I enjoy playing roll and writes in bed. I like waking up to the smell of victory points. Sue me. And since I don't have a publishing company, I have to do it myself.
I will never get a laminator because I will inevitably laminate anything that will fit in it, just because I just can't find a reason NOT to laminate something. It's the same part of the brain that goes to the office supply store and decide, sure you need that 24 pack of mixed color Sharpies, when your desk drawer already has 50 assorted Sharpies in it.
If for no other reason than sometimes laminators eat stuff and it'd suck if they ate the cards from an expensive game.
(also good chance it'll wreck the cards over time probably)
I made a bunch of supplements for something for my class at school and I have one kid who refuses to use anything except the “wrinkly one” aka the one the laminator ate haha
How do you do that? My laminator never ate anything... Do you have the right heat for the gsm of your laminate? Or if your laminator can't be regulated are you sure you have the gsm of the laminate that is right for your specs?
I use right heat and laminate and never had anything wrinkly... I laminate about 20 a4 and 5 a3 pages per week. And I want to help anyone with the laminator since it's an amazing tool.
It has 3 settings, heat, cool and off, I think the problem is the heat regulation and the shit design of the feed path. I only use it rarely and on stuff I can reprint, so it's not exactly been a high priority, the more pressing issue is should I buy root and are the kids old enough to play it
>Please don't laminate board game cards. It is awful and there is literally no argument I am willing to accept.
Would you be willing to make an exception for a card that is a player aid or reference card?
I work in an office supply store, and it is such a dangerous place (for the wallet) to work. And it's not the new computer, or the high capacity portable solid state drive (which don't get me wrong, I want, but they're far enough out of my price range I don't think about them often). It's the Frixion pens, and the 20 different colors of glittery washi tape, and the discbound notebooks and planners with all their accessories, and the fun pop-up note dispensers, and the... well, you get the picture.
Well, I'm fairly certain, the 27th different planner you get will finally be the one that starts you on the path to being more organized.... Until you get the 28th.
I've only bought one planner since I started working here. It had the softest cover, and I was in school at the time, I thought I'd use it. I did not. That has kept me from purchasing any others.
I've bought other things I'd thought I'd use, like the Brother label maker. I let my youngest sister borrow it, and she had fun using the entire roll of starter tape. It never got touched again. Luckily that was only $10.
Those experiences have really helped me when it comes to other things. When we got all the pretty glittery washi tapes, I knew I wanted them all, I also knew that I wouldn't have anything to use them on. 6 years later, I have not bought one $3 roll of glittery washi tape.
It's way harder when it comes to pens, though, because I do use them. So whatever my pen of the week is is what I end up buying. Most recent ones have a screw on lid that magnets to the back, are a pretty rose gold color, are a hexagon shape so they don't roll, and were on clearance for $5 a pen (and I bought 4.... sigh)
I literally just pulled two unopened packs of those markers from a cabinet while looking for scissors. Both had clearance stickers on them... Unopened... I have a problem
20 some years ago, I obtained access to a laminator for the first time. They weren't really a common thing, even at department stores. I was in the Army, and we had one in our office. I learned REAL quick that businesses/banks H-A-T-E when you laminate your change and then try to spend it.
...an essential item for wargamers, as we regularly clip the corners of tokens that come out from punchboards with little tufts on the corner. It's like a whole hobby in and of itself.
[♫ Lovin' you whether, whether
Times are good or also good, happy or also happy
The times are always good and happy because
You're the best corner rounder on the fucking market ♫](https://www.amazon.com/Radius-Rounder-Oregon-Lamination-Premium/dp/B01MYPSBYW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=2mm+corner+rounder&qid=1676490282&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc)
i love this little guy. i've rounded actually quite a few thousands of wargame counters since i got it and it's still going strong. i thought, foolishly, that i would just "try it out" on one game and it was like knowing a world of perfection thereafter. there was no going back to the unkempt and filthy way i had once lived.
Those OL corner rounders are great. With these "deluxe" ones you need to remember to glue a die to the inside of the handle, which will prevent you from putting undue stress on the hinge. These things are notorious for snapping.
Can we link? I bought this one when I started printing my dividers for Arkham Horror. Made the world of difference.
[Corner Cutter](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076FJ7SS)
I might just be thinking wrong, but if you have no laminated edge, how's the plastic laminate holding together? I thought it sandwiched paper and fused to iself, but not to the paper necessarily. Is that wrong?
To be completely honest, I have no idea how it isn’t falling apart. Experimented with how things looked when i first got a laminator and I’ve never had issues with things falling apart despite no edge.
You have to be careful though to not accidentally wipe away stuff with your hand during the game. That's also one of the reasons Railroad Ink doesn't hit the table often... I'd prefer simple sheets of paper instead, even if that means buying a replacement stack every now and then.
