MyBinding Knowledge Base
How do I laminate something using my School Laminator?
Most schools have a roll laminator that is used to laminate murals, name tags, student work, maps, and so on. In fact, these machines are often called school laminators due to their popularity with educators. Although these devices are easy to use, many people need some help in learning how to operate them. Here are some step-by-step instructions for laminating documents with your school laminator:
- Turn on the laminator. The power switch is usually located at the back of the device.
- Take a moment to ensure that the heat shield and feed tray are properly positioned. If these parts aren’t in the right place, you won’t be able to use your laminator.
- When you turn on your laminator, chances are it went to its default setting. Depending on how thick your laminating film is, you’ll need to adjust the speed and heat settings. Thicker films require the machine to be on a slower setting while thinner films need faster settings. You should consult the machine’s instruction manual to see which settings are best for your needs.
- The laminator will need some time to warm up. Some devices can take up to 10 minutes to warm up, so it’s a good idea to turn on your laminator ahead of time. When the machine is ready, the “ready” light will go on.
- Place your materials on the machine’s feed plate. Make sure they are centered.
- Press your laminator’s “run” button to begin the process. Once the machine’s rollers start moving, you can push your materials into the nip area. If you have multiple things to laminate, you can continuously feed them into the device. Make sure that the items don’t overlap.
- When you’re done laminating, stop the machine. If the laminator has a film cutter, use it to free your items. You can do this by pressing down on the cutter’s handle.
- Turn off your machine unless you have more items to laminate. Depending on your machine, it might have a standby mode that will kick in, which will conserve energy in between laminating jobs.
< Over the years, a number of customers have asked me whether they can use twin loop wire with their plastic comb binding machine. These customers often don’t want to have to buy a brand new machine but like the look and feel of twin loop wire binding. However, the answer to their question isn’t as simple as it seems. You see, they actually do make twin loop wire that is designed to work with the plastic comb binding hole pattern. With that said, if you want to use these wires you are going to need a way to close the wires. What is Spiral-O Wire? Let me explain a little bit more…There is a product that we carry called Spiral-O Wire. This wire has 19 loops and is designed to work with the hole pattern from a plastic comb binding machine. Spiral-O Wire is sometimes called Wire Combs or Ibico Wire and was originally designed for use with some of the older Ibico binding machines. A number of the older Ibico plastic comb binding machines also included a twin loop wire closer on the front of them to allow users to use both plastic combs and wire. This 19 loop wire was designed for this purpose. What Equipment is Needed? As the Ibico brand has been phased out by GBC and all of the older Ibico plastic binding machines have been replaced with new models, they no longer have the twin loop wire closer on the front of them. This presents a problem in trying to use these spiral-o wires since you can’t use the wires without a way to close them. One of the only options left is to purchase a Twin Loop wire closer. However, since twin loop wire closers are not incredibly cheap this option usually only appeals to users who have larger electric plastic comb binding machines. Otherwise, it is often advisable to simply buy a low end 3:1 pitch twin loop wire binding machine (the supplies are cheaper). This being said, if you have one of the older Ibico binding machines that has a wire closer included you are in luck. The Spiral-O binding supplies that we carry will work perfectly with your machine and you will be able to use both plastic combs and wire depending on your needs. These Spiral-O binding supplies are available in Black, Silver, White, Blue and Red and in sizes up to 1″ in diameter. If you aren’t sure what type of wire binding supplies that you need to work with your machine simply give us a call. Our trained sales representatives will be glad to help you find the correct supplies for use with your machine.(Read More)
