding edge. Plus, 6-rollers help ensure even and consistent heat from end to end for a top-quality finish. Plus, it can switch from hot to cold laminating for extra versatility.

If you have any questions or need help choosing the perfect pouch laminator or supplies for your scrapbooking project, please call our friendly agents at . Happy scrapbooking!