Best Laminating Machines

A laminating machine is essential for preserving and safeguarding various small documents and paperwork like ID card, badge IDs, important documents, certificates and even validating xeroxes and document copies. Whether at home or school for kids projects or at the office for heavy-duty use, there's no doubting the usefulness of such an appliance.

There are 2 main types of laminating machines, based on the type of physical parts present. A laminator can have a roller mechanism or use the pouch system, where the object to be laminated, has to be placed in a pouch for the laminating process to take place. The best laminating machine for home use is usually the pouch type as these are meant for less or moderate use and less complex to maneuver.

For office use, which is usually heavy-duty, the roller mechanism is preferred. The roller type are capable of larger or wider document lamination as compared to pouch and can handle a larger load. The paper size or width that can be laminated, as well as allowed document thickness are 2 key factors to look for in a laminating machine. A reverse mode is a error or damage proof mechanism which allows you to disengage stuck pouches or documents and prevent damage. This mode is also useful in cleaning the machine, when needed. In this article, the 10 best laminating machines are listed, with a brief description of their features.

Top 10 Laminating Machines

♦ Xyron eZLaminator Laminating Machine

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Roller	16 x 10 x 8.2	Home use	9 inches	Manual operation through hand crank Laminating ink is refillable through cartridge Cold seal allows photographs lamination	$80

♦ Banner American Pouch Laminator - PL135-4

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Pouch	21 x 7 x 4	School and home	12x18 inches	Both hot and cold lamination allowed 5 minute warm up Capable of laminating through 250 microns thick pouch	$280

♦ Banner American Easy-Lam II Roll Laminator

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Roller	NA	School	Up to 27 inches wide	Adjustable heat, temperature and feed table Safety shield and bottom idler attached Reverse switch feature	$1230

♦ Banner American Heavy Duty Pouch Laminator - PL12A

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Pouch	19 x 8.5 x 4.8	Office	Up to 12 inches	Machine ready for use in 4 minutes Heavy duty use Adjustable temperature rate and thermometer display Hot and cold laminating possible Separate "Heat" and "Run" controls	$300

♦ Fellowes Saturn 125 Laminator

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Roller	3.6 x 21 x 8	Office	Up to 12 inches wide	Start up time of 5 minutes Hot lamination ability will laminate up to 3 - 5 microns thick pouch HeatGuard® - heat is kept within the machine, it is always cool to touch If a pouch gets jammed, use release lever to remove it easily Portable with built-in handle and cord storage part	$230

♦ Fellowes EXL 45-3 Laminator

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Pouch	3 x 10 x 6	Home	Up to 4½ inches wide	Hot lamination machine Warm up time of 4 minutes Auto shut-off feature cuts off heat when machine not in use Ideal for quick, small document lamination in 1 minute Will laminate objects up to 5 microns thick	$85

♦ Fellowes Venus 125 Laminator

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Roller	4.8 x 21.8 x 9.6	Heavy-duty office use	Up to 12½ inches wide documents	Hot and cold laminating ability with 5 adjustable temperature settings Machine ready for laminating in 4 minutes Will laminate documents up to 10 microns thickness Easy maintenance and cleaning - remove the top or certain parts to clean Efficient functioning - Double internal walls for heat, HeatGuard Technology™, auto off when not in use Reverse mode facility	$450

♦ GBC HeatSeal® QuickStart H320 Pouch Laminator

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Pouch	7 x 23 x 8	Home and office	Up to 12½ wide documents	Hot laminating feature Warm up time of 1 minute Machine will auto-turn off after 30 minutes of no use Extra fast laminating speed - 18 inch feet per minute Easy and quick user interface through touch buttons No jams with JamFree spec Mistakenly fed documents can be retrieved with QuickRelease spec	$240

♦ GBC HeatSeal H700PRO Pouch Laminator

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Pouch	18 x 31 x 12	Office	Up to 18 inches wide	Will laminate documents up to 10 microns thick Hot laminating ability Efficient heat management with auto-turn off feature and cooling fan Easy control system with LCD screen Reverse motor function for dealing with jams	$2440

♦ Scotch™ Thermal Laminator TL-901

Machine Type	Machine Dimensions (Inches)	Area of Use	Document Size Accepted	Extra Features	Price
Roller	NA	Home	Up to 9 inches wide	2 heat settings present No fear of jams - use lever to eject document Will laminate documents up to 5 microns thick Can be used with photos Two 9.4 inch pouches included free of charge	$30 (approx)

It is clear from the above listed laminating machines, that price is a variable factor when it comes to choosing such a machine. Small in size pouch models are usually cheaper than their roller counterparts. The more the allowed paper width, the more the price. So in your search for the ideal laminating machine for your home or office, keep it simple - choose a simple machine, easy to operate with the specs that are useful for you.