One of the best ways to preserve a paper document is to laminate it.
Lamination is when you put a piece of paper between two pieces of plastic film.
The plastic sheets then get sealed together to ensure the paper doesn’t slip out and remains protected forever.
If you want to get something laminated, then you may be unsure of where to go.
Here are 10 places where you go to get something laminated.
Where Can I Laminate Something? (10 Places)
1. Office Depot
One of the best places to get something laminated is Office Depot.
The business makes getting something laminated extremely easy.
You can also laminate almost anything there.
Whether you have a degree, a resume, a certificate, or something else that needs protection, they can ensure it’s laminated safely.
Office Depot also offers the added benefit of antimicrobial lamination sheets.
A problem that you might encounter in other places or when doing the lamination yourself is that bacteria or mold can sometimes get between the sheets.
If these contaminants get sealed inside, the microbes can eat the paper since it’s the only food source available.
Meanwhile, you’ll start to see a disgusting crust or culture growing inside of the lamination.
Since Office Depot offers antimicrobial laminating services, this shouldn’t be a concern.
They ensure that your documents are safe throughout the process.
Getting something laminated at Office Depot is also easy.
All you need to do is choose the finishing option when you’re submitting your order.
If you’re ordering copies online, then you’ll see a prompt to add a finishing touch.
From there, you can select lamination.
If you’re visiting Office Depot in person, then you can tell the worker assisting you that you’d like your copies to be laminated.
They can take care of you from there.
Office Depot is one of the best places to get something laminated.
2. ASAP Printing
Another place where you can get laminating services is ASAP Printing.
They offer a series of traditional and unique office services.
One of those services is laminating.
ASAP Printing knows how important it is to preserve certain documents.
As such, they offer several different thicknesses and finishes for your final product.
Thicker lamination tends to be more durable than thin lamination.
That’s because it’s harder to tear it.
Even though lamination uses plastic sheets, if they’re extremely thin, then it’s possible to tear them.
While this might be ideal if you ever want to get the document out of the sheet, it isn’t ideal if you handle the document a lot.
The tearing could either make the document slip out of the sheet or ruin it completely.
Thicker lamination is harder to tear which means your document is safer.
Extra finishes can also make your document look professional.
If you want to impress someone with your document, then adding an extra finish may be a good choice.
Getting your documents laminated at ASAP Printing is easy.
It’s an online store, so you can handle everything from your own home.
You simply upload the document that you want laminated.
Then choose the laminating service and add any other details you would like the company to include.
For example, you can specify if you want extra thickness or any special finishes.
When you’re pleased with everything, you can either order the document or choose to get a quote so you’ll know what the service will cost you.
ASAP Printing can handle practically any document that you want to laminate.
Outside of lamination, the business also offers other services like printing selfie cards and wedding invitations, manual printing, and printing services for other important business documents.
ASAP Printing is a great choice if you need extra protection for your laminated documents.
3. Office Max
If you don’t have an Office Depot around you, then you might have an Office Max.
Since Office Depot and Office Max are part of the same company, you can expect laminating services there, too.
Although the two companies are technically the same, Office Depot didn’t overtake Office Max after the merger.
Rather, it allowed Office Max to keep its name while keeping the companies aligned by providing similar products and services for their customers.
Office Max locations also remained the same.
That means that even if you don’t have an Office Depot around, you may still have an Office Max around.
Office Max is another great printing company.
It offers plenty of services, such as printing large items like posters and artwork to handling your laminating needs.
Since it is a subsidiary of Office Depot, you can expect similar services and processes.
If you want to get your lamination done online, then you can go to the Office Max website and simply add the lamination option to your printing project.
You can also go to an Office Max in person and ask one of the workers for laminating services.
They will be able to assist and get your documents handled safely.
Since Office Max and Office Depot are essentially the same stores, you can expect the same quality of work from each option.
Office Max also offers several other services and products like photo books, notary stamps, and even IT services.
When you need something handled for your home office or business office, Office Max has you covered.
You can rely on them for their lamination services.
4. Paper Image Printing
If you need something laminated but you don’t have a huge budget to devote to it, then you may want to consider using Paper Image Printing.
