Buyers' Guide

Over the past five years more and more printers have been bringing laminating in-house in an effort to save money and generate new income streams. One area where growth has been particularly strong is in the digital sector as companies aim to improve the appearance and durability of the printed product.

This has traditionally been a difficult task because many of the inks or fusing oils digital presses use tend to repel the film, says John Gilmore, managing director at laminating and encapsulating kit manufacturer Autobond.

However, a number of manufacturers of finishing kit have developed features to cope with this, while others have developed machines that specifically combat the problems associated with laminating digital print.

Litho printers with a digital department have been buying laminators to handle both processes, adds Gilmore.
There has also been a move towards biodegradable film. It is currently very expensive but the price is expected to come down as demand from end users and printers increases. With short runs increasingly becoming the norm, quick and easy makereadies take precedence over high running speeds.

Laminators use either thermal film, which incorporates a dry adhesive on one side, or a film with a wet adhesive applied at the point of lamination. However, wet laminating is the more cost effective in the long run but requires greater operator skill and as a result thermal film laminating is by far the most commonly used today.

Large trade laminators tend to use water-based processes – the initial capital investment of the equipment is about three times the price of thermal but materials for wet laminating are only half as expensive as those used for thermal, says Gilmore. Wet laminating allows you to use films with special textures, for example metalised or iridescent, and also acetate film, which can be biodegradable.

When looking to invest, Gilmore advises it’s probably best to take a sample of work that you want laminated to the manufacturer’s premises and see it being done. Then check after-sales support and spare parts availability.

Easy-to-use laminators with a small footprint are inexpensive investments and by laminating in-house printers can create additional profits, win new work, or save costs by not sending jobs out to trade finishers.

WHAT'S NEW IN LAMINATING AND ENCAPSULATING

• Print finishing specialist Folio, based in Bristol, made the move into laminating last month, investing in a new Tauler PrintLam CTIS 105 B1 large-format laiminator from supplier Friedheim

• Healeys Printers has invested £250,000 over the past 18 months in overhauling its bindery and bringing lamination in-house. The Ipswich-based printer’s most recent acquisition was a Jupiter fully-automated B3 laminator, which it bought from Encore Machinery

• Bury-St-Edmunds-based Langley Lamination said it was returning to its traditional roots of encapsulation after joining forces with Harleston-based finisher Coatings Direct. The two companies now offer a complete coatings service. Langley added that prior to the partnership it was spending between £3,500-£4,000 a month on laminating

• Autobond launched its Mini 76 TPM perfecting laminator with cross-cutter at Drupa. The Mini 76 TPM is aimed at the digital print market and allows users to apply magnetic film on one side of the print and normal film on the other. Autobond will demonstrate the new laminator at Total Print! in October