WHAT IS ENCAPSULATION
Encapsulate is a term used to describe something that has been enclosed or sealed inside something (like a capsule). In this case the encapsulation is caused by a polyester film product that is adhered onto a printed substrate. A typical example of something in print that has been encapsulated would be a bus pass or a library card. The document is totally surrounded with film and permanently enclosed on all sides. This kind of film is available in various thicknesses, generally we stick to 75-micron, 125-micron and 250- microns, this offers a particularly good range of thicknesses to choose from and would suit most requirements.
WHY WOULD I USE IT
The strong polyester film protects the encapsulated product and makes it more durable and hard wearing. Items that are extensively used and need to keep their original appearance are often encapsulated to prolong longevity. Outdoor projects that would normally deteriorate in wet conditions require encapsulation to withstand water, in fact encapsulated products are wipeable and can often be used on menus in restaurants, school flash cards or catalogue pages in DIY stores. Designers often use 250-micron film to protect posters and banners that are to be used for displays or advertising signs. In comparison with lamination, Items that are encapsulated will have a considerably longer lifespan. Gloss lamination is typically 25-micron in thickness and made of a polypropylene product and even when laminated both sides it is not completely sealed.
HOW IS IT DONE
Two rolls of film are fed simultaneously into a heated pressure roller. One from the top and one from the bottom. Once the two rolls of film meet, they are adhered together and become one piece of film, the printed sheets are automatically fed so that they fall into place in between the two layers of film just prior to the pressure roller. The film overlaps the printed sheets on all sides and the printed sheets are then trapped between the two layers of film. Once the sheets are encapsulated, they run through a trimming process on the machine which cuts away the excess film to leave a small border on all edges. Collated work can also be processed here.
WHERE CAN I GET IT
Ultra are experts in encapsulating your print and we produce this in-house using the latest automatic sheet fed encapsulation machines. We can operate from credit card size to SRA2 – and if you have larger sheet requirements, we can hand feed up to SRA1. Contact us to book in a job or simply ask for a price list – our friendly production team will be able to answer any of your questions and walk you through the process, we even offer a collection and delivery service within a 50-mile radius of Rugby.
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