They specialize in offering affordable prices for their services.
While they offer many printing services, you can rely on them for their lamination expertise.
They can laminate anything from business cards to annual reports.
They’re also able to print large-scale copies of documents for things like window decals and table tents.
Another great benefit of using Paper Image Printing to get your document laminated is that they can ship your items anywhere in the world.
If you have a business meeting on the other side of the world and you need your document there, they can get it to you.
This can help make your job less stressful.
If you want affordable and easy laminating services, then you should consider using Paper Image Printing.
5. Staples
Another big-name brand that offers printing services is Staples.
Staples offers many different printing services designed to make printing affordable and easy.
One of the services that they offer is lamination.
Staples considers lamination part of their business document printing services, but you can use it for just about any type of document.
Because Staples tries to make printing large quantities affordable, it’s an ideal choice if you want to make several laminated copies of a document.
Getting your documents laminated at Staples is also easy.
If you wish to order online, all you need to do is submit your document on the website.
Then you can choose to add various finishing touches to it.
Lamination is one option.
You can also take it a step further by adding some of their other printing options.
For example, if you’re putting together a booklet, then they can bind it for you.
They can also include custom covers and mylar tabs if you want to make your documents look extra professional.
When you’ve chosen the finishing touches you want for your order, you can simply submit it online.
Then you can either pick it up at the store or have them deliver it to you.
If you’re ordering your printing in a Staples store, then you just need to bring the document with you.
They’ll make copies and laminate them for you.
Since Staples offers great prices for large quantities of copies, it’s the best place to go if you have a lot of copying to do.
If you need documents laminated, then your local Staples store can help you.
6. FedEx
Although you might typically associate FedEx with delivering packages, they offer far more services than just that.
For example, you can rely on them for speedy laminating services.
FedEx can get your documents laminated on the same day that you submit your order or the next day.
They also offer two different finishes.
You can get glossy lamination for the documents that you want to really show off.
You can also get matte lamination for the documents that serve a more practical purpose.
If you have several documents that you want to combine, FedEx can also put everything together for you in a booklet.
They offer hole-punching and an abundance of other services.
If you have a FedEx store near you, then you can get timely laminating services through them.
7. The UPS Store
FedEx isn’t the only carrier that offers laminating services.
You can also get your documents laminated at the UPS store.
The UPS Store can also laminate any document that you need.
You can easily upload your document to their website.
Then you can choose from a few finishing options.
They’ll laminate the document and get it sent to you as quickly as possible.
The UPS Store specializes in printing a variety of documents, but they can also laminate your custom documents.
This service is ideal if you have a printing project that isn’t a typical shape or size.
It may have odd dimensions or be unique in some other way.
You can rely on UPS to laminate your documents as quickly as possible.
8. Teaching Supply Stores
Local teaching supply stores also usually offer lamination services.
Laminated documents and posters are essential in any classroom.
It helps prolong the life of posters and documents, particularly if they are displayed in a classroom with younger students.
Because teachers tend to use laminated documents often, many of the supply stores for teachers also offer laminating services.
If you have a teaching supply store near you, then it’s worth checking out to see if they offer the service.
You might even find that they offer the service at affordable prices.
9. Minuteman Press
Another great place to get documents laminated is at Minuteman Press.
They’re another professional printing company that handles all kinds of different print media.
They even have UV-coated sheets that can protect your document from becoming damaged by the sun.
You may even be able to add this extra protection on top of your lamination.
Getting your document laminated is also easy.
Minuteman Press has locations throughout the United States.
They even have locations in other countries like South Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
It’s a reliable printing company that can get your documents laminated quickly.
10. DIY
SINOPUREN Laminator Machine, 9-Inch Thermal Laminator, Personal 3-in-1 Desktop Laminating Machine Built-in Paper Trimmer Punch and Corner Rounder with 10 Pouches Sheets for Home Office School - Black
You can also laminate your documents in your home office.
All you need is a laminating machine.
The good news is that it’s easy to get your hands on one.
Walmart sells a large number of laminating machines.
You can also find them on Amazon.
