Michael's is having another one of their big 50% off any one item coupons, starting tomorrow. Perfect for anyone interested in getting something like the Xyron cold laminator which Fastlearner turned me on to- this tool is perfect for prototyping. I recommend both an Adhesive cartrige and a Laminate cartrige.
- Seth
Has anyone had a problem with Xyron laminated cards?
Also, does anyone know the mil thickness of the laminate? I have looked everywhere (including their website) and can't find any specs anywhere. Alternatively, can anyone tell me the thickness of a set number of cards (or how many cards make 1 inch) of Xyron laminated standard (110#) cardstock?
- Seth
P.S. It turns out that this weekend the refills are 40% off WITHOUT a coupon! So if you don't have a Xyron, here's your chance to get one for 1/2 price and some adhesive/laminate for 40% off as well! (reg. $120ish for the xyron900 and $32 for the refills, this weekend with coupon it's 60ish and 20/refill!)
I've never had any trouble with them at all. They're still my all-time favorite tip.
A quick measurement of a deck nearby shows that there are 67 cards, +/- 2, in a 1" stack. These are cards that have been played several times, so I suspect if they were fresh out of the machine you could fit one or two more cards on the 1" stack.
Perfect, that's exactly the info I was looking for! I will double check the measurement of cards at home, but I think that brings the laminate in at somewhere between 1.5 and 3 mil! And if they don't stick at all when shuffling or dealing, then I may just have to pick up a laminator this weekend!
Thanks for checking for me!
So what is this thing? It looks like a kind of printer that makes magnets and other cool stuff. Can you tell us more about what you use it for in prototyping?
Hugs,
Chad
So what is this thing? It looks like a kind of printer that makes magnets and other cool stuff. Can you tell us more about what you use it for in prototyping?
Hugs,
Chad
No it's not a printer.. It's basically a cold laminator (it doesn't use heat to laminate like most laminators), but you can get other 'media' cartridges for it that allow you to do other things like magnets, stickers, etc. It's a good inexpensive home laminator. You can use it to laminate basically anything that you want laminated (as long as it isn't wider than the width of the machine); cards, rules, player aids, small game boards, tokens, etc. It's a great device to have to make your prototypes last longer and look more professional.
-Darke
But what is "Michael's" that is having this sale?
But what is "Michael's" that is having this sale?
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home
Here are some of the stores in Boston...
http://direct.where2getit.com/cwc/apps/w2gi.php?client=michaels&template...
You must not get out much, eh? LOL.
-Darke
In addition, it doesn't require any of the laminate to extend beyond the edge of the object, so you can trim it right down, cutting through the laminate and the paper at the same time.
And there definitely aren't any problems with it sticking when shuffling or anything else. Great stuff.
-- Matthew
Chad_Ellis wrote:But what is "Michael's" that is having this sale?
Michael's... The huge craft store chain..
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home
Here are some of the stores in Boston...
http://direct.where2getit.com/cwc/apps/w2gi.php?client=michaels&template...
You must not get out much, eh? LOL.
-Darke
:P Until recently I was living in Germany. And then I've been busy self-publishing! So nyah. :)
But thanks! I'll definitely check it out.
Hugs,
Chad
Chad_Ellis wrote:But what is "Michael's" that is having this sale?
Michael's... The huge craft store chain..
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home
-Darke
***Ok, so I went online to check out and buy this Xyron thing. I go to the site above - how the heck do you buy anything? I searched for Xyron and found the product. But there was no price and no link that says to buy it. Can you not buy this online from them?
Plus there is no mention of the sale. So what am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
A quick measurement of a deck nearby shows that there are 67 cards, +/- 2, in a 1" stack.
According to my calculations, the thickness of the stack (1") minus the thickness of the cardstock itself (67 cards at approximately 108 sheets per inch for 110#, 200 gsm card stock (I measured Wausau Exact Index heavy card stock)) leaves approx. .38" for 134 layers of laminate (one layer on either side of the cardstock). Simple division produces a rough thickness of the laminate of .0028" or 2.8 mil.
Taking into account the variations (+/- 2 in the count, + 2 for the thickness of the used cards), the range of 67-71 cards in new condition would yield a rough thickness of 2.4 - 2.8 mil.
Darkehorse wrote:Chad_Ellis wrote:But what is "Michael's" that is having this sale?
Michael's... The huge craft store chain..
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/home
-Darke
***Ok, so I went online to check out and buy this Xyron thing. I go to the site above - how the heck do you buy anything? I searched for Xyron and found the product. But there was no price and no link that says to buy it. Can you not buy this online from them?
Plus there is no mention of the sale. So what am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
You may or may not be able to buy it online, however the sale and coupon we are referring to is probably for just buying at the actual brick and mortar Michael's store. I provided the link to the Michael's website so that Chad would have a better idea of what a Michael's craft store is. I can't vouch for their internet store, since I have never used it beyond the store locator thingy.
-Darke
Searching around the net for xyron products I came across this site which includes rolls for the Xyron 2500 laminator. Talk about perfect for game board faces!! It laminates artwork up to 25" wide with laminate on one side and an adhesive backing on the other. Turn your completed board artwork into a giant sticker, trim and adhere directly to your protoparts blank game board!
Too bad the laminate/adhesive roll alone costs $416 (and you have to ask for a quote to get a price on the laminator itself)! Oh well...
OK, I'm very close to putting one of these things on my Christmas list. (And my Christmas list is always too short, so it's good to be able to add something!)
One question I have is whether you end up wasting laminate (which I assume gets expensive after a while, just like printer ink) if you're laminating something small, like a card.
For example, if I buy one of the larger ones that can laminate 12" wide so I can prototype boards, will I then waste a bunch of laminate if I do single cards? How hard is it to trim the card laminate to a uniform edge so the deck looks good? Or does it only laminate what you put in, so the card edges would be automatic?
Hugs,
Chad
One question I have is whether you end up wasting laminate (which I assume gets expensive after a while, just like printer ink) if you're laminating something small, like a card.
If you do 1 card at a time you will waste laminate. If you laminate a sheet of cards then cut them it's not so bad.
The laminate is basically a clear sticker that goes on the front and back of the card/paper. You trim it with the built in (detachable) cutter, which is just like trimming paper and is exact as you make it.
- Seth
...the range of 67-71 cards in new condition would yield a rough thickness of 2.4 - 2.8 mil.
When I first started looking at a Xyron laminator, I searched all over the internet to find out the actual thickness of the laminate, but with no luck. I had practiced with some heavier laminates (5-10 mil) that were just too stiff to use. I go through all the calculations based on the numbers provided by FastLearner, then notice that the link I supplied in a later post had all the thicknesses of the laminates listed. Of well, at least the specs confirm that I did the math right! : )
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Does anyone know if the Xyron laminate is availabe in a matte finish? Has anyone had problems with the Xyron laminated cards sticking together? I only ask because I hot laminated some cards with both matte and glossy laminate... the matte laminate feels and plays perfectly after many years and many uses, but the glossy laminate makes the cards stick together (a big pain). Has anyone had a problem with Xyron laminated cards?
Also, does anyone know the mil thickness of the laminate? I have looked everywhere (including their website) and can't find any specs anywhere. Alternatively, can anyone tell me the thickness of a set number of cards (or how many cards make 1 inch) of Xyron laminated standard (110#) cardstock?
Thanks to all the XyHeads who reply!