A desktop laminator is as the name suggests — a laminator that is generally used for smaller, home and office-based projects and lamination jobs versus industrial and large advertising jobs. Most desktop laminators are desktop varieties of pouch laminators, which use lamination pouches that it seals on one side. A heat-activated film is used to cause the item being laminated, be it a document or image, by sticking to its surface as it is passed through the lamination machine. The lower side of the laminator’s board then applies a heat-activated gluing agent that fastens the printed item to the substrate. Both the printed item within the pouch is then passed through highly-pressurized heated rollers to finalize the adhesion process and create a durable and lasting lamination.

Our desktop laminators include the Midas 400XL Laminating Machine, the 1000XL (in 10" and standard variety) Laminating Machine, the 1200XL (in 12" and standard variety) Laminating Machine and the 4" Desk-Top Laminator.

Information about our Laminators

The Midas 400XL Laminating Machine and the 4" Desk-Top Laminator are 7.5 x 9.5 x 5 inches and each weigh 6.5 pounds. The size 10 1000XL Laminating Machine’s dimensions are 13.5 x 9 x 5.5 and weighs 10 pounds. The size 12 1200XL Laminating Machine’s dimensions are 16 x 8 x 4.5, weighing 12 pounds, each operating on 220 volts. The standard 1000XL and 1200XL machines operate on 110 volts.

Lockouts are also known as “tag outs,” and hence the term lockout/tag out is often seen in tandem. A lockout/tag out refers to a procedure whereby a company assigns an individual to shut down power and disconnect all equipment and machinery from its primary energy source. The reason for doing so is in an emergency when becoming necessary to prevent the unexpected activation of that machinery as a means to protect workers and employees. The assigned employee then activates the energy-isolation (lockout/tag out) devices in a safe or “off” position.

Lockouts and Tag Outs — the Difference

Lockouts are physical barriers that prevent machinery from becoming energized. To this end they are often strong and durable, can usually only be opened with a key or other unlocking apparatus, but in some cases they are designed to be opened only through destroying them.

Tag outs, on the other hand, are typically signs or other cautionary instruments that an authorized employee attaches to an energy-isolating device. The sign warns other employees against restarting the machine for the duration of its maintenance period. To the degree that tag out devices can be removed without destroying them, they cannot guarantee against energy-related injury as well as lockout devices.

Plug and Switch Lockouts

Plug and Switch Lockouts are lockouts specifically designed to lockout the plugs and/or switches used to restart a machine or piece of equipment. Plug and switch lockouts can be contrasted, for example, to circuit breaker lockouts, which immediately discontinue any electrical flow, or to other types of lockouts. Safety Idesco’s plug and switch lockouts fit 110V and 220/440V plugs.

Lockout/Tag Out Rules and Procedures

Subpart O (Machinery and Machine Guarding) of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), a department of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides standard instruction for dealing with regular maintenance activities. However, workers must further abide by lockout/tag out procedures when:

• Positioning any part of their body in or near a machine’s normal range of operation
• Position any part of their body near a machine’s known danger zone
• Remove, deactivate or bypass safety devices or other machine guards

The Safety Idesco site houses a range of safety signs from Personal Protection Signs to Handicap Access, and our signs are divided into 20 accurate categories. However, considering the signs required by the wide amount of industries that ultimately rely on signage, it is inevitable that certain signs will not easily fit into the existing categories, especially in the name of accuracy. Instead of creating several categories each containing 2 or less products, Safety Idesco has solved this problem by creating a Miscellaneous category for all signs that are not accurately represented by other signs in our e-commerce catalog.

What’s in the Miscellaneous Category?

Typically speaking, our signs are divided into three types: Cautionary, Preventative and Instructional.

Like all signs in the Safety Idesco e-commerce-catalog, our Miscellaneous signs comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) specifications and requirements.

Our Miscellaneous category signs are cautionary and notice signs that refer to:

• Low overhead clearance and overhead cranes
• Security alarms that will sound upon opening marked doors
• Maximum floor load capacity
• Team safety

All of our Miscellaneous signs come in either the 4-Hole Mount or Adhesive-backed variety, ensuring that they will fasten tightly to most surfaces.

We’ve also made it easy and intuitive to add products to your cart and included a useful shipping calculator to summarize your costs before finalizing a purchase.

Laminating pouches come in two general varieties; small and large. This post will give a brief synopsis of small and large laminating pouches, the size and thickness range when referring to each size pouch, and some basic things they can be used for.

Size

Laminating pouches are typically measured in inches and small laminating pouches range from 2 x 3 inches (length and width) to 3 x 5 (a typical 3-by-5 index card). Large laminating pouches range in size from (3.5 x 5.5 inches, which are the dimensions of file cards, to 12 x 18 inches, which is the size of a typical menu and many charts.