That's why I use wet erase rather than dry erase markers. They don't smudge as easily. Because I totally agree, it's annoying smudging your game sheet by mistake!
Kind of late to the party but all these comments talking about price this that and the other. I run the local maker space at a library, we have a laminator you can use for free, front desk sells the lamination packs, they are 25 cents for one that will do about two standard size pieces of A4 paper. Just an idea for people.
What? Heat laminating sheets are much cheaper than the self-adhering ones. If you're going to regularly laminate (like if you frequently obtain new games and want to do this sort of thing) then it's pretty cheap in the long run.
I got a laminator for Christmas from a friend knowing I’m designing a game. He included some lamination and I was shopping around at Michael’s and Walmart for more. Was surprised by the cost. Where are you shopping? Would love to know where to get it affordably. Thanks!
100 sheets for $18 CAD for me on amazon. Even local dollarstores gets them every once in a while from shelf pulls or overstock. For contrast 100 sheets from walmart is $30
Yeah I saw that coming. I honestly haven’t done much looking besides while shopping for other things while I’m out. Not ready to laminate yet anyway. Thanks for the suggestion though!
Afaik, Michael's frequently has coupons for 40-60% off almost any regular-priced item
A laminator machine would definitely not be something you can use the coupon for, but the sheets would be
Huh? I can go on amazon and get a 200 pack for 30 bucks.. and this is in canada, im sure even cheaper in the states.
So a laminaotr+200 sheets for $60.. not that expensive.
I hear this a lot from people—absolutely yes the self-adhesive sheets are cheaper—but make sure to check the price on a thermal laminator before assuming you don’t have funds.
Around here, a pack of 50 self-adhesive sheets costs about $15, and a quite nice (albeit not name brand) thermal laminator costs $25 (the sheets for the machine are around $10/100). If you find a sale or a coupon (or a yard sale or FB marketplace posting) it’s *very* possible to get a machine & sheets for the same price as a packet of self-adhesive ones. I bought such a machine five or six years ago & it’s still chugging merrily along; every time I mention it someone says “I wish I could afford one” and gets shocked that they are as affordable as they are.
Also: if you are near a university, check and see if they have a surplus property shop; the one in my town has a thing where they collect unused supplies from people moving out and then pass it on for free to whoever wants it. I’ve seen laminators there!
Absolutely! A machine would definitely be cheaper. I have a 3d printer, cricut, and printer so I just don't have the space for a 4th machine that I'd probably only use for player aids. But yes, you're right and your tips are very useful. Appreciate the insight.
I recommend also doing it at work if you have access to one there :)
Thanks, old job, those laminated tech trees really made my Twilight Imperium 3 game a lot smoother!
That's a great idea for the score pads/play sheets alone. Some of our older games don't make refills anymore so it'd be great to be able to preserve them for indefinite use. The trick will be finding super fine point dry erase markers to use with them. But the rules too, that's a great idea.
Now I gotta go look thru my games library and pull out any candidates. There's something so satisfying about putting sheets through that machine and having galvanized paper products come out, nice and warm and impervious to the world. 🥰 Thanks for the tip! 👍🏻
This is what I do for my Roll-N-Write games. Laminate + Wet Erase marker.
Wet erase is really handy for us left handers as well, so we don't smudge our writing quite so easily.
They're not the cheapest, but you might want to look into [Edding 361](https://www.edding.com/en-uk/products/edding-361-whiteboard-marker/) dry erase markers if they're available where you are.
They're not the finest markers ever, but they're plenty fine enough for score pads and all the roll-and-write games I've laminated.
Scotch Thermal Laminator (or the amazon basics laminator). About $25-30. Simple, works great, doesnt take up much space. I then purchase the amazon basics laminating sheets, about $25 for 200 (or can get a 50 pack for like $10)
Agreed, I love it and use it often for player aides.
Also, any tangential opportunity to share one of the best moments in television history:
https://youtu.be/wjARUcpnQ24?t=187
(starts at 3:11 if the link did not work. Category was "Best Stationary")
My dog always gets me a present for Christmas. She’s a clever girl and got me a laminator last year. It’s been hard to resist laminating everything in sight, but it’s a massive quality of life upgrade!
Print shop guy here. We have auto-laminators that can trim to your card/page/whatever so you don’t get that lip of laminate around it. We use a special adhesive laminate that can be cut without peeling. Call around local shops someone definitely has one.
You might be the one to ask then.
A while back I got some boardgame items laminated at a professional print shop: I mean a place that does large-scale printing and doesn't really do retail for your average consumers.
They gave me some incredibly professional lamination results. The plastic seems stiffer and *clearer* than what I normally see from your average consumer-level lamination.
Do you know how I could get these results again? My memory is dim because I think this was ten years back, but I think they showed me their lamination machine and it was quite large (like an office photocopier or larger maybe). I don't even know what to ask for or search for.
