Whether you are a student, a teacher, or an employee, or most probably you work for a reputable institution, an identity card is the most common thing that does connect you with the institution.
Identity cards do not only serve the purpose of identification but also for security purposes. Hence, prompted the need for the use of portable and user-friendly ID printer machines that will print directly on plastic PVC cards.
Laminators are a great tool for any office, business, school, and any other industrial facility, to make use of as it is equipped with the ability to easily, hastily, and securely laminate documents of great importance.
Industries most especially firms do make use of a card program that will always require lamination as a means of preventing wear and tear.
This, however, keep these cards safe and secure ensuring their long-lasting nature.
Moreover, having a laminating printing machine in a company will save you the cost of bulk printing in a media house. You can run into a delay if you need these cards as requirements may have to be met, booking appointments scheduled, and also availability.
This is more reason laminating machines are the best option in terms of covering the surface of plastic identification cards with thick polythene providing a smooth and professional quality printing, preventing time consumption, and even allowing customization as best as you would want it.
This post, however, has helped in summing up the five best ID card printing machines from which you can always choose according to your need.
Best Laminator for ID Cards
Since identification cards seem to be many times printed on either card stock or paper, this however provides the need for them to be laminated in a bid to enhance their longevity.
Nevertheless, we’ve gone further to explore different devices putting in place their print speed, build quality, affordability, versatility, and volume thereby bringing together a list of top ID card laminating printing machines for firms who need them and are very much constructed by firms you can count on.
We also looked into the aesthetical view ensuring they match any home décor they are being placed in.
So whether you are a small scale business dealer or a large scale one, we’ve got the right laminating machine for you:
Here are our top choices:
Amazon Basics Thermal Laminator -12″ Machine
With an ability to laminate documents up to 11 by 17 inches, it is designed for letters legal, business cards, ID cards, and photo-sized papers to easily fit in.
It comes with a two-heating setting plus a quick four-minute heat up with a ready LED indicating light to tell whenever it’s ready for action.
It is a lot to ensure a very fast operation with LED lights indicating when the laminator is ready to laminate users’ documents.
There is also the jam release lever for easy clearing of stuck papers just with a flip of the lever and a unique feature of the laminator working with any 3-mil or 5-mil laminating pouches.
It comes in two different sizes however and can be used to laminate cards of any kind producing a lot of unique finished products.
What we like:
• Compact and featherweight
• Of different sizes
• Quality LED lights to indicate on or ready
• Effective for lamination
What we don’t like:
• Loses efficiency with time
Scotch Two Roller System Thermal Laminator – TL901X
The Scotch thermal laminator comes in two color variations, that is the silver and the black color depending on preference.
It is designed to weigh only 16 ounces for it to be mobile-friendly and also has a fast and easy laminating functionality that has a maximum width of 9″ wide.
This only other model is not equipped with an automatic shut down or a jamming technology but has two heated rollers to make up for that can enable a high quali5y professional, bubble and wrinkle-free finish on documents inserted into it.
It is very much safe to use on delicate documents and files and will also laminate pouches that are up to 5 mils thick.
It is equipped with two temperature settings and you can never go around choosing this sturdy piece for achieving quality results.
What we like:
• Lightweight, fast and beginner-friendly
• Safe to use on precious documents
• Two heated rollers to achieve a quality finish
What we don’t like:
• Poor customer support
Merece A4 (4 in 1) Thermal Laminator – 9 inches
Coated with an aesthetic white color, the A4 thermal laminator is the perfect fit for ID card lamination. It comes with a lamination machine, a corner rounder, a paper trimmer, and 30 hot laminating pouches in a bid to maximize user convenience.
It is a deluxe 4-in-1 laminating set that is fast and offers a smooth laminating experience all thanks to its two roller design that allows for efficiency during lamination processes.
The Merece also lives up to its functionality by warming up in a quick three-minute timeframe with an astounding speed of 280mm/min, which is capable enough of ensuring fast work and efficiency.
This can however help prevent wrinkles of documents, curling of the edges since the Merece thermal laminator makes use of a smoother, faster, and quieter working condition.
Scared your document accidentally got stuck and you are pacing frantically on how to safely get back your document, then you don’t have to worry as the ABS anti-jam got you covered as its main job is to effectively 4esolve paper jam issues with no stress.
This feature easily allows users to reach out to their projects peradventure it gets stuck inside safely and without fear.
The Merece also makes us of two laminating means. That is the cold and the hot laminating mode.
This idea nevertheless is used for different purposes and you have both on a single thermal laminator should be an add-on for you as a user.
What we like:
• Fast and smooth laminating experience
• Compact design plus wide applications
• Reliable and of high quality
• Waterproof and dustproof
• Inbuilt ABS release button
What we don’t like:
• Pouches not available for cold lamination
BONSEN 13″ 4-in-1 Thermal Laminator (L3103)
Fast, smooth with an ABS anti-jam button, the Bonsen appears to be one durable and reliable ID card laminator you can always go for whenever you require one.
