Keeping Laminator on Track

[daenterpri]

How do you guys go about keeping your roll of print and laminate tracking together through the laminator. Seems like I always start off good, but somewhere down the line, the laminate starts tracking off of the roll of graphics. Do you initially line it up and keep it lined up?

 

[HulkSmash]

It's all in the start.. make sure it's exactly line up perfectly, might help to leave 2-3" on each edge for drift. Also if you start pulling the print as it comes through the lam... it will make it skew too.

 

[MikePro]

line up twice, laminate once!

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

ALSO.. make sure your rubber rollers are tension adjusted perfectly across the entire span.

 

[MikePro]

and not too much tension!
my pressure dial goes from 40-100 and I just barely lightup the "40" when I laminate.

 

[MikePro]

centering in your machine helps too!
laminator rollers have a "crown" in the center that can easily cause you to drift if you're laminating on the left/right side of the machine.

 

[njshorts]

Cut a straight edge before laminating, and honestly... use oversized lam. I picked up oversized lam once by emergency, they were out of the size I needed- ever since, we use a lam 2-4" wider than required, just incase... although with proper tension and alignment, it's just been hitting craft paper.

 

[ProWraps]

your laminator will NEVER track straight over long runs. none of them do.

we print 54" material. our printer prints at 52.6" wide. we use the excess material to account for the drift. we know our machine and that it drifts to the right. we make sure to use that knowledge to compensate.

dont print your decals so many up on the width to account for the drift from side to side.

also, make sure to account for the trademark violations on your website and in your products. they will cause you more pain, than your laminator drifting. assuming that is your site (eatsrice.com)