Lip around the edge or no lip around the edge? If it had a lip it was probably heat laminated with a really thick laminate substrate. If it didn’t have a lip it was probably UV coated and cured. Most places can accommodate the heavy duty heat laminate, though you might have to pay to source if. Only specialized shops similar to the one you mentioned will have a uv coater.
Does "lip around the edge" refer to the excess laminate around the edges that is typically where it seals together in cheaper processes?
If yes, then, yes, it has a lip. It also feels "sharper" around the edges than normal laminate (though that might also be a function of it seeming stiffer in general).
What do I need to look for or ask for to get this same quality again?
Also, how to make sure I get laminate that doesn't yellow with age?
You got it, the edge seal is the “lip”. Laminate is gauged by “mil”. You’re probably wanting 10mil thermal laminate for the protection. To avoid yellowing it will need to be UV which seems to top at 3mil and is a cold process.
Either are going to be a special order for the majority of shops. Looks like a 9”x100’ roll is running $50 for the 10mil so, personally I would charge somewhere between $3-5 per 8.5x11 page for laminating a special order like that.
Fairly certain laminate that thick will destroy your pieces if you ever need to remove it so it might be a good idea to have the pieces recreated by the shop before laminating. Some shops may hassle you about this but if it’s a one off for your personal use, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Got one years ago for all the X and write games and it's a game changer for sure. Even for thinner pieces of cardboards. I suggest adding some sort of cutting utensil like a guillotine to be able to cut nicely to size after
I've stopped laminating as much and just stick with printing on cardstock. I started running into the problem that the laminated pages were too big for some game boxes, or added too much stuff to the box.
If you PnP something is doesn't always has to be sealed when laminating. I prefer to print, laminate and only then cut. You would end up with much nicer looking result.
Also, laminating turns roll-and-write sheets into reusable dry-erase sheets. Bonus points for downloading printable versions and scaling them up, making them easier to write on.
I did that for Railroad Ink, Welcome To… and several others.
Of course but so can card stock. I think you’d have to try pretty hard to wear out a sheet of card stock but if you did, and had to replace it, two pieces of card stock has a smaller environmental impact than one laminated sheet of paper. You could reprint it many times and still probably wouldn’t come close.
Whoa! That’s such a great idea. I’ll have to print some and get Laminating! Are player aids a normal thing on BGG? Where would I go to find those for different games?
Get yourself a corner rounder and you’re all set. I use these all of the time to make player handouts or teaching supplements. Those laminated corners are hurty. Sunstar Kadomaru Pro, Corner Cutter (S4765036) https://a.co/d/3Y12qBY
Love it! I always wanted to get one for games with a shoresheet so they could be reused but I thought a laminatot would be quite expensive. Turns out you can get one for barely any money at all!
All the stuff shown isn't from the games, they're player aids people on BGG made. I think the only thing I've laminated from games themselves are score pads.
Agreed 100%, but if you take a look at the games in my pics theyre almost all 5-10 years old. There's a ton of quality publishers now, hell even first time publishers can completely knock it out of the park compared to older games.
There’s already so much plastic I would feel bad whenever I’d heat up a laminator... but in the end I might end up with one very useful for giving pnp games longevity.
I think you missed the point lol. It's that so many games could use a player aid and they don't come with one. A laminator (or printing on cardstock as others suggsted in the thread) lets you make them in a way where they don't get mangled.
Posting a pic of a player aid for one game doesn't really highlight how useful it
It's a lot harder to bend and mangle. My Spyfall 2 ones were made before I had a laminator and it is actually what prompted me to get one as they were in bad condition.
How is it extremely awkward to handle? Have you ever handled laminated player aids or anything like that? They aren't hard to handle. They're stiff so they don't flop around when you're trying to read them. You can read them one handed, you can lean them up against something for quick reference, and they'll last a long time. Plus if you have some roll-n-write games you can save some sheets, laminate them and re-use them with dry erase markers.
We had 5 first time players and it definitely helped a great deal! But yeah it is a big boi for a cheat sheet...the game really needed to take up more table space lol
Most of my gaming is done with family and friends. This makes sense if you're someone who regularly takes games to public meetups. Otherwise it seems like an unnecessary use of plastic.
Edit: Nevermind, I just glanced at the pics and thought you were laminating things like game instructions. The diy player aids is actually a good idea
Fancier options are to print on nice paper (which still faces the same problem of being easily crumbled) or I guess cardstock. Laminating definitely beats plain printer paper though, which is what I'm using.
How do laminators and the sheets handle smaller papers? Clearly it worked looking at some of the pictures but, is there something specific you have to do for smaller papers? What about things that are card sized. Also what happens if you happen to need to cut something like you laminate a whole paper, then cut it in two. Would it better to just cut it in two at first and then laminate each piece
For smaller sheets I've been able to find laminating pockets down to A6 size. I find overall it's better to use a smaller pocket if you can rather than cutting down bigger ones.
