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Will incorrect placement of the laminating film affect the lamination result?
Will incorrect placement of the laminating film affect the lamination result?
2025-10-14
Have you ever had a similar experience? When using a new laminator for the first time, you operated it with full confidence, but the laminating film just wouldn’t stick to the paper. After reading the manual three times, you finally realized: sticking the film on the wrong side (front/back mix-up) was the key issue!
That’s because the two sides of laminating film serve entirely different functions—one side is an adhesive-coated bonding layer, while the other is a smooth protective layer. Applying the film backwards leads to 4 typical problems, almost all of which are irreparable:
1. Total failure to adhere
This is the most common issue. If the smooth protective side faces the paper, the film has no adhesive to bond with the paper. After lamination, it will slide right off—just like covering paper with non-adhesive plastic wrap, with zero stickiness.
2. Massive bubbles and wrinkles
Even if some adhesive accidentally touches the paper, misalignment of the bonding layer creates gaps between the film and paper. When heated or pressed, air gets trapped inside, forming dense bubbles. At the same time, uneven pressure on the film causes irregular wrinkles, leaving the paper looking messy and unprofessional.
3. Peeling of the laminated layer
If you barely finish lamination despite the wrong side-up, no issues may show up immediately. But over time, the improperly bonded film will start to curl and peel from the edges—especially after being touched, folded, or exposed to slight moisture—completely losing its protective effect.
4. Damage to paper and film
For hot laminators, reversed film can make the adhesive stick to the machine’s rollers. This not only ruins the current lamination but also contaminates the rollers, leading to paper jams in future use. If the paper has ink (e.g., photos, printed documents), the misaligned film may smudge or scrape off the ink, destroying the original content.
1. Total failure to adhere
This is the most common issue. If the smooth protective side faces the paper, the film has no adhesive to bond with the paper. After lamination, it will slide right off—just like covering paper with non-adhesive plastic wrap, with zero stickiness.
2. Massive bubbles and wrinkles
Even if some adhesive accidentally touches the paper, misalignment of the bonding layer creates gaps between the film and paper. When heated or pressed, air gets trapped inside, forming dense bubbles. At the same time, uneven pressure on the film causes irregular wrinkles, leaving the paper looking messy and unprofessional.
3. Peeling of the laminated layer
If you barely finish lamination despite the wrong side-up, no issues may show up immediately. But over time, the improperly bonded film will start to curl and peel from the edges—especially after being touched, folded, or exposed to slight moisture—completely losing its protective effect.
4. Damage to paper and film
For hot laminators, reversed film can make the adhesive stick to the machine’s rollers. This not only ruins the current lamination but also contaminates the rollers, leading to paper jams in future use. If the paper has ink (e.g., photos, printed documents), the misaligned film may smudge or scrape off the ink, destroying the original content.
Therefore, to avoid such problems, we should learn to distinguish between the front and back sides of the laminating film.
Actually, distinguishing the two sides is quite simple:
First, check the gloss. The adhesive side is slightly dull (matte), while the protective side is much shinier (glossy).
Second, feel the edges. The adhesive side has a slight "tacky" texture, whereas the protective side is smooth with no stickiness at all.
If you’re unsure, test a corner of the film on scrap paper. The side that sticks to the paper is the correct bonding side.
First, check the gloss. The adhesive side is slightly dull (matte), while the protective side is much shinier (glossy).
Second, feel the edges. The adhesive side has a slight "tacky" texture, whereas the protective side is smooth with no stickiness at all.
If you’re unsure, test a corner of the film on scrap paper. The side that sticks to the paper is the correct bonding side.
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