The Best Laminators for Teachers

Laminating is one of the best (and among teachers’ favorite) ways to preserve important documents and ensure their durability.

If you are a teacher, and you are reading this, you are perhaps wondering how to choose the best laminator that will fit your purpose and how to recognize it in the sea of products on the market. 

For that reason, we have created a list of the 6 Best Laminators for Teachers that will help you find the most convenient laminating machine for you.

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The Best Laminators for Teachers: The Buyer's Guide

Why should every teacher have a laminating machine?

By having a laminator in your workspace, you will not only protect your documents and materials but also your students’ papers and artwork. Also, you will have the freedom of creating your own long-lasting materials and teacher’s resources that you can use over and over again. 

Daily work in the classroom means carrying many handouts or flashcards in your bag that often wrinkle and become worn-out after prolonged use. If you laminate your valuable teaching materials, you can easily store them and ensure their neat look.

Laminated pictures, papers, bulletin-boards and photos are also a great solution for group activities as students can write and wipe with dry-erase markers interchangeably.

Not to mention that you’ll feel at ease when moving around them with a full coffee mug or an open water bottle since laminated materials are basically waterproof and simple to clean.

To get well-laminated documents, it might also help you to use a high-quality printer.

The 6 Best Laminators for Teachers

Choosing the right laminator may seem tricky at the beginning of your search, but we are here to make this easier for you. 

To start, focus on these four factors: 

  • the simplicity of use
  • the speed
  • the size of the documents you will be laminating
  • the film thickness of the laminating pouches. 

The laminators that we’ve selected are user and budget-friendly, functional, and reviewed by teachers who shared their experiences about using these machines at home, in the classroom and in the school.

Best Personal User-Friendly Laminator: Scotch PRO Thermal Laminator

This thermal laminator is an excellent choice for newbies. It is an easy-to-use machine that provides efficient adhesion of your name tags, cards, printed maps, etc.

 

Features

  • laminates documents of up to 9 in (22.9 cm) width
  • prevents jam and pouch wrinkling
  • speed: 15 in/min
  • lightweight: 3.2 Ib (1.4 kg)

Review

It laminates documents up to 9 inches wide, and you can choose to laminate sheets of 3 mils to 5 mils.

The top feature of the is its Never Jam technology that prevents jam and pouch wrinkling, resulting in ever-smooth lamination. 

It warms up in 5 minutes max. and it is lightweight (3.2 pounds), so you can easily move it around when needed and start laminating right after you plug it in.

It laminates at a speed of 15 in/min and automatically shuts off after 1 hour.

A convenient folding tray for the final laminations is included, plus a port to wrap the electric cord.

Best Classroom Laminator: Fellowes Saturn3i Laminator

An extra-fast laminator for extra-busy teachers. The Fellowes Saturn 3i Laminator lends a helping hand to busy teachers with its 1-minute warm-up InstaHeat technology.

Features

  • laminates documents of up to 12 in (30.5 cm) width
  • warms up in 1 minute (InstaHeat Technology)
  • jam release lever
  • auto shut-off; prevents overheating

Review

An advanced thermal laminating machine that provides simple and fast hot lamination of 3-mil to 5-mil thermal pouches or an option for self-adhesive pouches in a cold setting.

It laminates even larger documents and school projects at the speed of maximum 12 in/min, giving them a neat look and durability.

Features simple controls and an automatic shut-off that saves energy and prevents overheating.

It beeps when at the start and at the end of the lamination process.

The package of includes ten 3-mil pouches to get you started.

Best Home Laminator: Fellowes Cosmic Personal Laminator

The Fellowes Cosmic Pouch laminator is designed for simple, user-friendly use at home or in your work-from-home office. Its advanced technology makes it convenient for laminating even larger documents and materials while the HeatGuard Technology keeps the heat inside and makes it safe to leave around children.

Features

  • laminates documents of up to 12.5 in (31.75 cm) width
  • simple to use at home
  • keeps heat inside; safe for children
  • works with both hot lamination and cold setting
  • two-year manufacturer warranty included

Review

This laminator will provide consistent and smooth results in your laminating projects as it features an advanced temperature control.