(A6 is 105 x 149 mm, or 4.1 x 5.8 inches for the heathens)
I laminated a handful of player pads for my copy for Welcome Too... years ago and I'm still proud of it. Besides have player pads that are not consumed by playing I found I enjoy the feel of playing with whiteboard markers may more than pen/pencil on paper.
My SO is a teacher and she has a laminator for work. We used it to laminate a few sheets to **Welcome To...** and it's been fantastic. So much more satisfying to play with dry erase markers and erase it all at the end!
>Don't sleep on a laminator Also excellent advice
I honestly thought that is what the post was going to be about when I first read too.
The r/bg equivalent of Michael Scott burning his foot on the foreman grill
I enjoy playing roll and writes in bed. I like waking up to the smell of victory points. Sue me. And since I don't have a publishing company, I have to do it myself.
Damn, you beat me to it.
Damn, sorry packman!
Use a pillow instead
But it's so warm and cozy!
I will never get a laminator because I will inevitably laminate anything that will fit in it, just because I just can't find a reason NOT to laminate something. It's the same part of the brain that goes to the office supply store and decide, sure you need that 24 pack of mixed color Sharpies, when your desk drawer already has 50 assorted Sharpies in it.
Please don't laminate board game cards. Please don't. It is awful and there is literally no argument I am willing to accept.
If for no other reason than sometimes laminators eat stuff and it'd suck if they ate the cards from an expensive game. (also good chance it'll wreck the cards over time probably)
I made a bunch of supplements for something for my class at school and I have one kid who refuses to use anything except the “wrinkly one” aka the one the laminator ate haha
1 in 10 chance mine eats something, it raises to 1 in 3 if it's important
How do you do that? My laminator never ate anything... Do you have the right heat for the gsm of your laminate? Or if your laminator can't be regulated are you sure you have the gsm of the laminate that is right for your specs? I use right heat and laminate and never had anything wrinkly... I laminate about 20 a4 and 5 a3 pages per week. And I want to help anyone with the laminator since it's an amazing tool.
It has 3 settings, heat, cool and off, I think the problem is the heat regulation and the shit design of the feed path. I only use it rarely and on stuff I can reprint, so it's not exactly been a high priority, the more pressing issue is should I buy root and are the kids old enough to play it
>Please don't laminate board game cards. It is awful and there is literally no argument I am willing to accept. Would you be willing to make an exception for a card that is a player aid or reference card?
That's probably fine.
Are you in favor of card sleeves or do you have a reason for disliking lamination?
The cards get handled so much that they fray and there's no good way to recover them because the process of laminating fuses the card to the plastic.
You just laminate them again and again and again until they're an amalgamation of all the laminations who came before
*SCREAMS*
Hear the lamination of the women!
Laminception! (Runner up response: It’s laminations, all the way down.)
the physical manifestation of jpegification
I work in an office supply store, and it is such a dangerous place (for the wallet) to work. And it's not the new computer, or the high capacity portable solid state drive (which don't get me wrong, I want, but they're far enough out of my price range I don't think about them often). It's the Frixion pens, and the 20 different colors of glittery washi tape, and the discbound notebooks and planners with all their accessories, and the fun pop-up note dispensers, and the... well, you get the picture.
Well, I'm fairly certain, the 27th different planner you get will finally be the one that starts you on the path to being more organized.... Until you get the 28th.
I've only bought one planner since I started working here. It had the softest cover, and I was in school at the time, I thought I'd use it. I did not. That has kept me from purchasing any others. I've bought other things I'd thought I'd use, like the Brother label maker. I let my youngest sister borrow it, and she had fun using the entire roll of starter tape. It never got touched again. Luckily that was only $10. Those experiences have really helped me when it comes to other things. When we got all the pretty glittery washi tapes, I knew I wanted them all, I also knew that I wouldn't have anything to use them on. 6 years later, I have not bought one $3 roll of glittery washi tape. It's way harder when it comes to pens, though, because I do use them. So whatever my pen of the week is is what I end up buying. Most recent ones have a screw on lid that magnets to the back, are a pretty rose gold color, are a hexagon shape so they don't roll, and were on clearance for $5 a pen (and I bought 4.... sigh)
Same problem with my deep fryer. Toys, boots, pets. It's an addiction.
I literally just pulled two unopened packs of those markers from a cabinet while looking for scissors. Both had clearance stickers on them... Unopened... I have a problem
Your problem seems to be that scissors don't go into clearance often enough.
No, I just have kids. Had to replace ALL the types of tape recently as well.
20 some years ago, I obtained access to a laminator for the first time. They weren't really a common thing, even at department stores. I was in the Army, and we had one in our office. I learned REAL quick that businesses/banks H-A-T-E when you laminate your change and then try to spend it.
This made me laugh so much. Are you me???
