Laminating

[Peter McLennan]

There are some presentation situations where it would be nice for the viewer to handle unframed single prints.  Print damage is bound to occur.  Has anyone experimented with plastic lamination of inkjet prints for presentation?

Was it successful?
Does it protect from damage?  Or is the laminate fragile, too?
Expensive?
Difficult to do?
How do you deal with the edges?

Thanks for any advice, thoughts.

Peter

[Jonathan Wienke]

I've done that with good results. Paradoxically, the best way to get a nice glossy laminated print is to use matte-finish paper--the lamination will make the final product glossy, and matte-finish papers are far less likely to get air bubbles trapped between the paper and the laminate. Also, make sure you allow the prints to dry for at least 24 hours before laminating them, or you'll have problems with the laminate separating from the paper. The thermal lamination is much preferable to the cold adhesive-based lamination.