March 16th, 2011 Universal Laminating Supplies – Cheap Alternatives to 3M, GBC and Fellowes
When it comes to laminating supplies, there is really no doubt that the best brands that you can get your hands on out there are 3M Scotch, GBC and Fellowes. These three are some of the top makers of reliable laminating systems, some of which have been featured on this website (Please see featured laminators on the sidebar). While it is a good idea to buy the supplies from the same company or brand that made the laminator machine that you are using, buying from other brands shouldn’t hurt you either. In fact, one of the biggest advantage of going for other laminating supply brands is that they are, most often than not, cheaper than their top brand counterparts.
Universal Laminating Sheets, Film and Pouches
One of the better alternatives that you will find in the market today is the Universal brand of laminating film, sheets and pouches. They offer the same product range that you will get from 3M, GBC or Fellowes and should cover most pouch laminator supply needs for home, office or business applications. Enumerated below are some of the different laminating pouches that you can get from them as an alternative to the top and pricier brands:
Universal Clear Laminating Pouches, 5 mil, 2.25″ x 3.75″, 100/box – this is the smallest pre-cut pouches available from Universal highly suitable for laminating standard business cards with dimensions of 2×3.5”. A pack of 100 pouches costs only around $8.00 while its nearest 3M Scotch counterpart (Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 5mil, 2.36 Inches x 3.74 Inches) costs about $4.00 for each pack of 20 (that’s about $18-20 per hundred!). The self adhesive version (Scotch Self-Sealing Laminating Pouches, LS851G, Business Card Size, 12 mil thickness) costs around $17.00 for each pack of 25 pouches.
Universal Clear Laminating Pouches, 5 mil, 4.38 x 6.5, Photo Size, 100/Box – this one’s for laminating 4R size (4×6”) photo prints or any other documents of similar sizes. It costs only about $12.00 for 100 pouches which is also a good deal compared to its 3M version (Scotch Thermal Laminating Pouches, 4.37 Inches x 6.06 Inches) which is priced at about $4.00 for 20 pieces. The 3M self-sealing photo size version costs about $8.00 for a pack of 5 pouches.
Universal Clear Laminating Pouches, 3 mil, 9 x 11.5”, 100/box – this is the letter-size pouch which is also dirt cheap at about $9.00 to $18.00 for 100 pieces. The similar 3M 9 x 11.4” pouches will set you back $11.00 for 50 pieces. The Scotch self-laminating version is priced at about $26.00 for just 25 sheets.
The above laminating pouches will work well with any 3M, Fellowes or GBC laminators and should give you similar lamination quality at very affordable price levels.
