8 Perfect Laminators Reviews – Make Your Life Easier in 2024

Appearance and Hardware

The Apache AL9 comes in an all-black, sleek, compact, and lightweight design. It only weighs 2-pounds and stands at 14.2-inches tall by 6.3-inches wide, and an overall depth of only 1.5-inches (front to back). The Apache AL9 can handle laminating pouches from the size of a business card to the standard A4 size, making it a rather versatile machine.

Additionally, this laminator is fitted with a 4-roller system that can perform both cold and hot laminating. It also boasts an ABS jam release button for ease of use. Another feature we really loved is the conspicuous power and ready LED indicators that make it easy to know the status in which your machine is in.

Features and Performance

The Apache is really light making it easy to carry around to class or the office, yet it feels sturdy when working. We really liked its small footprint—meaning it will use a minimal amount of your work area. In fact, you can easily stow away when it’s not being used as it can even fit in a desk drawer. The description says it takes up to two and a half minutes to get ready for lamination, in reality though, it takes almost a minute less. Apache also errored on the side of caution when they stated it takes a minute to laminate. When in fact, we found it does so in about 45 seconds.

Some of its outstanding features that help earn this laminator a best in class ranking include:

• Quality grade motor and heating element that delivers fast and efficient performance
• 4-roller system that ensures one pass is sufficient for proper adhesion and lamination
• Ready to use temperature of 212˚F
• 9-inch entry width

Furthermore, the laminator sheets that come with this unit are of a high-quality and they will surely improve the aesthetics of your print.

One thing we did find off-putting was its lack of a user guide. Without proper instruction, you may at first, have some trouble feeding the laminating pouches perfectly straight into the machine. Some users reported this issue to cause crinkles and bubbles. Thankfully, the package comes with 20 free pages you can use to get acquainted with the machine.

The Apache is not meant for heavy use and that makes sense, considering its relatively low price. However, for an occasional laminating job on materials such as luggage tags, business cards, or anything up to an A4 sized paper, it does wonders. Thicker laminates such as luggage tags may have to pass through the machine twice although, in most cases, we found one pass still works just fine.

In case the laminating sheets get stuck inside when using a letter-sized pouch, be sure to press the ABS jam release button since there have been cases where such a scenario ruins the machine completely. In case of any other issues, the customer service has some great reviews for being responsive and caring.

Appearance and Hardware

The Fellowes Callisto 95 Laminator measures 5.8-inches x 4.2-inches x 17.8-inches and weighs approximately 5.25 pounds. We liked the color options that it comes in as well. You can get it in either a silver or black design. It features easy-to-use controls and a robust roller system that delivers quick and consistent lamination qualities even at high speeds. It’s designed to handle small to moderate usage and can perform both hot and cold laminating. The Callisto 95 is also fitted with LED and audio indicator lights for ease of use. 

Features and Performance

The Fellowes Castillo 95 comes with 10 samples of 3mil plastic lamination pouches measuring 8.5” wide. The company also offers additional size lamination pouches if you appreciate the quality. With the Castillo, users can change between 3, 5, and 7mil thickness lamination pouches.

The instructions accompanying the machine are easy to follow. Similar to some of the other best laminators we reviewed, this machine allows you to use either hot or cold lamination. Weirdly, the manual does not contain any content on how this works, but you will definitely need some self-adhesive cold lamination sheets which are, unfortunately, not included in the sample pack.

• An advanced lamination system which allows users to laminate varying mil thickness without having to wait for the machine to heat-up or cool down.
• 5-inch entry width accommodates multiple document sizes
• Hot lamination of 3 or 5-mil pouches and cold lamination for self-adhesive pouches
• Heat guard technology that helps to focus the energy inward and keep the machine cool to the touch
• A reverse mode for disengaging in case of any buckles or creases
• Three temperature settings for 3, 5, and 7mils thickness.

The unit takes approximately 5 minutes to heat up after which the flashing light turns to a solid green and beeps to let you know it is ready.

The laminator really does deliver smooth and sturdy laminates even when using 3mil thick pouches. Not to mention it cools almost immediately once it’s unplugged.

Overall, this small laminator can comfortably handle light to medium loads of lamination tasks and is an especially good choice for laminating small documents that undergo intensive handling such as informational material and IDs due to its sturdy outputs.

