How to Fix the Pouch Jam in My Laminator?

Pouch laminators are some of the most helpful office and craft appliances available. They are incredibly easy to use, but, from time to time, a pouch might get stuck in your laminator. If you don’t know how to properly deal with this situation, you could risk seriously damaging your machine.

Preventing Pouch Laminator Jams

The best way to deal with a pouch jam is by preventing one in the first place. There are a few precautions you can take to reduce the likelihood of a jam occurring.

1. Choose a pouch laminator that has jam resistant features like a reverse function. If your machine can reverse a pouch out, you will be able to stop your machine the moment your document seems to be going through improperly. Removing it the way it went in, instead of running it all the way through, can prevent your project from wrapping around the rollers, causing a jam.

1. Use a pouch carrier. These adhesive-resistant folders are designed to work with any pouch laminator that is 10mil compatible. Inserting your document and pouch into a carrier before laminating can prevent the melted adhesive from getting onto your machine's rollers.

1. Keep your laminator clean. If adhesive does get on your rollers, be sure to clean your machine as soon as possible with adhesive remover. If you don’t keep up with laminator maintenance, the adhesive can cause issues with the gears and adhere to the outside of future laminating projects.

1. Never laminate three-dimensional or metallic items. Laminators are not designed to handle these items and they can damage your rollers. This will drastically increase the likelihood of a jam.

1. Follow your laminator’s specifications. Use the proper temperature settings and laminating pouches for your machine. Additionally, make sure you feed documents into the laminator correctly. Using incompatible film thickness/mil can damage your machine. Incorrect heat and crooked feeding can damage your pouch. Both of which will make jams much more likely.

Fixing Jams in Your Pouch Laminator

If a pouch jam does occur, it’s not the end of the world. There are a few things you can do to try to fix the problem:

1. Turn off the machine and unplug it.

   If you don’t, the laminator will continue to run and could burn itself out destroying the motor. By turning off your device you are less likely to have to repair or replace your machine. Additionally, working with a machine that’s still turned on can be dangerous.

1. Try to gently pull out the pouch.

   Once the laminator has been shut off, look to see if there’s any damage. If you tried to laminate a thick item, chances are it was too big to make it through the machine. Try to gently pull it out. Be sure to not pull too hard. Being too aggressive can make the problem worse and damage the interior of the device.

1. Put the laminator in reverse mode.

   There is a possibility that the laminating pouch is curled up inside the device. If this is the problem, turn the machine back on and put it in reverse mode to solve the problem. If the pouch starts to come out this way, you can gently tug and guide it with your hands. Again, don’t pull too hard or you risk damaging the laminator.

1. Open the laminator.

   Unplug the device again and let it cool down so you don’t burn yourself. If the pouch is really stuck in your laminator, you might need to use a more drastic tactic to solve the problem. Some laminators have hinges and can open up like a printer or fax machine. Try opening yours to see if you can remove the pouch jam manually from the rollers. If you need to cut the pouch to remove it, make sure the blade doesn’t touch the rollers. They can be easily damaged by sharp utensils.

1. Check for a release lever.

   If your machine doesn’t open, check if it has a pouch jam lever. This lever separates the machine’s rollers to make it easier to dislodge the stuck item. The pouch jam lever may look similar to the one pictured here on the Swingline Inspire Plus Pouch Laminator.

1. Open up the laminator yourself using tools or call a professional.

   This method is okay if you have some mechanical knowledge and feel comfortable working with machines. But this shouldn’t be attempted unless you know what you are doing. If you do try this, make sure the laminator is unplugged so you won’t burn or electrocute yourself. This will likely void the warranty and might cause further problems. If you aren’t technically savvy, we recommend reaching out to a professional, like the MyBinding Service & Repair Team, to asses to the problem.

If following these steps doesn’t resolve the issue, we have laminator parts and repairs available. For more information, please call us toll-free at or chat with us.