Scotch TL902VP Thermal Laminator, 1 Laminating Machine, White, Laminate Recipe Cards, Photos and Documents, For Home, Office or School Supplies, 9 in.

I have had this laminator for one year. I use this laminator "occassionally", not "commercially". My primary use for this laminator is for 8.5 X 11.0 sheets for large-print recipes printed on them for use in the kitchen and "no parking" signs in my alley. After one year I can report the following: - I fully recommend this Scotch product for non-commercial use (although I noticed my neighborhood pack-n-mail store uses the same product for their lamination for a dollar a sheet - so at 30 sheets I have paid for the unit!). - I have had no mechanical or electrical problems after one year use - light use. - I have had no problems laminating, say, 12 items one after the other. I have not tried to laminate 100 sheets in succession. Someone else reported overheating at 40 sheets. - You have to wait a few minutes for the unit to heat up before starting but it is just a couple of minutes, no problem. - It is for general/residential use/volume. It is not for commercial or high volume use. For instance, 500 laminated sheets would be an all day project to do (slow speeds and probably some "cool down" periods). - Yes, it has a slight smell from the heat as it "melts" the sheets into place. - I have had no problems with the sheets coming apart (just be sure to wait for the unit to reach full temperature before starting - the "ready" light comes on). - If you let the items sag as they come out then it will be permanently curved down. If you lift up on the item as it comes out it will be permanently curved up. If you hold it perfectly level as it comes out it will lay perfectly flat. If you allow it to come out on the desk/counter it will curve up slightly. I place it at the edge of my desk and hold the item perfectly straight as it comes out and it remains perfectly flat once it cools within seconds. It retains whatever curl it has or doesn't have as it cools within seconds. - The laminated sheets are impervious to water and soap (for instance, I use the recipe sheets in the kitchen and then wash them afterwards with zero problems, I also use them for "no parking" signs in the alley in the rain with no problem - perfectly tight lamination). I have not left them in the sun for extended periods of time to see what the sun would do to the lamination. - See the other reviews for class room use: apparently highly recommend for classrooms by the teachers and that seems very reasonable to me from my home use. I could see laminating 30 items for 30 students - great price for non-commercial use like this. I looked at commercial laminator units - I could buy and wear out 10 of these for the price of one commercial laminator. - Amazon has the best price I found after seeing this unit on Amazon and two or three brick stores. - I have had no problems with the sheets provided with the unit or with Scotch sheets purchased afterwards. I don't understand how others have had any problems with the Scotch brand products made for this Scotch brand unit. Am I missing something here? - Yes you can laminate thin or thick paper (say 18 to 24 pound paper and photographs easily). I have not tried poster board thickness but I wouldn't hesitate to do so - maybe give poster board a little extra room at the edges is all. - Yes you can trim it down. For instance, 5X7" pictures laminated for 8.5" X 11.0" paper then trimmed with scissors. I have had zero problems with the seal after trimming these down. Let the unit fully heat up before you laminate and then let it fully cool down before you trim it. It only takes seconds, not minutes, for it to completely cool down before you can trim it as you like. An extra 5 seconds of patience makes all the difference. - Read the little manual for hassle free usage. (duh!) - Warm up: I just tested it. It took 6 minutes to warm up in a 70 degree room with 3ml lamination selected. In that time I still haven't found my lamination sheets. I have never never found the warm up time to be a problem. I walk into the office to laminate, I hit the on button, and before I find my sheets and carefully insert my item the unit is ready for lamination. After that, I just leave the unit on until I am finished with my laminations for the day. It smells a bit like hot electrical wires - especially at the 3 minute mark after months of being turned off. - I would never leave the unit turned "on" for any length of time for safety reasons - I only turn it on when I need the unit. I basically turn the unit off when I', done with the job and leave my den. - The unit handles 3 ml sheets and 5 ml sheets. The 3 ml sheets seem plenty thick for everyday use. I have not used 5ml sheets yet. Not sure why I would ever need 5ml sheets - heavy duty garage usage maybe? I would probably let it warm up a little longer for 5ml just to make sure it is hot enough to melt the sheets together. - I have never really needed the "release" lever - when it drops the sheet it's done and ready for the next sheet. Wait, now I remember, I have used the "release" lever when I insert the item completely and utterly cock-eyed and I just want to pull the whole thing out and start over because it is going in at such a weird angle that it will soon jam at one edge or the other...duh! This is a human problem - not a product problem. Oh, by the way, I like the little "flip-down" entry door on the back with guide bars. Close it and it saves space. Open it (and use the guide bars!) and it works just fine to line up the sheets perfectly for entry. - Make sure you have your paper lined up inside the lamination sheets just as you want it before you insert the item for lamination - once you start, let it finish. If you have some "rare" item you are laminating I would practice first before laminating it. You could always cut it loose if you don't like the results such as placing your item in crooked or something. I have done this and all you do is cut it out and just toss one lamination sheet - no big deal, easy to do. - The cord is 5'3" long. It is not retractable but there is a place to wrap any extra length you may have. I just discovered this and wrapped up about a foot and half of extra cord length off my desktop. - Standard USA 120v two-plug, no 3rd ground plug required. - Made in China. - United Labs listed. - Off white color.

