Hot versus Cold Lamination

[barry685]

Can anyone describe to me the pros & cons of using either kind laminating system? I am printing with a Z3100 currently with HP Glossy ID paper.

[SeanPuckett]

Can anyone describe to me the pros & cons of using either kind laminating system? I am printing with a Z3100 currently with HP Glossy ID paper.
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Hot laminate supplies are far cheaper than cold (pressure) laminate supplies.  Hot laminating presses are much more expensive than manual cold laminating presses.  Some printed media is incompatible with hot lamination; the heat can drive embedded water to steam and result in print silvering (less of a problem with perforated laminates).  Need to know more?  We need to understand your intended use for the  final result.

Unless you're going to be doing a lot of it, neither system likely something you want to invest in for yourself.  Lamination isn't very expensive when done third party, and it does require mastery -- it's not "click and go."

[pier64]

I like to mount and laminate my prints on foam board. I use a cold laminator (http://www.drytac.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_P.asp?idCategory=238) which as you can see from the link is not very expensive. I like the flexibility to mount pano which can be as long as you like. Mounting is very easy while laminating can be tricky because the film is very thin and if you do not apply the right sort of tension you may end up trapping some air bubbles or cringe the surfice of the film. The supplies are quite expensive because the films come in long rolls. Foam board are cheap and you can use many other materials such as wood or plastic. I do not print a lot and the supplies last many months. Overall I like mounting my own work a lot and it is definitely something which you could do at home.

[barry685]

Sean,
Prints are intended to be give as an end product to customers & must be archival. I am a professional portrait photographer. www.barrystudios.com

Until now I have been spraying my prints with a textured lacquer (Lacquermat). For health & environmental reasons I want to switch to lamination. I actually own a 26" Coda cold mount laminator but I seem to ruin to many prints. I guess I would purchase a Heat activated one if it was easier to use & less prone to ruining prints.

So far I have been using Drytac Ant leather cold laminate.

Barry

[dereknz]

I use a 65" wide Titan 165 Roll Mounter Laminater which takes both thermal or (cold) pressure sensitive laminate as well as pressure sensitive adhesive film for mounting onto substrates up to 1/2' thick. A Great multipurpose machine and comes in smaller sizes.

As mentioned by SeanPuckett cold laminating is safer than thermal as there are some printed media that don't thermal laminate well.

Maybe another option is spaying a waterbase liquid laminate i.e. Gicleesheld with HVLP turbine gun for minimal overspay? Not sure how it will go on HP Glossy ID paper though

Derek
www.artprint.co.nz

[barry685]

I use a 65" wide Titan 165 Roll Mounter Laminater which takes both thermal or (cold) pressure sensitive laminate as well as pressure sensitive adhesive film for mounting onto substrates up to 1/2' thick. A Great multipurpose machine and comes in smaller sizes.

As mentioned by SeanPuckett cold laminating is safer than thermal as there are some printed media that don't thermal laminate well.

Maybe another option is spaying a waterbase liquid laminate i.e. Gicleesheld with HVLP turbine gun for minimal overspay? Not sure how it will go on HP Glossy ID paper though

Derek
www.artprint.co.nz
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Derek,

I am not stuck on using the HP Glossy paper. I actually chose it because I thought a glossy surface is good for lamination & because of it's wide gamut. As far as a water based spray goes, I want a texture on the surface & I don't think there is a water based coating that has one.

[SeanPuckett]

The biggest problem with inexpensive roller laminators is roll handling.  Without supply and/or idler roller to straighten out the feed path, misalignments and wrinkles will plague you.  They sure plague me, but I've rigged some low tech "bolt-ons" to my laminator that get the job done with a lot less grief.

Hot lamination has an additional advantage over cold -- you can align and sandwich everything before it goes into the laminator, because heat activated adhesives are low- or no-tack at room temperature.  That doesn't mean it's a no-brain solution, but it does mean that you can spend some time getting things right before sending it through the machine.  Cold lamination requires perfect alignment first time.

If you're not laminating anything bigger than 16x20, you might consider an inexpensive flatbed hot press, something by Seal perhaps (I've got a "frog" that's at least fifty years old and still going).  With the right choice of materials you can mount and laminate at one go.  There are bigger flatbed presses and even fancy "hot glass vacuum " presses, but they're very expensive and take up a lot of floor space.   Still, compared to a wide format printer and as part of business expenses, they're not completly out of line.  

Have you tried talking to DryTac directly?  They've got technicians who are actually very helpful in making a decision on materials and options.  Since they sell both hot and cold adhesive material, they're not predisposed to an answer either way.  Give 'em a call and see what they say.  

Now, there are other ways to get durable textured prints.  There are canvas and linen textured papers, and with an overcoating such as Premier EcoShield (waterbased hvlp spray, gloss/satin/matte avail) you can drymount or cold laminate your output on hardboard and coat them and still enjoy a measure of abrasion and UV resistance.

I'm constantly experimenting with different combinations of media, mounting and protection.  One thing is relatively constant, though: I'm done with glazing.  Hate glass, hate acrylic, sick of putting prints under it.  I'm experimenting now with tapestry printing for a very unique look; some of these prints (at eight feet tall) will be used in our local symphony hall.  

Sorry the topic's wandered... There's lots of folks who will have more suggestions for you.  Best of luck!

[marcsitkin]

We're successfully laminating gloss prints from the Z3100 using heat assist laminates.
We do turn off the GE option, as testing has shown the GE weakens the bond on the laminates we are using. We favor thermal assist for much of our work because these films "set" instantly, and we can get the work out without  a waiting period for curing.

Cold laminates are typically more aggressive than hot, and they do bond to a wider variety of materials. They do need to cure for a period of time for the adhesion to build, and should not be trimmed immediately, or you may find the edges starting to delaminate.

Your equipment and materials supplier are very important if you want to deliver a top quality product. We use AGL equipment, and AGL or DryTac films. Both companies provide excellent products backed by knowledgeable staff. DryTac in particular has a lot of experience in the framing market and may be able to provide solutions appropriate to your market.

[Gary Damaskos]

I have the Coda 26" cold mount also. I do up to 16x24 currently. I will say that I needed to "learn" a routine I guess, and once learned, the issue with ruined prints has almost completely gone away. Mine is a manual, I think the motorized version would bring me to 99.9%. But of course if getting the eye/hand thing isn't hopeful then the heat lam will be the way to go, and the recs for the older seal are probably good ones to explore.
Good luck
Gary

Sean,
Prints are intended to be give as an end product to customers & must be archival. I am a professional portrait photographer. www.barrystudios.com

Until now I have been spraying my prints with a textured lacquer (Lacquermat). For health & environmental reasons I want to switch to lamination. I actually own a 26" Coda cold mount laminator but I seem to ruin to many prints. I guess I would purchase a Heat activated one if it was easier to use & less prone to ruining prints.

So far I have been using Drytac Ant leather cold laminate.

Barry
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