If you work in an office then you’ve probably seen it happen – an important piece of work is printed off and prepared for a vital meeting only to have it destroyed by a careless co-worker who spills their drink all over the document. Laminating documents can help solve these problems by protecting the paper from unforeseen spills and tears.

A laminator is a machine which enables you to laminate documents quickly and easily. There are primarily used in offices, businesses, schools and homes to produce documents or ID cards which are waterproof and protected from tearing. There are many different brands, types and sizes of laminating machines and it is important to know the differences when you are looking to buy one.

If cost is an issue and you only require a limited amount of laminating done then a pouch laminator should be on your shopping list. These type of laminators use two heated rollers to seal a pouch of plastic over the document. A pouch laminator is often cost effective and are great for small business or home use.

Of course, if you require a large amount of lamination done then you will need a more expensive and larger type of machine. Roll laminators fit this bill and are usually used in a commercial capacity, large government departments or schools. As with a pouch laminator, they use heated rollers to work. However, they are able process a larger number of documents in a short period of time. Due to the heat produced they shouldn’t be used on documents that might be damaged by something hot.

The third type of laminating machine is the ID laminator. As the name suggests, these laminators are designed to laminate ID cards. Some machines enable you to insert micro text, micro chips or other anti-forgery designs under the laminate plastic. Others punch holes so that you can attach a lanyard or clip to the ID card.

One thing you should be aware of is that not every laminator can laminate documents of different thickness. So if you want to laminate something like thick cardboard or – in the case of ID cards – thick plastic then you should ask the retailer whether the machine you are looking at has the capacity to be used on these types of materials.

You can buy laminating machines from office stores or department stores. If you want to find one at a cheaper price than retail then it is possible to find them at ex-government auctions, foreclosure sales and second hand office stores. Another option is to investigate well known online retailers like eBay where people often sell their old laminators.