This unit is of the sort that you can plug in and use immediately after only a cursory review of the operating instructions. Very easy setup, very easy to select the variable thickness of the pouches available, and capable of doing 2 sheets at once (front/back) in the lighter pouch, if it is sent through on the thick setting. I and two friends used it about a dozen times right out of the box in a chilly basement, and it warmed right up and functioned like a champ. I have NOT been using it long enough to give a suitable use and wear review, but I anticipate no troubles. This is perfect for tabletop gamers, parents who want to make chores lists, businesses who need semi-permanent schedules, delivery persons who need a resilient route map, cooks who like to keep a 4x6 or 5x7 file of stain-proof cards, memorializing articles for long term keepsakes, or any other task that would benefit from use of a laminated cardstock, provided it is not substantially thick, and is 8.5 x 11 or smaller. I have not tested an alternate sized paper. Overall easy, good quality, well worth the price.

For the most part, it worked as expected! We are a homeschooling family and I tutor, so I was getting a lot of use in the last 3 years. Yesterday I took it out to use and it never got hot. The light is supposed to turn blue when it's ready, but it never did. So sad. The feeding tray broke fairly soon after I got it. But I taped it up and it was fine. A bit annoying since I had to fiddle with it to get it to line up every time I used it. Other than that, it's a fairly good laminator.

I just got this laminator today, tried it out and it works GREAT!!! It quiclky laminates letter-size documents very effectively!! I've just used it to laminate some recipes that I sent to the printer a while ago. The 20 laminating pouches that came with it helps you get started on laminating jobs. The pouches help provide moisture-free use for any documentation that is sealed in the pouches!! All you have to do is just plug it in, press the Power button, select the amount of thermal heat that you desire, wait for the machine's heater to get hot, and you're good to go!!! Just put the item desired to be laminated into one of the pouches, making sure that it is centered properly. With the feeding tray open and extended, simply feed the pouch, sealed end first, in through the back of the machine, and watch it slowly come out to the front of the machine!! A WORD OFCAUTION!!; Sealed pouches are very hot to the touch, especially at or near the top, once having emerged from the machine! This is normal and the pouches usually are safe to handle in about few seconds. It can also accommodate smaller size pouches to seeal smaller things as well, such as photos!! Accommodates sheets of paper up to 8-1/2" x 11". A true work saver!!! ~Daquan13.

Excellent product. I used it in my classroom.

La compré sabiendo la calidad de la marca, y no me defraudó. Es fácil de utilizar y muy funcional. El calor que genera para enmicar es el necesario. Con una vez que pases las micas quedarán perfectas.

Good Product

Valeu a pena, a plastificadora funciona super bem, além de ser super compacta, para quem não tem muito espaço.

I use this for lamenting bookmarks I paint. Works beautifully.

Ordered it to KSA, thought it needed220 voltage, but it's 120 and now I can't use it