Laminator poll

[Tony27]

I am about to purchase a 54 inch cold laminator with heat assist. Being there are so many to choose from I am looking for imput from the audience. Taking into consideration quality, ease, price, etc.

[Sticky Signs]

Why do you need heat assist?

[tomence]

http://www.signoutletstore.com/d2f1bf375f2273fe4e81850bc1e5602b
Check this laminator, it has the heat assist thing and also i saw it at an open house and worked very well, easy to use, you can adjust the height the way you want or need, you dont have to use the preset heights like the other laminators. It comes with everything you need in a laminator no other accessories to buy.

[GB2]

You really need to set a budget for this purchase since you can get a very nice laminator, for example, in the $5000 range or you can go to the next level for $15,000. It depends on your intended use and volume. I suspect you are in the $5000 range (I wouldn't recommend anything lower than that and I definately would not recommend any Chinese import or the Daige), so let me offer the:
Royal Sovereign RSC1400H (Possible older model #, I have not researched the newest model #s)
5 roll holders - paper • media • laminate • liner take-up • media take-up
Heat Assist
Cost effective
Excellent performance
Excellent reliability
Excellent support, warranty, service

Actualy, I own this particular laminator and I never use the heat assist for general sign purposes, so depending on your specific needs, you might be able to elimininate the heat assist for some cost savings but the 5 roll holders are of critical importance.

If you want to go to the next level, I would suggest the Seal Pro Series. For the extra $10,000 you get the brand name, supposedly easier roll holders to swap material out with, generally percived greater value, and possibly higher volume processing.

The last thing I'd like to say at this moment is that purchasing a laminator is not like purchasing anything else. A laminator may last you many, many years. It is a simple piece of mechanical equipment that will outlast digital printers, etc. Therefore, you should anticipate your future when purchasing a laminator and purchase one that will be size appropriate for you future needs.

[Tony27]

http://www.signoutletstore.com/d2f1bf375f2273fe4e81850bc1e5602b
Check this laminator, it has the heat assist thing and also i saw it at an open house and worked very well, easy to use, you can adjust the height the way you want or need, you dont have to use the preset heights like the other laminators. It comes with everything you need in a laminator no other accessories to buy.
thanks for the imput, it just so happens that this is one that i had intended to look at. S&F supplies in Brooklyn had given me a quote on this. Two questions, is it easy to change material and do you have to purchase a special paper to put underneath the print?

[Tony27]

Why do you need heat assist?
To eliminate the silvering.

[Tony27]

thanks, good info

[fmg]

I have the Seal base 54.
Never used the heat assist and not once encountered any silvering when laminating prints.
This is a good all round solid unit which will take minimal experience in starting up.
I like the fact that the gears are easliy adjustable on the rollers and has the tilt lead tray.
Hope this helps.

[tomence]

Very easy to use, easy to change materials, now if your print is smaller than the laminate roll then you need to buy the kraft paper, but if the rolls are matching in size you dont need the kraft paper. I just happened to be there when they laminated a whole roll of 54"x150' in one shot using the heat assist and everything came out perfect. I really like this one better over the Royal.

thanks for the imput, it just so happens that this is one that i had intended to look at. S&F supplies in Brooklyn had given me a quote on this. Two questions, is it easy to change material and do you have to purchase a special paper to put underneath the print?

[Bill Modzel]

I have a 51" laminator with a hand crank. It looks like a long ringer washer rig.
I paid $300 for it and wouldn't trade it for a $7,000 Seal. It's fast and easy to use and most of my jobs are way less than 8' but I have applied full size prints to 4x10's too.

[signage]

Bill do you have a photo of it?

Could you post it?

TIA

[Bill Modzel]

Here's a couple my wife just shot. The laminator itself is the blue frame. I built the off and on tables which fold down if I need any extra shop space.

[FatCat]

Bill, I've looked at something similar and wondered how well they work. I'm not a high volume shop so it's hard to me to justify dropping $5k+ on a laminator. Do you know the brand name of yours, and where you got it?

[Gino]

If you haven't bought it yet.... contact Dave Phillips, a Merchant Member here [Graphics Resource Systems.... GRS], and see what deals he has available. He's fantastic to deal with and very knowledgeable. Or..... just wait for the Sign show at Atlantic City next week. They'll all have huge deals going on there.

[signsbydebbie]

We have a 65" Royal cold.
What I have learned....
Have a 54" printer, get a 65" lamination machine.
Silvering, if any, goes away in a few hours.Heat not needed.
Royal Sovereign (at least mine ) IS MADE IN CHINA, IT SHOULD COST $1800...max.

The Big SQueegee is the best $100 I ever spent on sign gear........

[Slamdunkpro]

I have a Seal Base 54 but I think I'm going to ditch it and get a Base 62 or a Seal Pro 62 so I can do roll to roll.

[Sticky Signs]

Tony,
I'm not sure what you guys are doing, but my guess is that you don't need the heat assist. I have the Royal 55" cold laminator. I don't have any problems with it and the price was right.
When I started shopping around, I really had my heart set on a Seal (that's what I learned on) but I after trying the Royal S I decided it was more than good enough to do what I need it to do.
Hope this helps.
D

[GraphixUnlimited]

Im with Sticky on this one... ive got the 55" Royal Cold and I laminate all day long like a bat outta hell with no issues ( minor silvering but it goes away in a few hours )

cheers eh!

[Tony27]

Thanks to all 4 the info

[insignia]

The Royal Sovereign is a great first laminator. It takes some getting used to and will test your patience at first, but they all will. Once you get it dialed in and figure it out though, they're very good and will last years.

[chopper]

The Royal Sovereign is a great first laminator. It takes some getting used to and will test your patience at first, but they all will. Once you get it dialed in and figure it out though, they're very good and will last years.
I think this is true with any laminator it will take a bit of practice to get use to it....sorry I didnt see that you stated "they all will"
//chopper

[chopper]

I have a 51" laminator with a hand crank. It looks like a long ringer washer rig.
I paid $300 for it and wouldn't trade it for a $7,000 Seal. It's fast and easy to use and most of my jobs are way less than 8' but I have applied full size prints to 4x10's too.
I mean no dis respect but I will take the 7,000 dollar seal any day ...
//chopper

[speedmedia]

I have a GBC Arctic Titan and my business partner has a Leco tank and neither have heat assist or problems with silvering.

Thanks,
Kurt

[petesign]

It has taken me 9 months to get all of the kinks with my Daige worked out, and it works fine finally.. I will eventually buy a seal though. That's going to be a great day, let me tell you.

[MikePro]

Seal 54Base, pull the trigger and just get it... you won't be disappointed. Simple operation, heat assist, 3 rollers (material, lam, take-up), and not a single problem with it in the past 4years. I believe you can even run up to 3-4" material through it, if necessary.
the take-up roller even fits a cardboard tube that you can just slide off and throw away your paper backing by the hundreds of feet, rolled up and compact.

i'm sure there's updated models out there, but hell... you can probably get a sweet deal on this one.
p.s. heat assist is nice to have... i've tried doing stuff in a hurry without letting it warm up and I get a little bit of silvering that comes out with a heat gun after application, but never any silvering with the heat assist option used properly.