When you go to buy new laminating roll film for your laminator one of the first questions that you will be asked is "what core size do you need?" If you are lost already, don"t worry, you are not alone. This article will help you understand what a "core" is as it pertains to laminating roll film. It will also help you understand the different types of core sizes that are commonly used and will provide you with some guidelines for choosing the right core size to fit with your roll laminator.
By this point, you are probably wondering what a "core" is as it pertains to laminating roll film. Simply put, the core is the cardboard roll that the laminating film is wrapped around. During the manufacturing process, laminating film is spun onto the rolls in the correct length and width with a specific amount of tension. Depending on what laminator you have, and the type of laminating film you need the core size may be different. However the most important thing to consider is what core sizes can your laminator handle. Here are the three most common sizes used in the marketplace...
1. Most roll laminators used in schools and libraries are 25" or 27" wide and have a one inch core. These laminators are designed to be easy to use and are often operated by teachers or school secretaries. These machines are the easiest laminators to operate and usually do not offer any flexibility in core sizes.
2. Some medium volume laminators used in schools and print shops will use a 2-1/4" core. These machines are usually a little bit higher end and will often have the ability to run heavier laminating films and possibly even do mounting. Some of these machines will have the ability to use either a 2-1/4" core size or a 1" core size using special adapters.
3. Most wide format laminators and heavy duty commercial laminating machines use a 3" core. A lot of the specialty laminating films that are available on the market are only available on a 3" core. These laminators are capable of handling longer rolls of laminating film and are designed for professional print shops and wide format applications.
Well, now that you know about the three different core sizes that are available on the market, you are probably wondering how you can tell what size of core your laminator needs. Apart from looking in the manual (who would ever do that J), the easiest way to determine the correct core size for your laminator is to measure the core of the film that is currently loaded on the laminator. Simply take your ruler and measure the outside diameter of the cardboard core that the film is wrapped around. Now you are ready to choose the thickness, length and width of your film. We will save that for another article though.