As a teacher, you have the toughest and most noble job in the world. You are actually shaping the future of the world with education. Educating the younger generation is a creative process. You will need multiple tools such as projectors, microscope, laminators, etc. Best10Lab will try to find out more about the best laminators for teachers in this article.

Lamination helps you in protecting yours and your student’s hard work. In the process of making learning more creative people often use things like different types of passes, maps, flashcards, etc. Since the classroom is often a center of chaos, there are very high chances of useful things get destroyed by water, food or simply getting ripped off. A laminator is going to save you from all these hassles.

A Laminator uses heat to press any desired document between two plastic sheets. This process allows the document, piece of paper or any object to become resistant bending, creasing, scratching and water spilling. Finding the best laminators for teachers is a bit tricky. The first thing you need to do is look at their size and performance. You also need to look at their laminating time and capacity. We have researched on more than 50 laminators and sorted out top 10 best laminators for teachers which have almost no complaints like jamming and can handle beyond standard size and papers.

Best Laminators for Teachers

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Swingline Laminator

When you judge all 10 laminators based on cost and performance Swingline Inspire Plus tops the list of best laminators for teachers. It delivers high-quality lamination with 3 and 5 mil lamination pouches. The laminator will take hardly 4 minutes to warm up after you turn it on. You will get a variety of options of color while choosing the design. It comes with a single power setting and a green light which turns on when the unit is ready to laminate.

The unit can laminate any item up to 9″ width. A great feature of the unit is cold lamination which you can use for pressure-sensitive self-adhesive pouches. You will get a laminating speed of around 9″ per minutes which is pretty fast, thus saves you a lot of time and increases productivity. It also comes with a jam release lever which easily corrects alignment of misfed pouches. You can use it for straight multiple hours without any issue.

Pros	Cons
👍 Heats up quickly.	👎 Laminates slowly.
👍 Laminates heat sensitive items.
👍 Slim and easy to store.
👍 Easy to use.

Scotch PRO Thermal Laminator

Scotch Pro Thermal laminator comes with easy control and LED touch panel. The LED touch panel has an indicator light which signals when the machine is ready. The unit features a folding tray for receiving laminated objects, a hidden cord storage and a carry handle for portability and easy storage. This laminator can laminate items up to 9″ width which makes it ideal for schools. It will take hardly 5 minutes to warm up once you start it.

Laminating speed is up to 15″ per minute, ensuring your time is properly utilized due to the two rollers. It has two heat settings for 3 mil and 5 mil pouches differently which provides you a quality result. The compact design makes it easy to store. You can use it on your desk and store it there only. The compact size has no effect on its performance. You can laminate documents straight over three hours without any glitch. The anti-jam technology automatically prevents misfed items and never allows the laminator to jam.

Pros	Cons
👍 Lightweight design with hidden cord storage.	👎 9" restriction.
👍 Jam Prevention Technology.	👎 Only two heat control settings.
👍 User-friendly.

Purple Cows Hot and Cold 9″ Laminator

Purple Cow Hot and Cold is a high quality, low-cost laminator which is no doubt one of the best laminators for teachers. The unit has two buttons, one to switch it on and off and another for hot and cold options. It also has two LED signals, one for power and another for ready. The laminator is an environment-friendly device. It consumes 50% less electricity in comparison with traditional laminators.  Purple Cow is a three-setting laminator. The first setting is for 3 mils another for 5 mils while the third setting is for cold lamination.

The heating element of the unit is made of silicon rollers which provides you with smooth and perfectly sealed lamination. You don’t have to worry about pocket thickness while using it, the automatic adjustment takes care of it. The cold lamination feature is perfect for heat-sensitive materials. It can warm up within 3 to 5 minutes making it a real time saver. The anti-block system comes in handy in removing the jammed documents.

Pros	Cons
👍 Affordable price.	👎 Plastic casing is quite flimsy.
👍 9 inch hot and cold laminator.	👎 Inaccurate feeder after long uses.
👍 Uses 50% less electricity than standard laminators.

