Small and Large Lamination Pouches
Laminating pouches come in two general varieties; small and large. This post will give a brief synopsis of small and large laminating pouches, the size and thickness range when referring to each size pouch, and some basic things they can be used for.
Size
Laminating pouches are typically measured in inches and
small laminating pouches range from 2 x 3 inches (length and width) to 3 x 5 (a
typical 3-by-5 index card). Large laminating pouches range in size from (3.5 x
5.5 inches, which are the dimensions of file cards, to 12 x 18 inches,
which is the size of a typical menu and many charts.
Large pouch sizes correspond to paper sizes used in the United States, an official paper size standard adopted by ANSI, or the American National Standards Institute. Letter size pouches measure 8.5 inches in width by 11 inches in length, A4 size pouches measure 8.27 inches in width by 11.69 inches in length, or 210 millimeters by 297 millimeters, legal size pouches measure 8.5 inches in width by 14 inches in length, or 216 millimeters by 356 millimeters. The next size up is chart size, which has not been assigned a standard size, although our chart size lamination pouches measure 12 inches in width by 18 inches in length, or 304.8 millimeters by 457.2 millimeters. Our chart size lamination pouches measure 12 inches in width by 18 inches in length, or 304.8 millimeters by 457.2 millimeters and alamination thickness, or weight, of 6 and 10 mil for each sheet of film
Thickness
3 mil (3.1 in actuality) mil pouches are generally reserved
for larger documents that require a higher level of protection. While it is
harder to damage and penetrate 3.1 mil lamination pouches, sufficient wear and
tear can cause them to cease working as needed.
5 and 7 mil pouches already provide a more durable level of
document protection and should be used in instances where you cannot afford the
document to become damaged. 7 mil pouches are relatively thicker than
lamination pouches used for most documents and are commonly found in use with
ID cards.
10 mil thickness is usually reserved for professional signs that are regularly exposed to the
elements and potential vandalism.
Note that pouch thickness is not limited to the variations
mentioned above. Safety Idesco carries pouches in 6 and 20 thickness
variations as well.
Uses
The smaller cards we spoke about in the second paragraph, ranging from 2 x 3 inches (length and width) to 3 x 5 (a typical 3-by-5 index card), provide ideal protection for smaller cards and tags, such as credit cards, business cards, drivers licenses and luggage tags. Larger pouches are perfect for letter size documents, reports, diplomas and certificates.