Here’s what we didn’t like about this laminator…

Actually, it’s less of an issue with the machine per se, and more of trouble with the pouches.

It’s a bit difficult to align the edge of an A4 sized document to the edge of the pouches since they are exactly the same size. This means that water and other agents could still seep in and damage your A4 sized documents. One workaround would be to trim the edges of your paper to fit more easily. However, if this is a concern to you, check the website for a slightly bigger product that may better suit your needs.

If you end up purchasing this laminator, be sure to leave enough space behind the laminator to prevent the laminate from buckling or running into objects.

Appearance and Hardware

Measuring 6.2-inch x 6.1-inch x 17.inch and weighing only approximately 3.8 pounds, the Scotch Pro Thermal Laminator comes with easy controls that make it easy and quick to produce high-quality outputs. For control, it’s fitted with an LED touch panel that features an indicator light to alert you when the machine is ready.

Other interesting attributes include a folding tray for receiving finished products, hidden cord storage, and a carrying handle for maximum portability. This laminator can accommodate documents up to 9-inches wide making it suitable for school, home, and personal office use.

Features and Performance

The Scotch Pro performs nearly silently thanks to its two smooth rollers and compact design. The hidden cord storage and handle are great additions especially for anyone who needs to carry the machine around. After 5 minutes of warm-up time, the 15-inch per minute laminating speed will prove fast enough for most projects.

Other features you may be interested in include:

• A 2-roller machine able to laminates at speed of 15-inches per minute
• Accommodates 3-5mil thick thermal pouches
• 9-inch entry width that suits lamination of documents up to an A4-sized paper

Though small, the Scotch Pro can run for over three hours straight, making it a great choice. Even if you have a fairly large amount of laminating work to do. That’s one of the major reasons we ranked it so high.

Additionally, it comes with two large packets, therefore, you may need to get additional lamination pouches to be on the safe side.

It's very small, so you can leave it on your desk counter since it doesn't take up too much space. It's also a very attractive appliance. It's pretty sturdy, too.

Appearance and Hardware

The Fellowes Venus 2 Laminator measures 8.2-inches x 5.1-inches x 21.2-inches and weighs about 21 pounds. This machine is fitted with a robust 6-roller system that produces smooth and high-quality laminations at a rapid speed of 40 inches per minute. That’s an impressive speed and makes the Venus 2 perfect for an office or school that has medium to high loads of laminating jobs.

It comes with a sleek design with the controls conveniently placed for easy control. It’s also fitted with LED lights and an audio beep which will alert you when the machine is warmed up, when there’s a jam, overheating, or when the lamination is complete.

Features and Performance

The Fellowes Venus 2 Laminator is both fast and smart thanks to its AutoSense technology which allows the machine to detect and re-adjust the settings based on the pouch thickness. As a result, it’s easy for anyone to operate this machine successfully. With only 30 seconds of heating time and laminating speeds of up to 40-inches per minute, it’s easily one of the fastest laminating machines out there.

• Unique AutoSense feature that detects the thickness of the pouch automatically and re-adjusts to the correct settings
• Includes laminating starter kit
• An advanced system which allows users to laminate varying mil thickness without having to wait for the machine to heat-up or cool down.
• Huge 12.5-inch wide entry width able to handle multiple document sizes
• Hot lamination for 3 to 10-mil pouches and cold lamination for self-adhesive pouches
• A reverse lever for disengaging in case you need to remove or re-center the laminate

The Venus 2 comes with ten 3mil pouches to get you started as well as a roll cleaner page that you should feed through the machine before switching it off. The machine runs smoothly and silently and comes with a small tray attached to the back of the unit for receiving completed laminates. We found this feature useful since it prevents the documents from bending when falling to the countertop.

Here some advice you’ll find useful if you choose this as the best laminator for your situation:

After receiving your shipment, be sure to check if the automatic temperature control setting is well calibrated. If not, the machine may produce poor-quality results due to too little or too much heat. In case of a faint burning odor in the first few uses, do not get worried, this should disappear by the 3rd-4th use.