It can be used for hot lamination with 3mil to 5 mil pouches but it is also convenient for heat-sensitive materials that are best laminated with the cold setting and self-adhesive pouches.

The warms up in 5 minutes and laminates in only a minute.

The wrinkling is prevented through the jam release lever that controls re-centering and removal.

This user-friendly laminator is safe and simple to use at home. Realize your creative ideas for the classroom or organize fun projects for quality time with your family like bookmark or calendar making.

Best School Laminator: GBC Ultima 65 Roll Laminator

 A high-performance school laminator that provides quality results for your projects.

The GBC Ultima 65 Roll Laminator is an excellent solution for schools where there is a good deal of teachers who use the benefits of laminating.

Features

  • wide laminating 27 in (68.58 cm) width
  • AutoSpeed for optimal lamination
  • built-in trimmer for cutting
  • simple film loading
  • protective shield and auto shut-off

Review

A multifunctional school laminator that laminates and cuts completed documents with its built-in trimmer. Great for all kinds of projects- name tags, flashcards, handouts etc.

It takes around 10 minutes to warm up, but it has an AutoSpeed feature that makes up for the slow start by controlling the speed and lamination quality of each document.

This machine is compatible with films of up to 3 mil (EZload Gray Cap NAP I Film and standard NAP). Film loading is simple and done through a pivoting table and AutoGrip shafts that provide quick adding and removal.

Jams are removed through its slow forward and reverse function. Also, it features stop buttons to pause lamination, so you can control and reduce film waste.

is safe to use between classes. It has a protective shield, auto standby mode (after 2 h of inactivity) and auto shut-off function (after 3 h of inactivity).

Best Warranty Laminator: TLC Pouch Laminator

The hot and cold laminator in this category offers a 5-year factory warranty, which makes it a great long-term investment. Plus, when the 5-year warranty expires, you can get your repairs for an affordable price of $15 (plus shipping).

Features

  • laminates materials of up to 12 in (31.75 cm) width
  • works with pouches of 3 mil to 10 mil thickness
  • performs both hot and cold laminating
  • 5 year factory warranty
  • adjustable temperature control

Review

The is a very efficient laminating machine that is the perfect choice for schools where laminators are constantly in use.

It is sturdy, but it warms up quickly, and it operates through easy, user-friendly functions for both hot and cold laminating.

This laminator features a Heat & Run switches and laminates at a speed of 33” per minute. A standby feature button is included to avoid overheating.

The temperature control is adjustable and there is a ready-to-start light signal.

Best for Photos Laminator: Scotch Thermal Laminator

This laminator is a great item for teachers who appreciate having photos of their class laminated to keep them as a memory in the special corner of their classroom or teacher’s office. The Scotch Thermal Laminator performs hot laminating that is completely safe to use on photos.

Features

  • laminates materials of up to 9 in (22.9 cm) width
  • works with pouches of 3 mil to 5 mil thickness
  • preserves photos and saves memories
  • prevents wrinkling and bubbles
  • comes with 2 letter-size starter pouches
  • lightweight (1 Ib/0.4 kg)

Review

is a lightweight, easy-to-store laminator that creates high-quality results and can be used in your classroom, at home or in the office.

Laminate your important documents, DIY flashcards and valuable photo memories.

The starter pack of this lamination machine contains a thermal laminator and 2 letter-size (8.9” x 11.4”/ 22.6 cm. x 28.9 cm) starter pouches.

It laminates pouches that are 3 mil to 5 mil thick, creating bubble-free and wrinkle-free materials.

The warm-up time takes between 1 and 6 minutes and there is a light that signals the start of lamination.

Conclusion

So, we’ve presented the best laminators for teachers according to what we discovered to be the best fit in your home, classroom and school. For us, laminators are definitely one of the most underrated teacher supplies, just like document cameras. Now it is time for you to choose the one you need and begin a new chapter of creative work!

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1 thought on “The Best Laminators for Teachers”

  1. Avatar

    Fellowes Saturn3i Laminator is the best in my choice. It is cost friendly, durable and best for teachers. Scotch Thermal is amazing as well but I would always prefer Fellowes Saturn3i Laminator, anyday.

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