6 Common Issues With Laminating Machines

These are 2 of the most common troubleshooting questions printers ask me about laminating, and they reflect a lot of pent-up frustration.

After all, finishing issues like these delay jobs, waste film and waste stock. So how do you solve them? In this blog post, I give basic solutions to these problems and more. Use these mini-checklists to help you streamline production and give your customers better quality.

1. The film isn't sticking

 

 

 

 

2. There are bubbles under the film

 

3. The print ends up with orange peel

 

4. The print won't lie flat after encapsulating

 

 

 

5. There are marks on the print

6. The film keeps wrapping around the rear rolls

 

– this is the most common way of neutralising static, but make sure you choose one with a metal core, stretch it tight, place it 0.25 inches from what you want to neutralise and give it free airspace

There are lots of pitfalls, which is why it's good to get expert advice – particularly as ink and stock keep changing. I estimate that when I help printers troubleshoot their laminating, 60% of the time it's operator error, 20% of the time it's the wrong stock and 20% of the time it's the wrong choice of film.