Reddit reviews AmazonBasics 9-Inch Thermal Laminator Machine

Reactive Foil

Card Stock

Laser Printer

Laminator

Laminators are pretty damn cheap as well.

this boi

A thermal laminator! Here’s the same one on amazon:

AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_X.wPBbSFSWEFG

Replying so you get the update rather than editing.

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I used some dry film photoresistive laminate I found at my university on a big spool. I do not know which specific type it is, though I'm sure most all the ones you buy on eBay will work fine.

1. With a transparent plastic printable sheet, print out your solder paste and pads layer. This will of course be pure black and white. To clarify: black will be used for exposed copper, and everything white (or clear) will be solder masked. Clean and scuff up your PCB with a scotch-brite pad, water, and your choice of cleaner (i.e. dish soap, windex, alcohol, acetone, etc.) Dry it thoroughly afterwards. Note: If you do not scuff up and clean your PCB, your results may be a very wrinkled.
   
   
2. Cut out a piece of the dry film laminate smaller than your board (overlapping may cause a mess on your laminator).
   
   
3. The dry film laminate has clear plastic cover films on both sides of it (top and bottom). Carefully peel off only one of the sides of clear plastic - be careful not to touch the now exposed blue laminate film uncovered by the clear plastic.
   
   
4. Carefully lay this as flush as possible with as little pressure, stretching, or stress on your PCB.
   
   
5. Run the PCB with the laminate laying on the desired location through the laminator. I used this $20 laminator which works very well (3 mil setting).
   
   
6. With the transparent plastic solder paste print out from step #1, place this on the PCB and align it so that the pads cover pads you want exposed.
   
   
7. While maintaining alignment, place this either in a UV light chamber for 3 minutes (i.e. 35W - 45W) or let it sit in good, direct-sunlight for roughly 10 - 15 minutes.
   
   
8. Carefully peel off the other clear plastic protector from the dry film laminate.
   
   
9. Gently wash and agitate the PCB with the solder mask in a solution of positive developer (1% Sodium Hydroxide).
   
   
10. Done! You will now have a proper, good-looking solder mask if everything was done correctly. Feel free to let the finished board soak up a bit more UV to really ensure full curing.

Could you laminate it? I have a cheap little laminator I got from Amazon for like 20 bucks, and then another 10 bucks or so for the pouches. That might be too much to spend on only preserving one thing, but it sounds like there might be a lot more old patterns in the stash. You could always also just get a binder with some page protectors and slide the papers in there, maybe.

I would love a copy of the pattern when you're done copying it! That top is cute!

I would also add a laminator to this list. We bought this one and it's been great for player aids or anything we've printed out that isn't on heavy paper stock.

Sure thing! Here's the full process:

To prepare the champagne bottles I soaked them in a dish tub with a scoop of oxyclean and room temperature water for about 30-40 minutes. The oxyclean is REALLY helpful in getting the labels to slide off, but be careful not to get it near the top/under the foil. Then I rinsed them under cold water and used the scrubby side of a sponge to get off any remaining adhesive. I let them air dry on my countertop.

To make the labels, I used 3.5'' x 2.125'' weatherproof laser labels. This takes a few steps- first I had to print the dots on to the label in solid black toner, then run them through a laminator with the minc foil transfer sheets (link is to amazon, but I got them at Michael's with a 50% off coupon). Then I had to print the text on to them. I used fonts that I downloaded online.

Then, I just applied the labels to the bottles, tied a paper straw to each, and voila!

> Here in VA our first CC walk isn't to Walmart it is to Staples to get the CHP laminated.

How true!

Recently I spent $25 and got my own laminator. Laminated my renewal and some other stuff. Will use more over time.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS


https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Products-Laminating-Pouches-Business/dp/B001602ZT2/ref=pd_bxgy_229_3/144-9164760-3358643?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001602ZT2&pd_rd_r=VBHEKH9ZJ6VP6HJZ1F11&pd_rd_w=bG5jh&pd_rd_wg=L2Y5U&psc=1&refRID=VBHEKH9ZJ6VP6HJZ1F11

Besides, the staples nearest me closed recently. :(

Sure! I just made them up so there aren't instructions, but here's what I used and what I did. My wedding colors are magenta pink and gold, with pops of teal blue (Indian - we like lots of colors :)) Also, now that I've written this all out I realize it's a lot of DIY - I'm super into crafting and it relaxes me (especially during the stress of wedding planning) so it's all good ... but if DIY stresses you out or if you are pressed for time this might be a bit much.