Appearance and Hardware

The Scotch TL901C stands at 6.7-inches x 6.4-inches x 16.3-inches and weighs approximately 5.4 pounds. Inside, it’s fitted with a 2-roller laminating system that has two laminating settings that are suitable to use with photos, documents, recipes, and much more. It can laminate items up to 5mil thick. The kit comes with 3mil and 5mil pouches.

Features and Performance

The Scotch TL910C laminator comfortably laminates letter-size, photo-size, business-card-size, legal-size and other paper sizes that can fit in the 9-inch entry width. Thanks to its small and sleek design, the machine can fit pretty much anywhere at home, in school or at the office without making the place look too crammed. Some of its most outstanding features are listed below:

• The Scotch TL901 laminating machine is portable due to its lightweight design at only 5.4 pounds occupying just 9 inches of desk space
• Includes a jam release lever
• Comes with two 11" x 9.4" double-sided lamination pouches plus easy to follow instructions and warranty information
• Two-roller system with two temperature settings
• Will laminate pouches up to 5mil thick
• Other items available: Pouches Included: 20-9"x11" - 20-2.36"x3.74" - 10-2.51"x4.25" - 20-4.37"x6.06" - 20-3.74"x5.31" - 20-5.31"x7.28" - 5-Luggage Tags - and a free Plexon brand pen

For the price and other supplies this machine comes with, we found the Scotch TL901C to be an outstanding laminator that comes in handy for use at home or in the office. It’s very simple to operate and carry around.

Slightly slower than other laminators we reviewed above, this option takes a couple of minutes to heat up when the 3mil setting is on. And even longer on the 5mil setting. However, when everything is ready, it does the job quickly and effectively. The laminates also come out straight and sturdy.

To ensure everything is working correctly, check the rollers and motors that pull the laminate through the machine to ensure they’re moving smoothly. Also, check the heat settings and use some of the provided material to test if the machine is working efficiently.

As a side note, do not use this machine in case you intend to laminate sonogram pictures. The heat from the machine will totally destroy your project. Also, remember to switch between the 3mil and 5mil settings to ensure there’s enough heat to make the adhesives stick together and seal well.

If everything is working well, the finished piece will come out of the other end while still HOT, so be careful.

Lastly, the included assorted pouches come in a wide range, but in few numbers. Since you will never use some of them, be sure to buy more of the ones you think you will need most.

Appearance and Hardware

The 3-in-1 Blusmart BL01 Laminator comes in white and stands at 15.3-inches x 3.9-inches x 5.5-inches. This allows the Blusmart to handle laminating pouches from the size of a business card to the standard A4 size. The BL01 is fitted with a 2-roller system that supports both cold and hot laminating.

One feature we absolutely fell in love with about this nice 3-in-1 laminator is that it also has a rotary paper trimmer and a corner rounder. Something most other laminators did not offer. The paper wavy and zigzag trimmers also enable clients to add some flair to their products using this machine. This makes it very suitable if you handle customized cards (birthdays, weddings, etc.). Of course, these convenient options also make it ideal for schools and offices.

Similar to the other laminators in this review, the Blusmart BL01 has LED indicator lights to show on/off status as well as an LED indicator light.

Features and Performance

The lamination output from this machine is excellent, whether you are working on a business card, a photo or an A4-sized document. The rotary cutting blade comes in different cutting patterns, that is, perforated, wave, and straight. This means you can give your laminates a straight, zig-zag or wavy edge without having to clamp up your space with additional cutting equipment or wasting your time looking for scissors. It is fitted with many other features that you may find useful such as:

• Maximum cutting capacity of 3 sheets, A4-size paper simultaneously
• Maximum entry width of 310mm
• 3 in one functionality of laminating, trimming and corner rounding
• Special design that removes air bubbles and provides a smooth finish.
• Auto lamination with low noise
• Innovative heating system without bubbles

The Blusmart BL01 laminator supports both thermal and cold lamination. When using thermal lamination, the plastic seals perfectly on all sides leaving no bubbles or uneven parts on the surface.  Not unlike the other laminators here, just make sure you’re using the self-adhesive pouches when you’re using the cold lamination option.

Weighing only 1.98 pounds, this machine is also extremely portable and easy to use. The instructional manual is simple for anyone to grasp with all parts clearly labeled out, so don’t worry if it’s your first time using one.

