Think this could be used for doing Toner Transfer for home PCB etching? I have seen some people use laminators to do the heating rather than an electric iron.

i use clear packing tape to laminate stuff. doesnt look bad.

I could have used this 15 years ago! (when fake ID's were easy to make). Now, I want a fake ID that says I'm younger!

I am not a fan of laminators. When I was younger, my brother used to take my stuff, like library cards, school ID's etc, and laminate odd things (like boogers) inside. Not cool.

3 or 5 millimeters? I bet they mean mils. Not the same thing. If they are talking about thickness of the plastic, it would probably be mils aka thousandths of an inch. 5 millimeters would be about .2 inches. That's crazy thick laminate. Unless they are talking about boundry width?

it's 3 or 5 mils thick. That would be .003 INCHES or .005 INCHES thick laminate.

Can you use any brand of laminating sheets with this?

Available over at Amazon for $10 more ($5 after shipping) without all the extras:
http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Sovereign-Laminator-wide-CS-900/dp/B0036S3WUI

Really, really tempted.

tecker wrote:Think this could be used for doing Toner Transfer for home PCB etching? I have seen some people use laminators to do the heating rather than an electric iron.

I wondered the same thing.

Here's a link to the manual pdf. It's not the CS900DXL, but the CS900, which looks like the same laminator without the extras.

http://www.royalsovereign.com/media/downloads/38/CS-900_OM.pdf

This one looks better suited for everyday laminating, but I'd lean against it for toner xfers. I've found the jam release lever in some laminators to be helpful when running boards. Out of the box Scotch and GBC give rotten results even with multiple passes. But, I've had excellent results after modding and using inkjet photopaper.

I'd say you're better off experimenting with one that has heat settings. I've heard that a generic import LP-120 can do decent pcbs without modification and has a temp control dial. Also, some newer GBCs are supposedly good out of the box.

Search online to see ones that work and save yourself some frustration. You can get excellent sub 8 mil traces with the right laminator, and more easily than with an iron. If you try this one, good luck and let us know how it works out.

In for one! Hubby can write it off on his business taxes. I can't even count the number of times I've wished I had one of these around.

Any links for the inevitable refills?

In for one. It'll get plenty of use around here.

dalealewis wrote:

maybe you should forget "younger" and go for SMARTER !

I'm out of this one. I just use a peel and stick lamination sold every place. You can purchase it in 11x12 sheets or pre cut to business card size. Much better then using a machine, no fuss no muss. But that's just me.

luke975 wrote:i use clear packing tape to laminate stuff. doesnt look bad.

Bet your wedding album is classy looking ;-)

badhabit12 wrote:I'm out of this one. I just use a peel and stick lamination sold every place. You can purchase it in 11x12 sheets or pre cut to business card size. Much better then using a machine, no fuss no muss. But that's just me.

I hear you about simplicity, but the heat lamination will hold up better in your wallet. I have had way too many sticker laminations come apart at the edges, leaving a sticky mess.

I see by the specs that this thing is 405" wide. That would be awesome (more so than today's Woot Shirt), but does anyone know what the width actually is? I am guessing that this is the depth dimension and is probably 4.5".

Also, fwiw, a great place to get lamination supplies at good prices is www.laminationstation.com.

One more thing that everyone else probably noticed - you don't use a cardstock sleeve with this laminator, just send the lamination pouch (with your artwork inserted) through the machine. That gets points for simplicity.


[MOD: Fixed the specs to 4.5". Sigh. Thanks!]

It says letter size, but does it in fact take an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper?

gusvonpooch wrote:Bet your wedding album is classy looking ;-)

You're wrong gusvonpooch. Working around shoe box corners is a lot easier with packing tape than a laminator.

norm401 wrote:It says letter size, but does it in fact take an 8 1/2 x 11 inch sheet of paper?

^yep, need to know the answer to this.

Also need to know how dang expensive 'refills' will be. I'd hate to curse it like I do my printer.

alpineindustries wrote:^yep, need to know the answer to this.

Also need to know how dang expensive 'refills' will be. I'd hate to curse it like I do my printer.

From the CS-900 user manual link posted by ruthenium, 9.3" max width. Seems to be pretty much the same unit without the extras.

I buy all my lamination supplies from www.laminationstation.com. I prefer 3mil for most stuff. A box of 100 3mil letter-size pouches is $12.90.

Link to manual says max laminating width is 9.3" wide.

mjgoldman wrote:Available over at Amazon for $10 more ($5 after shipping) without all the extras:
http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Sovereign-Laminator-wide-CS-900/dp/B0036S3WUI

Really, really tempted.

Amazon has the kit for $41.43 (free shipping).
http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Sovereign-Create-Laminate-KitCS-900DLX/dp/B0036SBHZ0

If laminated, I will not run....

I can't believe people use those clear sticky films or even tape to protect things. I've had a RS laminator for about 7 years and use it for everything. There is no comparison. My kids' certificates and special artwork have been laminated, and I can attest to being able to laminate pages that are already wrinkled and them coming out looking perfect with this type of laminator!

this is so tempting! my son is an *actor* and I would love to be able to laminate the programs we have for all the plays he's been in so far

$25 for a laminator (including shipping) and all that extra stuff is a great deal. Just go into your local Staples, Office Max, UPS Store or anywhere and check how much laminating services cost.

Sure you "can" use the DIY sticky bag stuff, but you really don't want to mess with that. And for $25, you really don't have to either.

There's no debate here. If you are planning to do any laminating, you should buy this.

scapsinger wrote:$25 for a laminator (including shipping) and all that extra stuff is a great deal. Just go into your local Staples, Office Max, UPS Store or anywhere and check how much laminating services cost.

Sure you "can" use the DIY sticky bag stuff, but you really don't want to mess with that. And for $25, you really don't have to either.

There's no debate here. If you are planning to do any laminating, you should buy this.

Thanks Scapsinger, your endorsement pushed me over the edge. We'd been considering one for a while, but this deal looks very nice.

krauscher wrote:Thanks Scapsinger, your endorsement pushed me over the edge. We'd been considering one for a while, but this deal looks very nice.

I was thinking the same... looking around to see what else to use the "All You Can Ship" AND IT SOLD OUT!

UGH!

Oh, well, will look for it another time... at least got some great info from all the great post here. Thanks all.

Used ours once a couple weeks ago, went to use it again, and does not heat up. Called RS, they say no warranty? Here it says one year warranty? So, what to do , they tell me to call you???