Choosing film for your laminator: width, thickness and core size

Before you compare brands, three numbers have to fit your machine: core size, maximum width, and the thickness range your laminator can handle.

1. Core size

• 1" cores: school, office and small roll laminators. Usually short rolls (100'-500').
• 2.25" cores: many school and mid-size laminators.
• 3" cores: commercial, production and wide-format machines. Longer rolls (500'-12,000').

Some machines need proprietary cartridges or "EZ load" rolls. Check before you order generic film.

2. Width

Pick the narrowest width that covers your sheet plus a little margin. For two-side encapsulation, leave a sealed border. Wide-format shops often need odd widths (54", 60", 61", 64-65"). Not every brand stocks every width, and custom slitting may be an option. Filter by width on the film search.

3. Thickness (mil / micron)

• 1-1.7 mil (25-43 µm): one-side lamination, book covers, packaging, cost-sensitive print.
• 3 mil (75 µm): the all-rounder for posters and signs.
• 5 mil: stiffer menus and signs.
• 7-10 mil+: rigid cards and heavy-use menus. Check that your machine can handle the gauge.

1 mil = 0.001" ≈ 25.4 microns.

4. Thermal or pressure-sensitive?

Thermal film is cheaper per foot and fast, but it needs heat. Pressure-sensitive (cold) film suits heat-sensitive inkjet, solvent, latex and UV prints, and vinyl media. Heat-set or low-melt films sit in between.

5. Finish and adhesive

Choose gloss, matte, satin/lustre, soft-touch or textured for the look you want. Then match the adhesive to the print method: standard for offset, digital or high-tack for toner, low-melt for heat-sensitive work.