If you are interested in protecting your materials from routine handling, moisture or damage, lamination may be the answer. Lamination is the bonding of plastic film together on either side of the print. There are two different lamination methods: wet bonding and dry bonding.

Wet Bond Lamination: This method is a combination of two materials, a plastic film and a porous substrate such as paper or card stock. A wet bonding process is applied to each material, then the substrates are brought together and passed  through an oven, where they are dried. During the drying process, the adhesive dries and the two materials bond together.

Dry Adhesive Lamination: This method combines two non-porous materials, such as film-on-film or film-on-foil. The adhesive used in the dry bonding process is applied to the material before one or both of the materials are dried in an oven. The two materials are mixed after drying.

Regardless of the method or lamination used, it will take time for the material to dry in the oven. The lamination and drying process may take 24 to 48 hours. The major cost of laminate is during setup. Laminating multiple copies is most  cost-effective, but you can choose to laminate as many or as few sections as you want.