Laminating Epson proofs?

[Gregg]

I have some vendors that say they can, and do, laminate Epson proofs. I have other vendors that say they cannot. We have been dealing, almost exclusively, with wet-proofs and are now beginning to get more projects proofed digitally.

Any advice re: laminating Epson proofs would be greatly appreciated.

[TerryWyse]

I would say it depends on the media. Prints from inkjet Epsons are laminated all the time for folks printing outdoor signage and the like, so, of course, Epson prints can be laminated.

Just a guess, maybe if the proofs are printed on a resin-coated paper, maybe that would be a problem when laminating due to the temperature of the laminator. Like I say, just a guess.

Of more concern I think would the amount of optical gain that lamination would add. I think you'd definitely want to have two profiles for that media, one that's pre-lam and the other post-lam.

Terry

[Laminator Warehouse]

Terry is correct that the paper may be part of the issue when laminating the prints. There are TONS of laminating films out there, it is just a matter of finding the one that works best with your ink/paper combination. A film with a lower melt temperature will work better than one with a high temperature also. If you already know that some vendors are laminating their proofs, it can be done.

If you are interested, send me some proofs and I can try them out for you with some different films or give me a call to discuss further.

Scott

[Krista]

We have the same situation, some vendors say they can, some say they can't, and our in-house finishing can laminate some set-ups, and not others. What we have found is that you have to go with the pro's, our vendor that specializes in mounting and laminating has no problem at all with whatever we send them.
In-house we have found, as Scott said, film and temp make a big difference.

[CHM]

And what about coloraccurasy? Color of your proof wil change after laminating.

[Gregg]

Color accuracy is the big issue here. The reason we want to see the laminated proofs is due to how much film lamination, especially Matte, alters the color.

[ACTJAY]

There is absolutly no problem laminating this material. There are however a few things to watch out for. You want to use a pressure seneitive laminate, not a thermal laminate. You do not want to use a laminator that will heat up past 212deg F as this is a water based ink in the epson and if you heat the ink past boiling temp then it will cause out-gassing and bubble up the laminate. There are going to be tons and tons of different laminates and finishes out there, you may want to get an optically clear laminate to get the best read from a spectro. This may be somthing that you want to do in house for quality control. I'm not sure if you are proofing in house but were it me I would do it all myself. Let me know if you have questions, I have been selling wide format including Epson for years as well as laminators and would be happy to help out in any way.


-Jay

[Gregg]

Thanks for all the feedback.

So I'm now wondering if our vendor's reluctance to laminating their Epson proofs is because the feel it won't be a good representation of the final product, especially if they are having to use a different laminate for the digital proof versus the final offset print.

As I mentioned, for our book jackets, we have been receiving laminated wet-proofs to approve color. The lamination is either matte or gloss, depending on the book. In an attempt to cut costs we are beginning to get more books proofed digitally. The hurdle we now have to overcome is trying to get a accurate laminated Epson. We have some domestic vendors that provide us with Fuji or Kodak proofs, and those are always laminated using the same lamination that the final printed jacket will have. Most of our vendors in the Far East are using Epson proofs, so this is when the issue came up.