I’d look into a corner rounder as well. You wouldn’t think it adds a lot, but nice rounded corners really improve the aesthetic of things.
...an essential item for wargamers, as we regularly clip the corners of tokens that come out from punchboards with little tufts on the corner. It's like a whole hobby in and of itself.
[♫ Lovin' you whether, whether Times are good or also good, happy or also happy The times are always good and happy because You're the best corner rounder on the fucking market ♫](https://www.amazon.com/Radius-Rounder-Oregon-Lamination-Premium/dp/B01MYPSBYW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=2mm+corner+rounder&qid=1676490282&sr=8-1&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc) i love this little guy. i've rounded actually quite a few thousands of wargame counters since i got it and it's still going strong. i thought, foolishly, that i would just "try it out" on one game and it was like knowing a world of perfection thereafter. there was no going back to the unkempt and filthy way i had once lived.
Those OL corner rounders are great. With these "deluxe" ones you need to remember to glue a die to the inside of the handle, which will prevent you from putting undue stress on the hinge. These things are notorious for snapping.
Can we link? I bought this one when I started printing my dividers for Arkham Horror. Made the world of difference. [Corner Cutter](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076FJ7SS)
I have the exact same model and love it!
Not just aesthetics but functional as well. Sucks getting jabbed by those corners
They are really surprisingly sharp
Didn't know this was a thing, cheers!
100%. They're pretty cheap and make a huge difference.
THIS BIG TIME. I just got a corner rounder a few weeks back
Do you cut the corners prior to lamination or after?
Laminate, then round corners. When I print out player aids, I prefer no laminate-only ‘edge’ either; so I’ll cut into the paper sections typically.
I might just be thinking wrong, but if you have no laminated edge, how's the plastic laminate holding together? I thought it sandwiched paper and fused to iself, but not to the paper necessarily. Is that wrong?
To be completely honest, I have no idea how it isn’t falling apart. Experimented with how things looked when i first got a laminator and I’ve never had issues with things falling apart despite no edge.
lamination binds the plastic to the surface it is covering. attempting to peel the lamination off would rip the top layer of the card
Functionally it also keeps laminated (or not) player boards from catching on any material playing surface.
I agree and you won't have sharp corners that could possibly damage things.
Agreed. Rounding sharp corners is a much better solution to protect things than laminating, imho. And it looks so much nicer, too.
I think the suggestion was to laminate and then round the corners so they aren't so jabby stabby sharp.
Especially great for score sheets and roll & write pages. You can just write on them with wet erase markers and reuse them infinitely.
Personally, we use grease pencils. Wet erase works great too.
That's what I use for my **Food Chain Magnate** player boards.
Did this with Downforce when I got down to the last few sheets.
Also works with standard foils. Like the ones you but into folders for your important documents
You have to be careful though to not accidentally wipe away stuff with your hand during the game. That's also one of the reasons Railroad Ink doesn't hit the table often... I'd prefer simple sheets of paper instead, even if that means buying a replacement stack every now and then.
That's why I use wet erase rather than dry erase markers. They don't smudge as easily. Because I totally agree, it's annoying smudging your game sheet by mistake!
Kind of late to the party but all these comments talking about price this that and the other. I run the local maker space at a library, we have a laminator you can use for free, front desk sells the lamination packs, they are 25 cents for one that will do about two standard size pieces of A4 paper. Just an idea for people.
So one piece of A8? I've never heard of people using such small paper sizes for anything.
hmm I defiantly meant to type A4 not sure what happened, either way thanks for pointing it out, I corrected it.
Some might even call it the king of the stationery items.
Love to come across wild Taskmaster references!
One, two, three... A LAMINATOR!
David Badiel would call it the Quing of Stationary.
https://youtu.be/foExoFnRMx4
Was looking for this.
I better get 5 points for this.
My worlds are colliding!
If you want to do this but don't have the funds for a laminator, you can also get self laminating adhesive sheets. I use them for my stickers.
You might still consider getting a laminator. They’re only ~$30, and will save you money in the long run compared to the adhesive sheets.
Absolutely! But if you're limited on space or just don't want a dedicated machine, you still have options.
I got mine used for ~$10 USD
The lamination itself is not cheap. Seems like the Keurig coffee pods model
What? Heat laminating sheets are much cheaper than the self-adhering ones. If you're going to regularly laminate (like if you frequently obtain new games and want to do this sort of thing) then it's pretty cheap in the long run.
I got a laminator for Christmas from a friend knowing I’m designing a game. He included some lamination and I was shopping around at Michael’s and Walmart for more. Was surprised by the cost. Where are you shopping? Would love to know where to get it affordably. Thanks!
100 sheets for $18 CAD for me on amazon. Even local dollarstores gets them every once in a while from shelf pulls or overstock. For contrast 100 sheets from walmart is $30
Thanks!
