Ed #4 Protective Covering

Film laminates offer much more protection than liquid coatings in exchange for longer production times and higher costs. Uncoated or heavily textured stocks may be difficult to laminate, because the film cannot reach down into the valleys of the paper.

Polypropylene
The most popular and least expensive laminate, polypropylene is available in gloss, satin and matte finishes. Polypropylene provides a softer finish than other laminates, which makes it the best choice for projects that will be folded, but it is more prone to scratching than the other laminates. It’s possible to write on polypropylene films using dry-erase and some other types of markers. Polypropylene is a good bet when you are looking for increased strength and good protection at a reasonable cost.

Polyester
The stuff of leisure suits and the most durable of all laminates, polyester offers the greatest strength and abrasion resistance, at a cost that is usually higher than polypropylene. Polyester provides a hard coating, extremely resistant to scuffing and tearing, in gloss, satin or matte finishes. When a polyester laminate is used to produce folders or other materials that need to be foil-stamped or glued, a special glue-able laminate should be used.

Nylon
The most expensive and most stable of the laminates, nylon offers a unique advantage when thermal laminating is used. Unlike polypropylene and polyester, nylon does not stretch when it is heated, which means that it will not later shrink as it cools and cause the paper to curl. (This phenomenon can often be seen in the covers of perfect-bound paperback books.) Nylon laminates are available in a variety of finishes.