The difference between a heat shoe and heated roller lies in how heat is applied to the laminating film. With a heat shoe laminator, the laminating film is pulled across curved pieces of Teflon-coated metal (the heat shoes) before it enters the nip, the place where the laminating rollers meet. The rollers simply apply the pressure to squeeze the adhesive onto the item being laminated. The rollers become hot as a result of heat radiating from the heat shoes like a rotisserie. This can cause the back side of the rollers to remain cooler than the front of the rollers until the laminating rollers have been turning for a sufficient period of time.

With a heated roller laminator, the silicon rollers are internally heated and provide both the heat and pressure to laminate simultaneously.

Benefits of a Heat Shoe Laminator

• Generally less expensive than heated roller laminators
• Hold heat slightly better than heated roller laminators
• Heat up faster than heated roller laminators

Benefits of Heated Roller Laminator

• Rollers are heated uniformly, allowing the user to warm up the laminator without leaving the rollers turning. This also reduces waste.
• Provides a clear lamination if the rollers are kept clean
• Allows the use of Oriented PolyPropylene (OPP) film, as the tension on the laminating film is less than that of a heat shoe laminator
• The laminator can be run at a lower temperature than a heat shoe laminator, because the laminating film is heated at the same time that pressure is applied.