1. Got 450 pure white note cards from Paper Source in the 4 bar size (which is 3 1/2" x 4 7/8"): notecard link
   
   
2. Used the paper source PEGz stackable letter set to stamp "TOMORROW" in teal on 150 cards, "IN ONE YEAR" in gold on 150 cards and "IN FIVE YEARS" in magenta on 150 cards (these are inside the envelopes that are shown, I'll try to add a picture): stamp link ... I did have to buy two sets of these to have enough letters but my best friend loves crafts too so I'm happy to give one to her after I'm done; and I had the stamp inks already
   
   
3. Ordered 150 each of the A1 invitation envelopes from envelopes.com (3 5/8" x 5 x 1/8") in champagne metallic, gold metallic and azalea metallic: envelopes link
   
   
4. I then stamped the envelopes to match the cards using the same stamp set, but also with colors that were most visible - "TOMORROW" in teal on the champagne colored envelopes, "IN ONE YEAR" in black on the gold envelopes and "IN FIVE YEARS" in white on the azalea colored envelopes. I then stuffed the respective note cards into the corresponding envelopes and that part was done.
   
   
5. For the little pocket I used paper source's #10 envelopes (4 1/8" x 9 1/2") in peacock. I needed each of the pockets to be 3.5" tall and so glued down the open flap on the open end of the envelope and then measured up 3.5" from each end and made a straight cut. This gave me two "pockets", closed at the bottom, 4 1/8" wide and 3" tall: pocket envelope link
   
   
6. I designed the white rectangle to go on the front of the pocket in illustrator (I'll call them "pocket labels"). I used the fonts "Stylish Calligraphy Demo" for the "love notes" header, "Snell Roundhand" for the line below "for myname and fiancename" and then "Marion" for the rest of it. I made a super light grey rectangle that was 3" tall and 3.5" wide as cutting guides for after I printed things out - this would leave ~1/4" border of the teal on each side once I pasted these onto the pockets
   
   
7. I printed out the pocket labels on 8.5" x 11" cardstock in pure white from paper source. I was able to fit six pocket labels onto one sheet. CRITICAL to being able to do the gold foil in the coming steps is printing on a laser printer, it will not work if you print on inkjet. cardstock link
   
   
8. I ordered a laminator and a roll of gold foil from Amazon to do the top of the pocket label in shiny gold (the poor woman's version). The laminator was $18 and a 25ft roll of gold foil (way more than I'll need but I'll use it later) was $20. laminator link gold foil link
   
   
9. I cut out each of the pocket labels and got to doing the gold foil. The basic idea is that when you put the gold foil on top of the pocket label and then run it through the laminator the ink re-melts and the gold foil sticks to it (which is why you need to use a laser printer). You also want to make sure you don't put gold foil over any ink where you don't want it to stick (duh, I know, but I have made this mistake).
   
   
10. I cut out a little piece of gold foil - just big enough to cover the first two cursive lines of text in the pocket label, but not any bigger so it didn't touch the border, any other text, etc. I placed the foil gold side up over the cursive text and then put the two into a folded piece of regular printer paper. I ran that through the laminator (at the highest heat setting, mine is 5mm) and then when I took it out and peeled off the gold foil it was only stuck on the cursive font.
    
    
11. I used double sided tape to attach the pocket label (white) to the pocket (teal) and inserted the three envelopes (champagne, gold, azalea) that have the notecards inside of them. I'll probably add a menu late in the game and then either a ribbon or paper band with our monogram to hold it all together but that is TBD and won't happen for a while.
    
    Phew, that was a lot, I hope it was helpful! Let me know if you have questions and obviously PLEASE share your pictures if you make it too!
    
    EDITED: To fix typos

I did this s while ago.

http://imgur.com/gallery/j5Qpnng

I found it literally cheaper to buy & do everything yourself then go through a copy shop. It will likely cost 40-60+ per packet. Useful for other games & what nots as well.

$20 Laminator:
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS

$150 Spiral Punch:
https://www.amazon.com/TruBind-Coil-Binding-Machine-Professionally-Hole-Punching/dp/B00LNFOHNW

Personally, I've had awesome luck with this one:

https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS?sa-no-redirect=1

And these pouches:

https://smile.amazon.com/MFLABEL-Thermal-Laminating-11-4-Inches-100-Pack/dp/B01KH1CC9I/ref=pd_sim_229_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01KH1CC9I&pd_rd_r=EX24QDZ1ESTC5P2Z9N3X&pd_rd_w=Y5r7F&pd_rd_wg=ahzfa&psc=1&refRID=EX24QDZ1ESTC5P2Z9N3X

I was surprised by how well it works given how inexpensive it is. Granted, I only use it perhaps 4 times a month, but still...

looks like the machine is a Thermal Laminator

not sure about the rest

Thermal laminator and gold deco foil

Print this one instead:
http://www.davidpaulgreen.com/tumol.html

If you print it landscape on 8 1/2x 11 and put two pages on a sheet, you can get it laminated and bound and it becomes a very nice field reference.

if you're really into DIY, check out the amazon basics laminator, laminate it yourself and save a TON of money.

Buy yourself a pouch laminator and just laminate them as you go. They only take a few minutes to warm up and laminate quickly. Amazon's brand costs $21.99 + the pouches.

https://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484591302&sr=8-3&keywords=pouch+laminator

Using the tape as a hinge is a good idea, I'll try this next time.

