You’ll get the best results when you give the laminating machine the time it requires to warm up. (From one minute to less than six minutes, depending on the model. Please refer to the instructions for your specific model).

With Scotch™ Thermal Laminating Pouches - letter, legal, and menu size use 3mil heat setting. For most other smaller thermal pouch sizes, use the 5 or 6 mil setting. If in doubt, start with a lower heat setting and work your way up if laminating quality is not good.

Yes! Laminating smaller items together is a great way to save time. Here’s how:

Step 1: Place items—such as flash cards, ID cards or recipes—into one Thermal Pouch. Place items in the Pouch with minimum of ½ inch of space between them to allow room for trimming items upon completion.

Step 2: Send the Thermal Pouch through the Thermal Laminator, sealed edge first, then allow it to cool on a flat surface.

Step 3: Hand trim around the thermal laminated items. Scotch™ Thermal Laminating Pouches completely seal around your document, meaning there are no air pockets or gaps when you trim.

NEVER cut a pouch before laminating or it will jam inside the machine.

NEVER laminate Social Security cards, or one-of-a-kind items that cannot be replaced.

No. NEVER cut a pouch before laminating or it will jam inside the machine.

For best results, use Scotch™ Thermal Laminating Pouches in your thermal laminating machine.

• Model TL901: 3 mil, 5 mil pouches up to 9” wide

• Model TL902: 3 mil, 5 mil pouches up to 9” wide

• Model PRO TL906: 3 mil, 5 mil pouches up to 9” wide

• Model TL1302: 3 mil, 5 mil, 6 mil pouches up to 12.3” wide

• Model PRO TL1306: 3 mil, 5 mil, 6 mil pouches up to 12.3” wide

Yes! Always laminate your Thermal Pouch first, let it cool, and then trim.

Yes! That’s one of the beauties of laminating. In fact dry erase markers work great – they’re easy to wipe off so laminated items can be used repeatedly.

No. Items not intended for use with any laminator include: currency, Social Security cards, stamps, credit cards, or cards with a magnetic strip. Some of these items incorporate important authentication features that are hampered by lamination.

Also, do not laminate sharp objects, unheatable plastic, historically significant papers or one-of-a-kind items.

Different laminators take different amounts of time to heat up

• The Scotch™ Thermal Laminator TL901 Laminator takes 5-7 Minutes.

• The Scotch™ Thermal Laminator TL902A takes 5-6 minutes.

• The Scotch™ Advanced Thermal Laminator TL1302 takes 1 minute.

• The Scotch™ Pro Thermal Laminator TL906 takes 5-6 minutes.

• The Scotch™ Pro Thermal Laminator TL 1306 takes 1 minute.

The Scotch™ TL902, Scotch™ Pro Thermal Laminator TL906, Scotch™ Advanced Thermal Laminator TL1302, and the Scotch™ Pro Thermal Laminator TL 1306 all have auto shut-off features. For safety reasons, laminators should be turned off when not in use.

There are some starter kits, but in general, they are sold separately. Be sure to read the box contents for what pouches are included with your machine.”

Please call the 3M Laminating Help Line at 1-800-772-4337 or contact us online.

Each machine has a different maximum size. The Scotch™ Thermal Laminator Models TL902A, TL906, and TL901 can handle 9” wide pouches; the TL1306 can take 12.3” wide pouches; and the TL1302 can take 13” wide pouches.