subject: What's Wrong With My Pouch Laminator? Easy Solutions For Common Problems [print this page] Laminating your documents with a pouch laminator is a pretty straightforward process, but sometimes, even the simplest of tasks can fall victim to a problem. There are a handful of common problems that can occur when you laminate, such as a cloudy end result, wrinkled documents, and so on. The good news is these problems are pretty easy to fix. Here are some common problems along with some things you can try to solve them.
* Help! The pouch is jammed. This is probably one of the most common problems you can encounter: the dreaded jammed pouch. One way to prevent this from happening is by using a carrier each and every time you laminate. (More on this is a moment.) But if the jam has already occurred, the easiest thing to do is enable the machine's reverse mode and see if that will solve the problem. If it doesn't and the document had already started to exit the device, you can try tugging gently on the item to free it. If that doesn't work, you may need to take the machine apart. Be sure to call a professional if that's the case.
* There's glue on the rollers. The best way to deal with this situation is to not let adhesive get on to your machine's rollers in the first place. You can achieve that by using a carrier, a sheath-like object that is often included in most boxes of laminating pouches. A carrier will prevent glue from trickling out of the pouch and getting on to the rollers, which can not only cause jams, but do some real damage to your machine. If there's already glue on your laminator's rollers, there are specialty wipes you can use to clean up the mess. (Note: do not use anything other than these wipes to clean your machine. Doing so can potentially cause more problems.)
* My document is cloudy, wrinkled, or has bubbles. If your final product is marred by wrinkles, bubbles, or cloudiness, you probably used the incorrect temperature setting or selected the wrong speed setting on your machine. Wrinkles and bubbles tend to be caused by too much heat, so lower the temperature to achieve a smoother look. Meanwhile, cloudiness often results when the temperature is too low or the speed is too fast for your document. Run the item through the machine again to see if that solves the problem and experiment with different heat and speed settings to get optimal results.
* The pouch isn't sealed all the way around. If you've laminated your item and you find that the pouch didn't fully seal, then the document is too large for the pouch you used. As a rule of thumb, always make sure that every document you laminate has about half a centimeter of laminate around each side. This will ensure the pouch will be seal properly.
If you're dealing with an issue not discussed in this article or if your attempts to fix your problem haven't worked, be sure to take a look at your instruction manual and/or call a repair technician. Good luck to you and happy laminating!