Laminators are much cheaper than I thought. I recently got the "Amazon Basics" laminator and pouch for $30:

• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BUI5QWS/
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWU3HNY
  
  

If you want an inexpensive laminator, I bought this one from amazon (http://amzn.to/2kxWSdz). It was around $22. It does one page at a time and seems to do a fine job. I only have experience with this one laminator, but for taking paper things and covering them with plastic it seems to work pretty well. It only comes with 5 pages of lamination material, so you will need to pick up a pack of the lamination pages. A pack of 100 of the "laminating pouches" cost around $12 on amazon. "Pouches" is kind of a misnomer. They open kind of like a clamshell (connected on one edge, the other three sides open). You slide whatever you want to laminate inside, then slide it through the machine. It was a little difficult getting the hang of laminating a bunch of small pieces on one sheet. The trick I used was to put a book in front of the laminator that was even with the level of the input slot, that way you could just gently slide the page forward without moving the little pieces around inside. My first few attempts were done just holding it by hand and feeding it in and I ended up having pieces move and overlap and get laminated overlapping each other.

I would also recommend a corner cutter (like this: http://amzn.to/2k64w1u). When I was cutting out laminated cards/pieces, I ended up with pointy corners. It wasn't a big deal, but being able to round out the corners makes things just feel better to handle.

The whole setup cost about $45 from amazon for laminator, 100 pages (of which I still have plenty left) and the corner cutter.

After buying a laminator, I ended up discovering all kinds of things that I didn't realize needed lamination. :)

I see you appreciate office gadget types of things. I am dying for my own personal laminator. I had access to one at my last job and had to fight the urge to use it for personal stuff all the time. Works to make a great, cheap write-on/wipe-off board too. Thanks for the contest!

Target has these from Scotch brand that dont need a laminator machine:

https://www.target.com/p/scotch-174-self-seal-laminating-sheets-letter-size-10ct-clear/-/A-15419872

&

https://www.target.com/p/scotch-174-laminating-sheets-self-seal-letter-size-10ct-clear/-/A-16259821

Amazon basics sells a thermal laminator for $21.99 if you need a thermal laminator and dont want to pay a ton for one:
AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PKPQCb98JZF8S

I'm looking at the AmazonBasics one because it's only $22 but has decent reviews.

What do you mean about the border?

• Cheap Laminator - http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418078095&sr=8-2&keywords=laminator
  
• Laminator Letter Sized Pouches - http://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Laminating-Pouches-Lamination-Laminator/dp/B009SOVRYM/ref=pd_sim_op_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=16AF2EAK6HCYVR7K0GYR
  
• Dry Erase Markers with Erasers - http://www.amazon.com/Board-Dudes-Magnetic-Assorted-4560VA-12/dp/B005GPFWG6/ref=sr_1_5?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1418078141&sr=1-5&keywords=dry+erase+markers
  
• ????
  
• Profit

Here you go: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS

It's an Amazon Basics Laminator.
It's used to heat the toner from image on the paper so the transfer foil can stick to it.

It's a laminator

Instructions from the actual source

Ive used this one with the photoresistive stuff. Works fine.


AmazonBasics Thermal Laminator Machine

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ex7IDbQ2EHS2J

If it's the kind of thing you do, these are dirt cheap, https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=lp_300350_1_5?s=office-electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1483563949&sr=1-5

I honestly have no problem doing it, i just can't ensure you that everything would look perfect in the end. If you shop on amazon you can get.
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https://www.amazon.com/Swingline-Trimmer-Guillotine-Capacity-ClassicCut/dp/B00006IATI/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_229_bs_lp_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6YSKHPNNJF58YM0VJD11&dpID=51thzb%252B7vJL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail
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https://www.amazon.com/Staples-Matte-White-Sticker-Sheets/dp/B00MD4IYIQ
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https://www.amazon.com/Avery-Self-Adhesive-Laminating-Sheets-73603/dp/B00006IC7H/ref=sr_1_3?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1509583821&sr=1-3&keywords=laminating+sheets+stick
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https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-PL9-US-Thermal-Laminator/dp/B00BUI5QWS/ref=sr_1_1?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1509582547&sr=1-1&keywords=laminaor

I teach mod/severe in CA. I would wait to see the population you're working with. There are some things you will need. Like velcro squares, velcro rolls, titanium scissors to cut velcro, laminator, 5 mil sheets, 3 mil sheets, rotary trimmer, and optional but I would highly suggest it, a color laser printer The printer can take all manner of recycled cartridges and its nice to have to create picture cards at home. I would also suggest getting a subscription to Lessonpix when you start teaching in order to create all the picture cards you need.

Buy smart and write your name on everything. Take things with you as you go from job to job, if you do so. You paid for it, you take it.

Buy cheaply. Try Oriental Trading Post, stuff straight from China on Ebay, Reallygoodstuff.com, Dollar Tree, 99 Cent store, etc. Look at end of holiday sales. Look at ways to make what you can or adapt items. Don't buy everything and anything.

This machine is literally $20. There's a better reviewed one for $17.