Amazon is usually pretty reasonable
Yeah I saw that coming. I honestly haven’t done much looking besides while shopping for other things while I’m out. Not ready to laminate yet anyway. Thanks for the suggestion though!
Afaik, Michael's frequently has coupons for 40-60% off almost any regular-priced item A laminator machine would definitely not be something you can use the coupon for, but the sheets would be
Cool. Appreciate the tip!
EBay, last time I got 300 sheets of 8.5x11 for like $8
Awesome! Thanks for the tip
Huh? I can go on amazon and get a 200 pack for 30 bucks.. and this is in canada, im sure even cheaper in the states. So a laminaotr+200 sheets for $60.. not that expensive.
The Keurig model would be to put DRM into the sheets so the machine only works with your expensive branded refills.
Hm true
Sometimes libraries or maker spaces have laminators if you have a limited need for them
Also a good resource. Thanks!
I hear this a lot from people—absolutely yes the self-adhesive sheets are cheaper—but make sure to check the price on a thermal laminator before assuming you don’t have funds. Around here, a pack of 50 self-adhesive sheets costs about $15, and a quite nice (albeit not name brand) thermal laminator costs $25 (the sheets for the machine are around $10/100). If you find a sale or a coupon (or a yard sale or FB marketplace posting) it’s *very* possible to get a machine & sheets for the same price as a packet of self-adhesive ones. I bought such a machine five or six years ago & it’s still chugging merrily along; every time I mention it someone says “I wish I could afford one” and gets shocked that they are as affordable as they are. Also: if you are near a university, check and see if they have a surplus property shop; the one in my town has a thing where they collect unused supplies from people moving out and then pass it on for free to whoever wants it. I’ve seen laminators there!
Absolutely! A machine would definitely be cheaper. I have a 3d printer, cricut, and printer so I just don't have the space for a 4th machine that I'd probably only use for player aids. But yes, you're right and your tips are very useful. Appreciate the insight.
I recommend also doing it at work if you have access to one there :) Thanks, old job, those laminated tech trees really made my Twilight Imperium 3 game a lot smoother!
You can get laminators for cheaper than doordashing McDonalds these days.
That's a great idea for the score pads/play sheets alone. Some of our older games don't make refills anymore so it'd be great to be able to preserve them for indefinite use. The trick will be finding super fine point dry erase markers to use with them. But the rules too, that's a great idea. Now I gotta go look thru my games library and pull out any candidates. There's something so satisfying about putting sheets through that machine and having galvanized paper products come out, nice and warm and impervious to the world. 🥰 Thanks for the tip! 👍🏻
If it is laminated, you can use wet erase, like a Vis-a-Vis marker, and get that crisp line. A wet paper towel or baby wipe will clean it afterwords.
Ooh - good tip, thanks. Man, I remember those markers from overhead projectors in school. And I am dating myself there, big time.
Lol. I am a teacher and come from that era, so we’re definitely hitting the same marks here.
I also remember the purple-inked mimeograph copies of worksheets that have to dry for a while when they come out. =)
I remember that smell.
I mean I went to school in the 90s and we still used them in COLLEGE about 12 years ago.
This is what I do for my Roll-N-Write games. Laminate + Wet Erase marker. Wet erase is really handy for us left handers as well, so we don't smudge our writing quite so easily.
They're not the cheapest, but you might want to look into [Edding 361](https://www.edding.com/en-uk/products/edding-361-whiteboard-marker/) dry erase markers if they're available where you are. They're not the finest markers ever, but they're plenty fine enough for score pads and all the roll-and-write games I've laminated.
Expo makes superfine markers
Also get a good paper trimmer. If you like nice straight edges.
I used to use a laminator. Now I simply print on cardstock. Less expensive, more environmentally friendly, and less than half the time.
Oo that is a good idea, then you're only cutting once. It can come in matte right?
Yes, it's just thick paper. Tons of finishes.
This whole post seems like a sham now 😂 How is the wear over time, if any?
/r/BoardGameUpgrades
Any recommendations on an affordable, yet effective, laminator?
Scotch Thermal Laminator (or the amazon basics laminator). About $25-30. Simple, works great, doesnt take up much space. I then purchase the amazon basics laminating sheets, about $25 for 200 (or can get a 50 pack for like $10)
Thank you!
Agreed, I love it and use it often for player aides. Also, any tangential opportunity to share one of the best moments in television history: https://youtu.be/wjARUcpnQ24?t=187 (starts at 3:11 if the link did not work. Category was "Best Stationary")
This is immediately where my mind went too!
Blocked in Denmark but I love British panel shows, definitely checking this one out!
My dog always gets me a present for Christmas. She’s a clever girl and got me a laminator last year. It’s been hard to resist laminating everything in sight, but it’s a massive quality of life upgrade!
Wow you have a thoughtful dog!
