Laminated Cards...Anyone Tried?

[elmersgloo]

Hey all! Tried my hand at ATC making for the first time today for the 100 Theme Challenge, and so far, so great! Only I'm worried about my tiny glued pieces staying in place. We have a small lamination machine (I think the biggest it does is 5x6 photos) and I considered laminating my cards to make sure they stay as they were meant to be and in one piece!

Has anyone else tried this? Is it even allowed in the ATC making process? XD Also, having not used the laminate machine for much other than photos, does anyone know what sorts of things can go through it? Would foils and stickers of any kind be okay?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated- hope I'm posting this in the right spot!

[Katxena]

Anything is allowed!  Don't let that stop you -- the only ATC rule is about the size, other than that, anything goes!

As for laminating, think about how you want your cards to look.  Do you want them to be shiny and plasticy?  Then go for it!  If you like the way the paper itself looks, try peeling the pieces off, applying a generous layer of glue, rubbing it down (I use a brayer for this -- you can use a candle or just your hand, the important thing is to rub!) then putting it under a stack of books while it dries.  This seems to glue my cards down *really* well!

But if you want to laminate, then laminate!

[elmersgloo]

Thanks for the tip about the glue!

Yeah, I really do like the way the layered paper looks on some things...but my curiosity was killing me and I whipped out the plastic!

I will post pics as soon as the infamous battery charger shows up, but the lamination came out very well. I wouldn't recommend it for any card, for anyone else who may have thought of it, because in places it made the cards appear "faded" - luckily it was just the information on the back, the fronts came out just fine.

I'm going to try what you suggested with rubbing the glue on and letting them sit under a stack of books. I suppose I'm supposed to end up with at least 100 cards, so I have 98 more chances to figure out how to get it right!  Thanks a ton.

[ariaya]

I laminate my digitals all the time, I love how they look!  But for collage, I'd be more likely to put on a layer of modge podge and let it dry.

[uluru]

Laminators seem to chew up anything that isn't fully stuck down to start with- I ended up with a broken laminator (since fixed!) and a ripped up card (thrown away!).

...Maybe it was just too 3D?...

Anyhow, proceed with caution!

xoxox
Uluru