Large pouch sizes correspond to paper sizes used in the United States, an official paper size standard adopted by ANSI, or the American National Standards Institute. Letter size pouches measure 8.5 inches in width by 11 inches in length, A4 size pouches measure 8.27 inches in width by 11.69 inches in length, or 210 millimeters by 297 millimeters, legal size pouches measure 8.5 inches in width by 14 inches in length, or 216 millimeters by 356 millimeters. The next size up is chart size, which has not been assigned a standard size, although our chart size lamination pouches measure 12 inches in width by 18 inches in length, or 304.8 millimeters by 457.2 millimeters. Our chart size lamination pouches measure 12 inches in width by 18 inches in length, or 304.8 millimeters by 457.2 millimeters and alamination thickness, or weight, of 6 and 10 mil for each sheet of film

Thickness

The thinnest available laminating pouch to the consuming public is 1.5 mil, or 38 micrometers, and it is not supported by the majority of laminators. The upside of 1.5 mil laminating pouches is that they usually prevent spill-related damage and tearing, but are relatively susceptible to creasing and warping.

3 mil (3.1 in actuality) mil pouches are generally reserved for larger documents that require a higher level of protection. While it is harder to damage and penetrate 3.1 mil lamination pouches, sufficient wear and tear can cause them to cease working as needed.

5 and 7 mil pouches already provide a more durable level of document protection and should be used in instances where you cannot afford the document to become damaged. 7 mil pouches are relatively thicker than lamination pouches used for most documents and are commonly found in use with ID cards.

10 mil thickness is usually reserved for professional signs that are regularly exposed to the elements and potential vandalism.

Note that pouch thickness is not limited to the variations mentioned above. Safety Idesco carries pouches in 6 and 20 thickness variations as well.

Uses

The smaller cards we spoke about in the second paragraph, ranging from 2 x 3 inches (length and width) to 3 x 5 (a typical 3-by-5 index card), provide ideal protection for smaller cards and tags, such as credit cards, business cards, drivers licenses and luggage tags. Larger pouches are perfect for letter size documents, reports, diplomas and certificates.

A lamination pouch is a sealed air-tight plastic pouch with the capability to protect a number of work and home-related supplies, namely documents and other items which are typically written on. A heat-activation process binds the print material to the inside of the lamination pouch, which contributes to the tight seal created during the lamination process.

For example, a lamination pouch can be used for safety signs, labels, ID cards and luggage tags. Laminating pouches are different from traditional lamination in that the air-tight seal protects the contents of the pouch by preventing moisture and other foreign materials from entering the lamination cover. For this reason many industries, such as construction sites and plants, turn to lamination pouches in order to protect signs that are vital for employee safety.

How does a Lamination Pouch Work?

A lamination pouch contains two major parts: the plastic laminating pouch itself and a heat-activated film. A laminator is also required in order to create lamination pouches, and as the pouch is fed through the laminator, the laminator’s substrate surface deposits a heat-activated glue that melts and bonds the print material to the inside of the lamination pouch.

Safety Idesco’s Variations of Lamination Pouches

Our lamination pouches are compatible with the most commonly used paper sizes in the United States and several countries worldwide.

Letter Size

Letter size refers to the most commonly used paper size in the United States and is also known as ANSI A and measures 8.5 inches in width by 11 inches in length. ANSI A represents the first letter size in a series of sizes officially adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), responsible for the creation of official, yet voluntary, standards for a number of industries and services such as processes and personnel in the United States.

A4 Size

A4 paper size dimensions measure at 8.27 inches in width by 11.69 inches in length, or 210 millimeters by 297 millimeters, and is the most frequently used letter size in the A series, which includes A1, A2 and A3. The scaling system is such that each letter size has an aspect ratio of the square root of its larger counterpart, which means that A4-sized paper can be folded in half to yield two paper halves of the next-smallest size. A4 paper is often used in brochures and office copy.

Legal Size

The dimensions of legal size paper are 8.5 inches in width by 14 inches in length, or 216 millimeters by 356 millimeters. Legal size dimensions of 8.5 by 14 inches is officially used in the United States, Philippines and Chili, but is not mandatory or enforced.

Chart Size

While there is no fixed dimensional attributes for chart sized paper, chart size refers to a lamination pouch large enough to laminate a chart. Our chart size lamination pouches measure 12 inches in width by 18 inches in length, or 304.8 millimeters by 457.2 millimeters and a lamination thickness, or weight, of 6 and 10 mil for each sheet of film. In other words, a 6 mil film has a total thickness of 12, and a 10 mil film has a total thickness of 20.

3-hole Looseleaf Form

3-hole looseleaf form refers to a sheet paper that isn’t fixed within a spiral notebook, specifically designed to fit into a three-ring binder. The dimensions of 3-hole looseleaf paper size are 8.5 inches in width by 12 inches in length, very close to the standard letter size.

Hang-up

Our Hang-up pouches are specifically designed for items and documents that need to be hanged up and displayed in easily-viewable locations, such as safety signs and diploma’s. Safety Idesco’s hang-up pouches measure at 9 inches in width by 11 inches in length and come in the 6 and 10 mil varieties.

Q-sign 4-hole

Our Q-sign 4-hole lamination pouches are specifically designed for Q-signs with 4 holes.

Easel-backed

Easel-backed prints and signs are those with an easel attached to the back side of a print, allowing it to be position at an angle whereby it is more visible, such as with an art display or advertising piece. Our easel-backed lamination pouches come in the 9 inches wide by 11.5 inch long variety.

Adhesive-backed

Adhesive-backed lamination pouches are designed with an adhesive back side allowing printed items to be attached to flat vertical surfaces, such as walls.