Document Laminating & Encapsulating - Beginner's Guide & What You Need To Know

We at Elmstok have been supplying both lamination and encapsulation products for more than 40 years, but did you know there is a difference between them?

Laminating & Encapsulating - What Is The Difference?:

You may have heard the words 'laminate' and 'encapsulate', thinking that these are exactly the same types of finish. However, you would be wrong.

The main difference between encapsulation and lamination is that encapsulation uses thicker, higher-grade film, while lamination uses a thinner type film. Most often there is a border edge laminated seal around the entire surrounding of the printed material/document with encapsulation. This is where the word 'encapsulate' comes in to play.

It can become quite confusing to people who are new to laminating, especially with people in schools, academies, colleges, councils, etc. These places of work normally use pouch laminators, which is actually encapsulating rather than laminating.

Document items that require a lot of handling, and used frequently (i.e. such as maps, training materials, recipe cards, ID cards, etc.) need to be able to withstand the everyday elements. Therefore encapsulation should be used.

However, lamination is more suitable for items/documents that need to look really smart and professional, but won’t be subject to wear and tear.

These items could include corporate brochures, business cards, POS signs, wide-format display boards, etc.

You may also like to read:

Difference Between Hot & Cold Laminating.

At Elmstok Ltd we are leaders in the professional print finishing business with over 30 years experience.

Need help choosing a laminator? Please get in touch with our sales team by calling 01945 463434 or email sales@elmstok.co.uk