School Laminators.com providing top quality laminators, binding systems, cutters and trimmers, I.D. card systems, dry erase boards, school furniture, computer workstations, audio-visual aids, and resurfacing panels School Laminators.com
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Providing top-quality, easy-to-use, reliable products to educational institutions,
pre-K through post-grad school, since 1993.

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POUCH LAMINATOR SUPPORT

I fed a pouch into my pouch laminator and it didn't come out the back. What should I do?

Uh-oh. You have a pouch stuck in the laminator. Here is how to fix it.

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. This often happens when you are laminating a pouch that is only slightly smaller than the opening of the laminator. You can prevent the carrier and pouch from feeding into the laminator crooked by shutting off the rollers, sliding the carrier into the laminator until it touches the front rollers, and then turning the rollers back on. This ensures that the carrier and pouch go into the laminator square.

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.

Most importantly, remember that pouch laminators do not need to be fed. They are supposed to give back everything that you feed into them. If you put a pouch or carrier into the laminator and it does not come out, do not feed in any more pouches or carriers. This will only cause more problems.
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There are ripples or waves in the finished product. What causes this?

This is caused by laminating with the temperature turned too high. Simply turning the laminator down a little will usually correct this problem. If the problem persists, try using a heavier gauge pouch such as 7 mil or 10 mil.
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My finished product looks clear and shiny, but it does not lie flat.

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" "torquing." The problem is caused by the film used to make the pouch, and no amount of careful handling will correct it. Many times this will occur in only a few pouches in a box, so if this problem occurs, try a few more pouches in the box.
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The finished product is hazy or cloudy.

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.
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Last Updated: 04-Dec-08