It features a fast and smooth laminating process with a two-roller design that allows for optimum efficiency and smoothness of the laminated documents creating a faster, quieter, and smoother working condition.
It’s hasty there minute warm-up and an incredible speed of 330mm/min can also help 8ncrease your work efficiency.
It also comprises an ABS anti-jam button in this case and not a lever with which you can use to release stuck papers and remove them from the laminator neatly and easily.
The Bonsen 4-in-1 is a unique laminating set with a portable design with a wide range of applications. It sets however include a thermal laminator, fifty laminating pouches, a paper trimmer, and a corner rounder.
It is quite lightweight and portable with the ability to laminate ID cards effectively and efficiently.
What we like:
• Features a unique ABS Anti-jam Button
• Lightweight
• Support both hot and cold lamination
• Easy to use
What we don’t like:
• No manufacturers warranty
• A bit pricey
SINOPUREN 3-in-1 9″ Thermal Laminator (Black)
This one coming in all black is listed as an all-in-one function machine that is designed with an inbuilt hole puncher that is pretty simple and easy to use.
The Sinopuren is a light, portable, and compact device that can be used to laminate identification cards.
It features a smoother and faster lamination process with its two-roller systems and a quick 3-minute warm-up characteristic and also can attain a laminating speed of 400mm/min.
Making use of this sleek device will not give you a paper jam release as it is well equipped with an ABS button and also an automatic shut down feature to easily prevent overheating of the device.
A three-year manufacturer’s warranty is also up for grabs whenever you need an efficient laminator that will provide you with enough warranty in case things go sideways.
What we like:
• Smoother and faster lamination
• No paper jam
• 3 years warranty
What we don’t like:
• Price
Factors to Consider in Selecting a Laminator
Having a perfect checklist as regards what to look for in a laminating ID card printer will be your first necessary step towards acquiring productive and reliable equipment.
That is, aside from selecting from a more aesthetic view, you should do more of choosing more from its build, quality, functionality, speed, temperature, and the likes.
This will help narrow down a choice that easily fits your workload and can work to carry such an operation out without breaking it down.
Below are a few factors to always consider.
• Laminating Speed
Efficiency and accuracy are a lot needed when lamination processes take place. They are two cogent factors to consider when seeking to select the best laminators for either yourself or for a firm.
Many printers can print about ten inches per minute while some can even print more. This is to say if you will be needing to print more cards every day, then going for laminating machines with more laminating power and speed will be the most feasible option to go for.
Look out for how long most machines can produce finished documents per minute and then compare speeds of one to another, this can help narrow down a choice.
• Size
The size item, ID cards in this case will determine how standard and wide your laminating card pointer will have to be in a bid to produce a fine product with an elegant touch.
You should know as a buyer what you intend to use a machine for and well the type of documents you will be laminating also. The mil thickness is also a required feature as this will very much affect how thin or thick your project will come out.
You should certainly also look out for laminators that work majorly for specific projects and as such determine the maximum width you will be needing. Some can come at a maximum at around 9′ while some can max out to as much as 15′.
However, be sure to look out for the average width you will be needing.
• Warm-up Time
There are two types of laminators. We have the cold laminators that make use of pressure to laminate and the hot laminators.
These types are however used for different purposes.
However, since we are focusing mainly on plastic ID cards in this post, we refer to hot laminators.
Laminators do tend to warm up at different timeframes though many machines are usually ready to laminate in under five minutes.
This now depends on you and what you want. Having to wait for one, two, four, five minutes sometimes can look eternal especially if you are to deliver a large number of cards in a stipulated hour or rush hour.
In this case, however, you should consider laminators that heat up faster and take less time to warm up.
• Extra Features
Outside of the normal necessities, of course, laminators should also have a few nice features to support their functionality.
Jam release buttons are one of such features as they allow users to push whenever their document gets stuck to prevent damage to the project. Some possess cord storage to easily help sore your card printer away safely.
Also, some shut off automatically after long periods of inactivity to conserve power and prevent overheating of the internal elements and also different temperature settings just to mention a few.
Conclusion
The best laminating printing machine should be user-friendly, secure, reliable, and a lot high-end.
A top-of-the-range machine boasts of a consistent high-end finish from the first to the last card. And combined with encoding and premium security features, you will never go wrong choosing these printers if your budget allows it.
How reliable an ID card printer can be done dwell more on how consistent it can print and laminate cards in a day. This factor would also always be out in selection when seeking to acquire a laminating ID card printer.
So there you have it, the top seven choices you can always go for whenever you need a durable piece. They are a lot productive and can very much serve the function they were acquired for.