Call 847-398-5212, How a Heated Roller Laminator Saves Money

Every school has one. Teachers and scrap bookers say it is one of their favorite tools.  Yet, in these tough economic times, the laminator is often one of the first pieces of equipment to remain idle.  This does not have to be so.  With a heated roller laminator, you can reduce your laminating costs without sacrificing quality.

First, let me provide a quick lesson on laminators. Roll laminators come in a multitude of sizes, configurations, and costs.  Laminators generally operate in two ways.  A heat shoe laminator consists of curved pieces of coated metal that surround the laminating rollers.  This metal is heated up and the laminating film is pulled across the shoes to melt the adhesive on the laminating film.  The rollers simply provide the pressure to stick the film to the item you are laminating.  The second type of laminator is a heated roller laminator.   Just as it sounds, the rollers in a heated roller laminator, which are normally made of silicon, are heated and thus melt the adhesive and provide the pressure for laminating at the same time.

So how can a heated roller laminator save you money?  It boils down to two factors: heat and waste. Let's look at each of these in more detail.

Heat Shoe Laminator

In order to melt the adhesive on laminating film, heat must be applied.  A standard 1.5 mil laminating film that is commonly used in schools generally melts around 275 degrees.  Now, with a heat shoe laminator, there is a small gap in between the heat shoe, where the heat is applied, and the rollers, where the pressure is applied. Now because there is no heating occurring in this gap, the laminating film cools down in between the heat shoe and the roller.  This often requires the laminator to be heated to a temperature much higher than 275 degrees, using more electricity and increasing the wear on the laminator's internal heating element.  A heated roller laminator does not require the laminator to be heated over the operating temperature of the laminating film because the film is constantly in contact with the heat source as pressure is applied to the item being laminated.  Lower heat equals less electricity used and less wear.  Not only is this good for your pocketbook, but good for the environment as well.

Heated Roller Laminator

A heated roller laminator results in much less waste than a heat shoe laminator.  Much like inkjet printers, a large part of the cost of laminating does not stem from the laminator itself, but the consumable supplies used.  Standard laminating film can be as expensive as $50 per roll.  By minimizing even just a few feet of waste per roll, large savings can be made.  A heated roller laminator minimizes waste in two ways.  First, when a heat shoe laminator is warming up, only the portion of the laminating rollers that are closest to the heat shoes are being heated.  The back sides of the laminating rollers remain cool.  This results in a repeating foggy pattern on the first several prints that are laminated because the cooler sides of the laminating rollers lower the temperature of the laminating film below the film's melt temperature before the appropriate amount of pressure can be applied.  Unless the laminator operator rotates the rollers during warm up, the first few feet of laminating film is wasted.

This is not the case with the heated roller laminator because the rollers are uniformly heated. Second, the clarity of laminated prints tends to be better with a heated roller laminator.  The laminating film is pulled across the heat shoes in a heat shoe laminator.  Any dust or burrs on the heat shoe can scratch the laminating film as it is pulled across the heat shoes.

In the past, heated roller laminators have been overly expensive when compared to heat shoe laminators.  GBC manufactures a popular heated roller school laminator; however the price is much higher than standard heat shoe laminators.  However, Banner American Products, a California-based manufacturer, recently introduced a low-priced heated roller laminator called the EasyLam School Budget.  The EasyLam Budget is half the price of existing heated roller laminators and is manufactured in the US. Start saving today with a heated roller laminator.

You Need a Correct-Tek Copier Repair Services, Refurbished and New Copier Sales Parts..

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Call 847-398-5212, Is Your Copier a Major Security Risk to Your Customers?

Most companies pride themselves on the steps they take to keep their customer's and their employee's data safe and secure.  In many cases though, this sensitive data is readily available when a company discards their old copier.  A 60 Minutes report earlier this year showed how much of a liability these copiers can be if they are not property configured or disposed of after you're done using them.

Nearly every copier sold since 2002 contains a hard drive, much like the one in your computer, which stores every document scanned or copied by the machine.  This means if your copier is resold or disposed of improperly, all of your sensitive information: copies of bank statements, checks, tax forms, and insurance statements are available for a thief to view and steal.

In the 60 Minutes investigation they retrieved over 300 pages of individual health documents and 95 pages of checks containing social security information.  All of these documents were taken from copiers a health insurance company and a construction company disposed of.

So what can your company do to protect itself?  There are two common solutions.

1. Purchase a security kit for your digital copier.

These security kits act like a paper shredder for your scans and copies; after a copy is scanned, the file on the hard drive is destroyed.  This is a must for any company that is in the accounting, legal or insurance industry.

2. Have the hard drive destroyed at the end of your lease.

Make sure your copier dealer offers a service to destroy the hard drive when you are done with the machine or if you own your equipment out right then hire an independent service provider to come out and remove the hard drive for you to have it destroyed.  This will eliminate any secrets that your machine may be hiding.

Take the steps to ensure your customers and employee's data is safe. Don't end up on the next 60 Minutes.

Check out our website at http://www.ctcopiers.com/  to make an informed choice.

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Call 847-398-5212, Different Types of Laminators

When it comes to preservation of your photos and cards or getting that professional and sheen look for your documents, lamination is the best solution.  It is the process of binding two thin sheets, called laminating film, in which the material is placed between the sheets to seal the film for protection purposes.

Laminators come in two types and a variable lengths; namely hot and cold laminators.  Hot ones require heat with approximately 200-300 degree Fahrenheit depending on the thickness of the film to be laminated.  When feeding the material, make sure to push the closed edge of the film or clue side not the open edge or you might damage the item.  Furthermore, you need to wait for 10 minutes for the laminator to heat up before you can feed the item into the machine. Most photographs are not advised to be laminated on a hot one. On the other hand, cold lamination doesn't require heat to be functional, mainly just pressures.

The laminator uses pressure to bind the film and its more preferred especially in areas with children around since it does not emit heat.  It is used to laminate materials sensitive to heat and it saves up on electricity consumption since it doesn't need to be plugged to make it functional, which makes it handier as compared to hot laminators.

When it comes to costing both types of laminator machines have similar price brackets however cold laminator supplies are a bit costly as compared to the materials used for hot laminators. On the other hand, when looking for the perfect service provider of your laminating needs, Correct-Tek Copier Svc. brand is the answer. It handles variety of sizes for laminating, binding and other similar services. You can access them online for shopping.  The brands serviced are mainly GBC, Seal, Ledco, just to name a few.

You Need a Correct-Tek Copier Repair Services, Refurbished and New Copier Sales Parts..

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