One of the great things you can do with some roll laminators is mounting documents on to boards. You can do this to create signs, posters, visual aids, and more. There are different ways to mount your project and this article will fill you in on a few of them so you can decide on the method that’s best for you and your document finishing needs. It will also give you some instructions on how to get those documents mounted. Let’s get started!
- The first thing to do is make sure your laminator can handle boards. If your machine has rollers that are gapable, you’ll be able to do this. Gapable rollers are able to process materials of varying thickness so you can process the thinnest paper or something thicker such as cardstock or foam core. There should be some information in your instruction manual to help you gap the rollers appropriately.
- There are a number of different ways to prepare the board on which you want to mount your documents. Here are a few of them:
- Adhesive Coated Boards: There are pre-made mounting boards that are easy to use. These supplies already have adhesive applied to them and you reveal the sticky surface by peeling off a release liner. Using these materials is the fastest and easiest way to get the job done and there are a number of sizes available for your convenience.
- Apply Adhesive to Board:Another way to get prepared is by applying an adhesive roll to the top roll of the laminator and then run the board through the machine. This isn’t the easiest way to get things done because it can be messy if you’re not careful. You need to ensure that the adhesive doesn’t come into contact with the lower roller. This can be more difficult than you think, unfortunately.
- Apply Adhesive to Your Document: You can also choose to use mounting adhesive on the bottom roller and put a roll of laminating film on the top roller and then run your document through. This essentially helps you create a sticker and it’s pretty easy to do. However, you will need to make sure that the adhesive and film melt at similar temperatures.
- After you’ve run the board through your laminator there are a couple more things you need to do to finish things up. For one thing, you need to get your document or graphic on to the board. You can do this by peeling back the release liner a little ways and then applying the document. Then, run the item through the laminator and the liner will come off. If you need to trim the board down to size afterward, feel free to do so. Then you’ll be done and you can step back to admire your handiwork.
It may take you a few tries before you get the hang of it but you’ll be a pro at mounting your documents with your laminator in no time. Just be patient and you’ll be able to mount your work with ease. Good luck with your projects and happy mounting.