Why Does My Laminating Film Get Bubbles or Wrinkles?

You’ve spent time printing that family photo, designing a classroom poster, or organizing important documents—only to watch the laminating film crinkle into a mess or bubble up like a failed science experiment. It’s the kind of small, frustrating moment that makes you want to sigh and start over: all that care, undone by a few stubborn bubbles or a wrinkle that won’t smooth out. If you’ve ever stared at your lopsided, bubbly project and thought, “Why does this keep happening?”, you’re far from alone. Let’s figure out what’s going wrong—and how to fix it.

Major Reasons of Bubble in Laminating films

Bubbles—those annoying pockets of air trapped between the laminating pouches and the material being laminated—usually stem from issues with adhesion or preparation. Here are the main culprits:

1. Dust, hair, fingerprints, or oil stains on the surface of the item hinder the tight adhesion between the clear laminating film and the item, allowing air to be easily trapped in between, resulting in bubbles.

2. If the paper, photos, or other items to be laminated contain moisture, the moisture will evaporate into gas when heated during lamination, forming bubbles inside the film.

3. If the temperature is too low, the adhesive layer of the lamination cannot fully melt and cannot completely bond with the item, which easily leaves gaps and causes bubbles. If the temperature is too high, the film may shrink locally due to uneven heating, which can also lead to bubbles. If the speed is too fast, the adhesive layer is sent out before fully adhering, which will also produce bubbles.

4. Inferior laminating films have unevenly distributed adhesive layers or insufficiently sticky adhesive layers, making it difficult for them to adhere evenly to the surface of the item during lamination, which easily leads to bubbles.

5. When placing the item to be laminated during operation, if it is not aligned with the laminating film, or the item itself has wrinkles, air will be trapped during the lamination process, forming bubbles.

Why does the laminating film wrinkle when using a laminator?

There are actually several common reasons behind this.

1.If the item to be laminated is misaligned when placed, or the item itself has curled edges or wrinkles, the uneven force during feeding will cause the film or the item to be pulled and deformed, resulting in wrinkles.

2.When the temperature is too high, the laminating film expands unevenly under heat, which easily leads to local shrinkage or wrinkles; when the temperature is too low, the adhesive layer has insufficient viscosity, causing the film to fail to adhere tightly to the item, which may shift and wrinkle during transmission.

So what we should do to prevent Bubbles and Wrinkle?

2.Adjust Temperature and Speed: Check the laminator’s instructions for recommended settings based on your film’s thickness. Test with a scrap piece of paper first to find the right balance—start with the manufacturer’s guidelines and tweak as needed.

3.Use Quality laminating Film: Invest in reputable laminating films, and check the expiration date. Store films in a cool, dry place to preserve their adhesive properties.

4.Feed Materials Carefully: Align the document straight with the laminator’s entry, and hold it evenly as you feed it in. Avoid pushing or pulling—let the rollers do the work. For large items, have a helper steady the edges.

By addressing these common causes, you can achieve smooth, professional-looking results with your laminating projects.