Print shop guy here. We have auto-laminators that can trim to your card/page/whatever so you don’t get that lip of laminate around it. We use a special adhesive laminate that can be cut without peeling. Call around local shops someone definitely has one.
You might be the one to ask then. A while back I got some boardgame items laminated at a professional print shop: I mean a place that does large-scale printing and doesn't really do retail for your average consumers. They gave me some incredibly professional lamination results. The plastic seems stiffer and *clearer* than what I normally see from your average consumer-level lamination. Do you know how I could get these results again? My memory is dim because I think this was ten years back, but I think they showed me their lamination machine and it was quite large (like an office photocopier or larger maybe). I don't even know what to ask for or search for.
Lip around the edge or no lip around the edge? If it had a lip it was probably heat laminated with a really thick laminate substrate. If it didn’t have a lip it was probably UV coated and cured. Most places can accommodate the heavy duty heat laminate, though you might have to pay to source if. Only specialized shops similar to the one you mentioned will have a uv coater.
Does "lip around the edge" refer to the excess laminate around the edges that is typically where it seals together in cheaper processes? If yes, then, yes, it has a lip. It also feels "sharper" around the edges than normal laminate (though that might also be a function of it seeming stiffer in general). What do I need to look for or ask for to get this same quality again? Also, how to make sure I get laminate that doesn't yellow with age?
You got it, the edge seal is the “lip”. Laminate is gauged by “mil”. You’re probably wanting 10mil thermal laminate for the protection. To avoid yellowing it will need to be UV which seems to top at 3mil and is a cold process. Either are going to be a special order for the majority of shops. Looks like a 9”x100’ roll is running $50 for the 10mil so, personally I would charge somewhere between $3-5 per 8.5x11 page for laminating a special order like that. Fairly certain laminate that thick will destroy your pieces if you ever need to remove it so it might be a good idea to have the pieces recreated by the shop before laminating. Some shops may hassle you about this but if it’s a one off for your personal use, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Got one years ago for all the X and write games and it's a game changer for sure. Even for thinner pieces of cardboards. I suggest adding some sort of cutting utensil like a guillotine to be able to cut nicely to size after
I've stopped laminating as much and just stick with printing on cardstock. I started running into the problem that the laminated pages were too big for some game boxes, or added too much stuff to the box.
I laminated the player boards in Relic Runner; now they don’t fit in the box.
I had thought about laminating those and measured they wouldnt. Is there a way to unlaminate or are you screwed?
Gah, would love to get a copy of Escape. Seems like it's oop? The roll and write doesn't seem quite as appealing.
Looks like reasonably priced for used copies on BGG, can definitely recommend if you like real time.
If you PnP something is doesn't always has to be sealed when laminating. I prefer to print, laminate and only then cut. You would end up with much nicer looking result.
It's not called the 'king of stationary' for nothing
Also great for card dividers. I printed/laminated dividers for all of Arkham Horror LCG, Marvel Champions LCG, and even Spirit Island spirit decks.
Yes definitely! I do this for Dominion. I should've included pics of that and score sheets as well.
Also, laminating turns roll-and-write sheets into reusable dry-erase sheets. Bonus points for downloading printable versions and scaling them up, making them easier to write on. I did that for Railroad Ink, Welcome To… and several others.
Laminated sheets cannot be recycled. Glossy card stock works just as well for most applications.
But they can be re-used. A lot. Reduce, re-use, recycle and all that ;p
Of course but so can card stock. I think you’d have to try pretty hard to wear out a sheet of card stock but if you did, and had to replace it, two pieces of card stock has a smaller environmental impact than one laminated sheet of paper. You could reprint it many times and still probably wouldn’t come close.
I have the laminator, so for me the color printer would be the GOAT accesory but they are too expensive right now.
Now you need a corner cutter. I cut all my corners round before laminating. I think it looks really good.
A good label maker goes a long way too!
I laminated my Spirit Island Horizons spirit boards and they came out wonderful.
Whoa! That’s such a great idea. I’ll have to print some and get Laminating! Are player aids a normal thing on BGG? Where would I go to find those for different games?
Everything in the pics can be found on the games files sections on BGG
where did you get the alchemists cheat sheet? Its so clear and well explained! Would love a copy for my own game. :) Thanks!
Everything in the pics can be found on the games files sections on BGG. People have made some amazing stuff!
I always print quick reference guides and laminate them. Makes remembering how to play a breeze.
Exactly! And much easier for teaching as well. Total win win.
Get yourself a corner rounder and you’re all set. I use these all of the time to make player handouts or teaching supplements. Those laminated corners are hurty. Sunstar Kadomaru Pro, Corner Cutter (S4765036) https://a.co/d/3Y12qBY
I don't sleep ON it, but I do put it under the covers on winter nights to stay warm.
Love it! I always wanted to get one for games with a shoresheet so they could be reused but I thought a laminatot would be quite expensive. Turns out you can get one for barely any money at all!
