Pouch Laminators
Technical Support

• A POUCH IS JAMMED IN MY LAMINATOR
• RIPPLES OR WAVES IN THE LAMINATED PRODUCT
• MY LAMINATION IS HAZY, NOT CRYSTAL CLEAR
• MY LAMINATION IS CURLED & WON'T LIE FLAT
• MY LAMINATED PHOTOS HAVE BIG BUBBLES

This problem is usually caused by failure to use a carrier. A carrier is a folded piece of cardstock with a special coating on the inside that is resistant to adhesive. The carrier's purpose is to protect your pouch laminator from the adhesive which inevitably squeezes out of a laminated pouch. We provide several carriers with each box of laminating pouches.

A jam can also occur if the carrier is positioned at an angle when it is fed into the laminator. The carrier may run into the side of the laminator and hang there.

Pouch jams are usually easy to correct, but you will need a screw driver. Turn the laminator off and disconnect the power. Then locate the screws which secure the housing of the laminator. For the PL4 and PL12 laminators, these screws are on the sides of the laminators. For the PL135-4, the screws are located underneath the rubber feet on the bottom of the laminator. Do not attempt to adjust the tension screws visible on the bottom of the laminator. Once the screws are removed, you can lift the housing. It will not come all the way apart, but you should be able to reach the jammed pouch and pull it out. Never use the screw driver or a knife to dislodge the jam. This may damage the laminator rollers. Carefully secure the housing and replace the screws. Your pouch laminator should work like new.

This is caused by laminating at a temperature too high. Simply turning the laminator down a little will usually correct this problem. If the problem persists, try using a heavier gauge laminate.

The haze is almost always caused by minute air bubbles. The haze is more obvious where it covers black print on the paper. Hazy output can be corrected by turning up the heat on the laminator so the adhesive can melt and form a good bond. Try adjusting the temperature upward a very small amount at a time until the lamination is clear.

The most common cause of this problem is the mis-handling of the hot laminated product as it comes out the back of the laminator. Until the product is cold, it is very pliable and can bend, forming a permanent curve. Take care to avoid the natural tendency to pull up on the carrier as it comes out the back of the laminator. Also, allow the carrier to lie flat for a few seconds until it begins to cool down.

If the pouch curves up at opposite edges as it cools, this is a problem commonly known as "potato-chipping" or "torquing." The problem is caused by the film used to make the pouch, and no amount of careful handling will correct it.

Laminating photos using a pouch laminator is tricky business. We recommend never using a pouch laminator to laminate a photo that can't be replaced. The problem is: A photograph has a very high moisture content. When it is passed through a thermal pouch laminator, the moisture is released, in a process called "out-gassing." The laminator rollers press down to seal the laminate, and the moisture has nowhere to go, so it is entrapped in the laminate.

So, how do you laminate photos? First of all, there is less of a problem for very small photos, such as 1" x 1-1/4" photos used for I.D.'s. Using an insert for a photo I.D. that has a well punched into it practically eliminates the bubbling problem.

There are other ways to successfully laminate photographs. One very popular way is to use our Xyron cold laminator. Acid-free laminate is available with the Xyron laminator, to make it even more desirable for laminating photos. Also, we have observed success using a thermal roll laminator, which applies the laminate of two rolls coming together at the nip (instead of pressing together like a pouch), therefore allowing the moisture to out-gas naturally.

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