| You may not be familiar with what a pouch carrier is, let alone what the benefits can be if you use one. A pouch carrier is a tri-folded piece of heavy card-stock paper that has a special coating on the inside and is designed to protect a pouch laminator’s rollers from adhesive that can leak out of a heated laminating pouch. To use one, you simply insert your document, which is already sheathed in a laminating pouch, into the carrier. The inside coating prevents any melted adhesive from leaking out and the outside prevents your pouch from getting stuck to the rollers. Consistent use will prolong the life of your pouch laminator. Advancing technology and new materials are slowly phasing out what was once standard in the pouch laminating industry. Some manufacturers now use silicon or ceramic heated rollers that are designed to shed any adhesive and do not always require a pouch carrier; however, if the manufacturer states that a pouch carrier is optional or recommend using them, we are emphasizing how much money and frustration these simple carriers can save you. There are several benefits: Pouch Carriers Prevent Any Adhesives From Leaking Onto The Rollers If you are using a heat setting on your pouch laminator, it is possible that the adhesive within the laminating pouch can melt, leak out of the pouch, and onto the laminator’s rollers. This adhesive can build up over time and cause problems with the quality of your applications, as well as increase the chances of your pouch getting stuck in the rollers. A pouch carrier creates a solid barrier between the adhesive and your rollers. Pouch Carriers Prevent Laminating Pouches From Wrapping Around The Rollers If adhesive has built up on your rollers, the chances are much higher that your laminating pouches will get stuck on the rollers and bend around the rollers. It is possible to fix this issue before it ruins your machine, but this is a major contributor to ruined pouch laminators every year because most users do not catch it in time. Pouch carriers prevent this from ever becoming an issue by making your laminating pouch rigid, which decreases curling and the chance that any leaking adhesive will cause the carrier pouch or laminating pouch to stick to the rollers. Pouch Carriers Ensure The Finished Document is Smooth A pouch carrier creates a rigid, smooth surface that ensures there are less imperfections, air bubbles, and heat marks on your document after it has passed through the laminator. If there are adhesive particles or other bits of debris stuck to the rollers of your machine, they will not affect the overall laminating process due to the protection of the pouch carrier. Pouch carriers will also protect your document from fingerprints and impressions that can easily be left after handling a hot laminating pouch. By gently moving the pouch carrier to the side after it is laminated, it can cool down and you do not need to touch your laminating pouch at all. Again, very few new pouch laminators require a pouch carrier, and if they do a pouch carrier will be included in each box of laminating pouches, but these simple carriers can save you time, money, and increase the professional appearance of all your laminating applications. |