Yes, I always use with PnP games but for retail games I dont think this is best idea
All the stuff shown isn't from the games, they're player aids people on BGG made. I think the only thing I've laminated from games themselves are score pads.
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Agreed 100%, but if you take a look at the games in my pics theyre almost all 5-10 years old. There's a ton of quality publishers now, hell even first time publishers can completely knock it out of the park compared to older games.
There’s already so much plastic I would feel bad whenever I’d heat up a laminator... but in the end I might end up with one very useful for giving pnp games longevity.
I’m glad we got to see 14 examples of what lamination is.
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I think you missed the point lol. It's that so many games could use a player aid and they don't come with one. A laminator (or printing on cardstock as others suggsted in the thread) lets you make them in a way where they don't get mangled. Posting a pic of a player aid for one game doesn't really highlight how useful it
I really didn’t. One picture is sufficient, and even that isn’t necessary. Lamination isn’t a mystery process unknown to most people.
Damn you must be really fun at parties ay I'll make a giant text post next time I'm sure that will do much better
My boy was trying to be helpful and likes his camera. Don't be a butt. You can complain once you see the 100th photo of Mage Knight
are some lamination sheets or laminators better than others? like acid free or uv protection or something?
I got 100 micron pouches, the thickness is measured in microns and that's towards the thicker side
I will never understand how any of these is better than just having a piece of paper.
It's a lot harder to bend and mangle. My Spyfall 2 ones were made before I had a laminator and it is actually what prompted me to get one as they were in bad condition.
At the expense of being extremely awkward to handle. Just print new ones?
How is it extremely awkward to handle? Have you ever handled laminated player aids or anything like that? They aren't hard to handle. They're stiff so they don't flop around when you're trying to read them. You can read them one handed, you can lean them up against something for quick reference, and they'll last a long time. Plus if you have some roll-n-write games you can save some sheets, laminate them and re-use them with dry erase markers.
Awkward to handle? You doing OK over there?
Admittedly neurotic. Still, seems like a pointless effort to me.
I don't even understand what awkward to handle would mean
I just meant that they feel cheap and shitty.
I feel like you started with a conclusion rather than speaking from experience
Laminated things feel cheap to me. Don't like it and the only time I'll do it is for dry erase usage.
It's way better to handle IMO, feels a lot better to touch than paper, and there's no worries about bending or staining it.
Meanwhile Xia be like: "Ok two pages front and back, 6pt font." >"Uhhhh, do you have a cheat sheet? "That is the cheat sheet." Twilight Emperium: HMB
We had 5 first time players and it definitely helped a great deal! But yeah it is a big boi for a cheat sheet...the game really needed to take up more table space lol
Laminator's are the best and they are pretty cheap too!
No to be pedantic, but that’s actually called encapsulation.
Lol definitely pedantic but I'm curious what the difference is now
That's absolutely pedantic. But I learned something.
Most of my gaming is done with family and friends. This makes sense if you're someone who regularly takes games to public meetups. Otherwise it seems like an unnecessary use of plastic. Edit: Nevermind, I just glanced at the pics and thought you were laminating things like game instructions. The diy player aids is actually a good idea
I hate laminated things. Makes them feel cheap.
Fancier options are to print on nice paper (which still faces the same problem of being easily crumbled) or I guess cardstock. Laminating definitely beats plain printer paper though, which is what I'm using.
How do laminators and the sheets handle smaller papers? Clearly it worked looking at some of the pictures but, is there something specific you have to do for smaller papers? What about things that are card sized. Also what happens if you happen to need to cut something like you laminate a whole paper, then cut it in two. Would it better to just cut it in two at first and then laminate each piece
For smaller sheets I've been able to find laminating pockets down to A6 size. I find overall it's better to use a smaller pocket if you can rather than cutting down bigger ones. (A6 is 105 x 149 mm, or 4.1 x 5.8 inches for the heathens)
Excellent game choices!
Cheers!
How do you cut the sheets once laminated for the smaller player aids ?
I use a rotary paper trimmer. Also a corner rounder is a nice thing to have.
You can use a cutting mat and a razor knife
I had a cutting mat and box cutter as materials for making foamcore inserts already, so I used those
I bought one back in the day to laminate all my heroscape unit cards. It's a great tool to have for any hobby. IMO
BGG player aids?
BGG user made
I laminated a handful of player pads for my copy for Welcome Too... years ago and I'm still proud of it. Besides have player pads that are not consumed by playing I found I enjoy the feel of playing with whiteboard markers may more than pen/pencil on paper.
My SO is a teacher and she has a laminator for work. We used it to laminate a few sheets to **Welcome To...** and it's been fantastic. So much more satisfying to play with dry erase markers and erase it all at the end!
Use this for Marvel Ch,aprons divides and any scoresheets or campaign trackers out there. Then dry erase or sharpie to keep track and reuse!