Scotch Thermal Laminator Combo Pack

Scotch Thermal laminator combo pack is a versatile machine that works with multiple pouch sizes. It is a two roller system with two temperature settings. The unit comes with one laminator which can laminate up to 9″ wide and 20 ea high-quality letter size thermal laminating pouches. The pouches can hold documents up to 8.5″ x 11″. The unit hardly takes 4 minutes to warm up. It is easy to use and gives you a smooth and professional finish.

The laminator comes with easy to use LCD touch button controls. Built-in carry handle, folding input tray and hidden underside cord storage makes it an ideal portable laminator. It has two temperature settings for 3 mils and 5 mil thick thermal pouches. The auto shut off feature turns off the machine if it is inactive for more than one hour. This feature helps you in controlling your electricity bills. It has a laminating speed of 11.8″ per minute. The never jam technology prevents the laminator from misfeeds.

Pros	Cons
👍 Good quality plastic.	👎 Slow.
👍 Comes with pouches.	👎 Over heats after laminating about 40 consecutive sheets.
👍 Portable yet strong.

Best Laminators for Teachers Buyer’s Guide

Buying a laminator is pretty easy if you already know what are your requirements. Sometimes schools also put limits on things you can laminate. When you will see effects of laminating like durability there are chances you may get hooked to laminated. Before going forward you should know there are two types of lamination lovers.

One who think you should cut your documents into proper sizes first, then go for laminating it. There are others who think you should laminate first then try to adjust sizes by cutting it. It completely depends on you, how you want to do it. There are pros and cons of each method. I personally prefer to laminate first then try to adjust sizes.

What you can laminate in your class

It is better to know the application of the appliance before you buy it. Knowing the uses helps you in choosing the perfect laminator for you. Although every class and teacher have their own requirements which may not match with others. We have prepared a list to give a heads up.

Basic Information For substitute Teachers

Every teacher needs a folder with basic information about your class so that if you can’t attend class others may take its help to understand what to do in your absence.

Items you place on bulletin board

Any item you place on bulletin board must be laminated to increase their lifespan.

ID Cards

You can always laminate your student’s ID card.

Flash Cards

You can use the same flashcards for multiple years for the same batch if they are laminated.

Photos

Fridge pictures, pictures as a gift, flash pictures can be laminated as well to increase the lifespan.

Maps

Same as flash cards if maps are protected same can be used for multiple years saving a lot of expenses.

Projects

You can laminate projects to save them in a binder. It helps you in organizing them and preserving them for a long time.

How We Choose The Best Laminators for Teachers

Choosing the best laminators for teachers is a tricky job. We kept following things in mind while selecting our top 10 laminators for teachers.

Warm up time

Warm up time is an important factor when you are going to use it in the classroom. The warm-up time must not exceed 5 min.

Laminating speed

As a teacher, you may need to laminate a lot of materials for your class or the entire grade. Hense laminating speed plays an important role which can not be ignored. The laminator must be fast and shall not compromise with laminating qualities at the same time.

Lamination width and thickness

The width of the feed is very important while choosing your laminator. If your laminator has enough width it can laminate different items without any issue.

Price

Last but not the least price is very important. Being a teacher you definitely don’t want to spend a fortune over a laminator. Being truthful I will say all pricey items are not the best items. If a less pricey product is able to fulfill your requirements it is better to choose it over the pricey one.

Things to Consider before you buy

There are some more factors which vary from person to person. You need to look at them relate to them while buying your laminator. We will give you a heads up for the following.

Size of items to be laminated

Before buying a laminator you must think about things you are planning to laminate. There is no point in buying an over-qualified or under-qualified product.

Lamination thickness

Most of the laminators work with 3 mil and 5 mil pouches. Still, you need to figure out which one you will be using most.

Type of pouches

Lamination pouches come in different sizes and shapes. It does affect the overall regular expenses of your lamination.

Conclusion

Laminators are one of the few must-have tools for teachers. The laminators we discussed above are the best laminators for teachers. The only thing you need to do before buying is to think about which all things you are going to laminate and relate to the features offered by the above laminators. The process of laminating easy is simple, the process of buying is not similar.