Now, let’s talk about some common customer complaints…

Some consumers have complained about the machine crinkling up papers and jamming after using it a number of times. If this happens, try pushing the anti-jam (ABS) button or cleaning the glue that may be gumming up the rollers.

And, in the rare case your machine arrives broken, make sure to return the item within 4 weeks to avoid missing the deadline.

All that aside, the Blusmart BL01 is convenient to use since it accommodates all the standard laminating pouches with the maximum size being A4. It powers right up and outputs some great looking products.

Appearance and Hardware

The Fellowes Saturn 3i Laminator measures 5.8-inches x 4.1-inches x 20.9-inches and weighs approximately 5.1 pounds. This machine can perform both hot and cold lamination for up to 5mil thermal pouches imparting a durable and professional look in the process. It’s fitted with a wide range of easy-to-use controls and a smooth roller system that ensures quality results for different projects. It’s designed to handle small to moderate usage and fitted with LED lights and audio beeps for easy notification when things are ready.

Features and Performance

The Fellowes Saturn 3i is shipped with ten, 3mil A4-sized pouches to get you started. Users can easily switch between working with thermal laminating pouches or cold, self-adhesive pouches with the touch of a button.

Our research proved the InstaHeat Technology enables the machine to warm up in under 60 seconds--just as advertised. Plus, the auto shut off system turns off the machine in case it gets too hot after a given duration of use.

This tool has additional features including:

• Includes laminating starter kit
• An advanced system which allows users to laminate varying mil thickness without having to wait for the machine to heat-up or cool down.
• Huge 12.5-inch wide entry width able to handle multiple document sizes
• Hot lamination for 3- or 5-mil pouches and cold lamination for self-adhesive pouches
• A reverse lever for disengaging in case you need to remove or re-center the laminate

In case your documents are turning out crinkled, check the back of the machine to ensure the hook on the exit tray is not the cause of the problem. If it is, stretching the prongs apart to create a bit more tension should solve the issue.

Overall, the Saturn 3i is awesome for small or moderate laminating jobs. It’s great for laminating any document less than an A4-sized item. However, it’s a bit difficult for laminating small documents such as cards since there’s no solid level surface at the feeder end making it difficult to place cards without them overlapping or falling. To handle this problem, laminate the document first and then trim down any extra sheets as required to avoid jamming.

Appearance and Hardware

The TLC Pouch Laminator comes in black, measuring 8.8-inches x 4.8-inches x 16.6-inches and weighing approximately 15 pounds. This machine can perform both hot and cold lamination for up to 3, 5, 7, and 10mil thermal pouches held in place with its 4-roller system. It has separate heat and run switches, making it easy to control.

Another of the speedier laminators, the TLC has a fixed speed of 33 inches per minute. In fact, the impressive speed of the TLC laminator makes it one of the fastest machines in this price range.

It’s installed with a temperature control and light indicators for signaling when the machine is ready for laminating. This model also comes with a thermometer for you to keep tabs on your heat levels. 

Features and Performance

The TLC pouch laminator is a sleek, durable, and high-performance machine that can handle an average project in under 20 seconds once everything is all heated up. It produces sturdy, straight, and polished laminates while running constantly for hours. As a result, this machine is best set up in an office or school where there is medium to high loads of laminating jobs.

Some of its salient features include:

• Accommodates 3 to 10mil pouches making it versatile enough to handle school or business needs
• Best warranty in the market of 5-years
• Separate heat and run switches allows more control of the machine
• The kit includes a thermometer
• 4 rollers able to move at a fixed laminating speed of approximately 33 in/min
• Made in the USA
• Wide 12-inch entry width, optimal for most projects

If you have a laminating business or are planning to use a laminating machine for huge loads, we recommend this as the best laminator for you. It’s easy to use, fast and efficient, and produces consistent and high-quality results. It can also accommodate a wide range of pouch thicknesses not to mention the wide 12-inch entry width makes it easy to laminate pretty much anything. This laminator is a true workhorse.

Just beware…

In case the rollers or heating mechanisms are not working correctly, you might get laminates that are wavy (not flat) and they may also contain air pockets. If this problem is not being caused by misfeeding the machine, then think about utilizing the five-year warranty. Unluckily, a lot of customers have raised an issue with the company’s customer service, so hopefully, yours goes well.