Using a laminating machine is simple.
You fill it with the plastic laminating sheets, then run your document through.
The sheets will seal around the document or photo as it passes through the machine.
The only cost you’ll have moving forward is buying laminating sheets.
Since laminating sheets are relatively affordable, you could end up saving a lot of money by laminating your documents at home.
That said, if you only need to laminate something now and then, buying a laminating machine may not be worth it.
You may be better off using the services from one of the above-listed businesses.
Otherwise, you can laminate your documents in the comfort of your home or office.
What Are The Benefits Of Having Something Laminated?
If you’re on the fence about whether you should have a document laminated, then you may wonder what the benefits would be if you were to laminate the document.
Here are some benefits of laminating a document or photo.
1. Stain Protection
One of the biggest benefits of getting a document laminated is that it’s protected from stains.
This is ideal in situations where a lot of people are handling the document.
One example is a menu.
It’s a great idea to laminate a menu since people may be handling it when they have food on their hands.
It’s also possible that they might spill something onto the menu before the waiter can take it away.
Without lamination, that menu would either be completely ruined or no longer fit for service.
No one wants to receive a menu with someone’s messy fingerprints on it, for example.
Keeping documents stain-free is also ideal for school settings.
If you have a group of kindergartners all handling a document, then it’s inevitable that someone is going to stain it.
Whether it’s messy fingers or a spill, your document could be utterly ruined.
If it’s laminated, then it’s easy to clean and continue to use the document.
It saves the teacher money and ensures that the class can proceed without too much of a delay.
Laminating your documents or photos is beneficial if you want to keep them stain-free.
2. Tear Resistance
Another important feature of a laminated document is that it’s tear-resistant.
It isn’t tear-proof, however.
It is possible to tear a laminated document if the sheets are thin enough.
If you get a thicker laminated sheet, however, then it becomes very difficult to tear.
That makes it great for situations where the document may be exposed to a lot of abuse.
One such situation is in a construction setting.
Construction manuals and other informational booklets can be easily damaged on site, so having the pages laminated is essential.
Not only may these documents travel from one location to the next, but whoever’s handling the booklets might have dirty or rough hands.
They may not be the gentlest when turning the pages to quickly find what they need.
Another situation is the classroom.
Since young children haven’t quite figured out soft touches yet, they may grab the document a bit harder than they mean to.
As a result, they might rip it.
A laminated sheet allows them to be almost as wild as they want with it while keeping the paper safe.
Laminated sheets are beneficial because they’re resistant to tearing.
3. Sun Protection
Environmental dangers are something else you should consider when protecting certain documents and photos.
Over time, exposure to UV via direct sunlight contact can fade a document or photo.
With enough exposure, it may even ruin the photo entirely.
You can prevent that from happening by covering the photo or document in a UV-coated laminated sheet.
This type of laminated sheet repels UV rays to protect the contents beneath it.
You won’t notice the colors or images of the photo or document fading.
This is ideal for those who keep documents in a particularly sunny room.
Without protection, you may not even be aware that your photos are fading until it’s too late.
UV protection is also ideal for those who sometimes leave documents laying out in the sun.
A construction site is a prime example.
If a booklet is out and open under the sun, without the UV-coated laminated sheet protecting it, the words on the page could slowly start to bleach out.
With the laminated sheet, the words on the page remain dark and easy to read.
Laminated sheets are beneficial because they can help protect against bleaching from the sun.
4. Water Resistance
A final reason why laminated sheets are beneficial is that they’re water-resistant.
If you go door-to-door selling products, then you know there are times when you’re stuck out in the rain with your product sheets.
Without a laminated sheet protecting it, your document could get ruined.
Lamination keeps your papers safe from water damage.
This can help preserve documents for years to come.
Even if you experience a flood in your home, the important documents that you protected with lamination will remain dry and preserved.
Laminating sheets are beneficial because they can keep documents and photos from becoming ruined by water and other liquids.
Conclusion
There are several printing places that offer laminating services.
Package carriers like FedEx and UPS also provide laminating services.
If you buy a laminating machine, then you can even do your own laminating at home.
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