Nowadays, most of us keep important files and documents on our computers or phones. While most of us use digital copies of files, there are still times when we may need to laminate something.
Thankfully, there are a lot of stores that have lamination machines where you can laminate important documents. I have lots of places where I can get laminating services near me, and you likely do as well.
Another option is to laminate items yourself at home. In today’s post, I’ll cover places that offering laminating services and how to laminate documents yourself at home.
Table of Contents
What Items Can You Laminate?
Like I said before, many of us keep our important documents on our laptop in digital form. But, there are still times when you will need to laminate certain items. This can include things for business purposes, like menus, and personal use, like instructions, awards, and certificates.
Here’s a list of things you may want to laminate:
- Artwork
- Awards
- Badges
- Banners for advertisements
- Blueprints
- Business cards
- Business permits
- Certificates
- Chore charts (laminating them creates a chore chart than can also function as a dry erase board).
- Copies and flyers
- Directional signs for conferences
- Documents
- Educational materials (great for both teachers and homeschoolers that want to protect any educational materials that are to be used often or by many different children).
- Fabric
- ID cards
- Instructions
- Licenses
- Menus
- Nametags
- Photos
- Posters
- Presentations
- Your child’s school projects or art if you want to preserve them as a keepsake.
Whatever documents you have, getting them laminated can help to extend their lifespan, and you don’t have to worry about spilling anything on them, ripping them, or crumpling them either!
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It’s important to note that not all documents can indeed be laminated. Avoid laminating sensitive documents, such as:
- Birth certificates
- Driver’s licenses
- Marriage certificates
- Social security cards
Any permits that carry unique security and authentication features
Laminating these types of documents can make them invalid as an official document.
How much does lamination cost?
The cost to laminate items depends not only on the store where you get the item laminated, but also on the item’s size. Most of the time, you can expect to pay around $1 to $3 per standard 8.5″ x 11″ sheet. You can reduce the cost of laminating by purchasing your own laminating machine, but I’ll cover that in more detail below in the “Laminating at home” section of the article.
What Stores Have Cheap Laminating Services Near Me?
There are lots of stores where you can get items laminated, which is great! Many of these offer reasonable prices too. I’ve also included a tip on how to laminate your own items at home, because this can often work out to be the cheapest option.
Here’s where you can get items laminated:
1. FedEx
FedEx operates around 2,000 company-owned stores and locations in the United States. There, you can laminate papers and posters up to 36″ x 48″
Prices vary, but are usually around:
- $1.99 for 8.5″ x 11″
- $3.99 for 11″ x 27″
- $3 per square foot for larger projects
Most of the time, you can have the lamination done that same day. However, you may need to come back the next day depending on the number of projects in the store’s queue.
FedEx also has a coupon page where you can get great savings on many of the company’s services.
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Many of the company’s services are also available online or in-store, so if you don’t feel like heading to your local store, you can simply upload a print-ready file, and place your order. FedEx will mail it to you, which is great.
2. Minutemen Press
Minutemen Press has nearly 1,000 franchises in five countries, including U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
At Minuteman Press, you can have documents ranging from letter size to large format laminated.
Prices vary. Standard 8.5″ x 11″ sheets cost $2.50 each. Then, the prices reduce as the quantity increases. So, if your project isn’t a standard size, unless you have a very large quantity, it will likely be expensive to laminate it – prices may be as much as $9 per square foot.
Standard sizes are usually laminated the same day, but larger sizes take two days to complete.
3. Office Depot/Office Max
Office Depot is more than just a store for stationaries and office supplies. It also offers one of the best fax services near you as well as laminating.
Another place where you can have documents laminated is at Office Depot/OfficeMax.
There, you can have a variety of documents ranging from letter size to large format items laminated. Prices start at $0.40 per page. Usually, an 8.5″ x 11″ sheet costs $1.99 to laminate. Call or head into your local store to ask about pricing for other sizes.
4. Staples
There are around 1,067 stores across the United States and 330 stores in Canada. You can have documents ranging in size from letter size to large format laminated.
Lamination is usually completed the same day. Sometimes though, you may have to go back to the store the next day depending on how many projects are in the store’s queue. Prices start at just under $2 but can range up to $2 per square foot.
5. The UPS Store
There are more than 5,000 independently owned The UPS Store locations throughout the United States and Canada.
You can have a variety of documents laminated there. Same-day lamination is often available. The price for an 8.5″ x 11″ page is $3.50.
6. Teacher supply stores
Another option is to visit your local teacher supply store. These often provide lamination services. Just make sure you call ahead to ask if that store does indeed provide a lamination service. Prices vary from store to store but are usually reasonable.
You can find local teacher supply stores by heading over to Google, or whatever search engine you use, and typing in the phrase “Teacher supply store near me,” and hitting enter. Then, you should get a list of any stores near you. This will include directions and contact information.
7. Laminating at home
If you often have documents that need to be laminated, then it might be best laminating them at home.
People like teachers, homeschoolers, artists, and business owners, will often find it more useful to have a laminating machine at home, rather than having to pay out for services at stores like FedEx and Staples all the time. Also, if you have uniquely shaped documents, then having your own laminating machine can also be useful.
Although some machines can be expensive, there are ones available on websites like Amazon for as little as $18! You can get a good machine for between $18 and $40. You will, of course, need to buy laminating pouches to use with the machine. These are pretty reasonably priced on Amazon too, costing around $15 for 200 pouches. You can get a pack of 50 pouches for just $8.99 (at the time of writing).
Closing Thoughts
You can protect your important items like artwork and awards, from things like spills, dirt, and damage by having them laminated. And, it’s not too expensive to do either. Often, you can get items laminated for just $1 to $3 per standard sheet, and around $2 to $3 per square foot.
Like I said earlier, it can be a good idea to purchase a laminating machine, such as a Scotch Laminator, so you can laminate your documents at home. Often, this can work out much cheaper than going to a store to get it done. This is a particularly good option for schools, homeschoolers, and workplaces that need to laminate multiple items on a weekly, or even daily basis.
If you’ve been wondering, “Where can I find laminating services near me?” make sure you try the places on our list above.
Michele
This is helpful, but my experience tells me there are considerable differences between a thin sheet of lamination for, say a magazine in the library and a stiff lamination so that a full 8 1/2 x 11 paper is hard enough to stand without a frame, against a wall. Teachers used a thickness in between these for their lettering and wall information. I will need to search further to address this. Thank you for showing where I might inquire.