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GBC Ultima 65 27" Large Format Laminator

Please see the Manual of Style for detailed information on what info to put under each heading. Any changes to this template should be updated in the manual of style too.

Manuals

The instruction manual for this machine is available in PDF form.

If something more serious starts happening, the service manual is also available. Note that both of these manuals are for later-models of this laminator, so there may be some slight differences.

Costs and Consumables

The cost of lamination is $.20 per foot. Base this on the finished item-- if you are laminating a poster that is 2” wide and 3” tall, please donate $.60 to the shop; don’t worry about the 3-5 inches needed at the top and bottom of the object to feed it into the laminator. If you accidentally burn through more than a foot of film learning how to set up your job, please toss a coin to your witcher.

Shop Provided

27" wide 1.5 mil thick GBC Laminating Film sold in packages of two 500' rolls (2 rolls are required) without the "EZ-Load" feature. Later models of this laminator have an "EZ-Load" system that is not compatible with this laminator.

User Provided

You provide the thing you want to laminate. Objects to be laminated should be semi-flexible and relatively smooth.

NO METAL EVER

Do not laminate anything with metal, including metallic inks, staples, or glitter. Do not touch the red hot rollers with anything metal-- the hot rollers are easily damaged and way too expensive to replace! Putting metal through the laminator will damage the hot rollers and ruin the machine.

Cold Laminator

Use the cold laminator if your media uses any of the banned materials.

Functions

The large format laminator is useful for laminating items that are larger than 8.5"x11", such as posters and maps. The laminator uses rolls of laminating film, which are melted onto the object to be laminated.

Specifications

Film: 27" wide rolls of laminate film in 1.0 mil, 1.5 mil, or 3.0 mil thickness. Rolls can have film narrower than 27".

Weight: 85 lbs.

Electrical requirements: - Voltage: 120V ~60Hz - Current: 12.5 - Power: 1500 W

Usage

Check that the laminator film rolls are fully loaded (there should be a little bit of film coming out of the back of the machine.

NO METAL EVER

Do not laminate anything with metal, including metallic inks, staples, or glitter. Do not touch the red hot rollers with anything metal-- the hot rollers are easily damaged and way too expensive to replace! Putting metal through the laminator will damage the hot rollers and ruin the machine.

  1. Plug machine into a wall outlet and turn it on (power switch is on the back left of the machine).
  2. This machine uses a lot of power; the wall outlet is the least likely to trip the circuit breaker on the machine.
  3. Wait 15 minutes for it to become hot. The HEAT light will blink while heating, and the READY light will turn on when it is fully heated.
  4. Note: If the Heat light is still blinking after 20 minutes, do a test with some scrap paper to make sure it’s hot enough. If the test works, feel free to laminate even if the READY light isn’t on.
  5. Press the “1.5 & 3 MIL” button. (As of Sep 2024, the film currently loaded is 1.5 mil.)
  6. If you are laminating cardstock or anything heavier than normal 20 lb. (75gsm) paper, press the “SLOW” button to slow the machine down. You can always go slower than needed.
  7. Make sure the safety shield (clear plastic in front) is down.
  8. Make sure whatever you are laminating is flat and ready to laminate.

NO METAL EVER

Do not laminate anything with metal, including metallic inks, staples, or glitter. Do not touch the red hot rollers with anything metal-- the hot rollers are easily damaged and way too expensive to replace! Putting metal through the laminator will damage the hot rollers and ruin the machine.

  1. Set the feed guide (on the front feed table-- it has a couple of screws for you to unscrew, position, and screw into place) to help guide the object to be laminated.
  2. Position the object in the front of the laminator, touching the film.
  3. Press RUN.

DO NOT leave the laminator unattended while it is running.

Avoid stopping the laminator while it is running.

  1. When the laminated object has cleared the back of the machine by at least 1”, press STOP.
  2. Use the manual cutter on the back of the machine to cleanly slice the laminated object away.
  3. Power off the machine when done.

Maintenance

There is very little scheduled maintenance required for this laminator. On an as-available basis, the red rollers should be cleaned by gently scrubbing with a green Scotch scrubbing pad.

Maintenance log

date description
July 2024 Purchased. Heat rollers scrubbed.
August 2024 Control board replaced. 1.5 mil glossy film loaded.

Troubleshooting

“It was heating up and then suddenly stopped and all the lights turned off.”
There is a circuit breaker on the machine. It is underneath, in the back left corner of the machine. You’ll need to lift the machine and toggle the breaker to reset it. Plug it into a wall outlet, not a power strip or extension cord.

“The film folded while laminating.”
Don’t move the object you’re laminating during lamination. Once it goes into the laminator, it’s gone until it comes out the other side. Run some scrap paper through to clear the fold and align the film again.

“The machine jammed while laminating.”
Make sure the back of the laminator is clear and there’s enough room for your object to come out without hitting anything.

“The film is out/almost out.”
In both cases, stop operation and put a tag-out on the machine.
If the film is almost out, stop operation ASAP. Please do not keep laminating until the film is completely out. It means the difference between 10 minutes to replace film and 45 minutes.
If the film is completely out, sigh dejectedly. You lost “film chicken.” If you had something in the process of being laminated, let it finish its way through the rollers until it comes out the back. Then turn off the machine, put a tag-out on it and post in the Discord so we know to order more film and prepare for a more-than-short job.

“Can I replace the film myself?”
Sure. See the manual for instructions. If the film is completely out, you can help by gently scrubbing the red rollers (when cold) with a green Scotch scrubby pad (STILL NO METAL) to remove any film residue or dirt. Whenever the film completely runs out, it's a good idea to do this, since it's a maintenance task we don't have the opportunity to do very often. This task does not need to be done on a regular maintenance schedule, just as-available.

Just remember: Nothing metal on the red hot rollers. Pay close attention to the direction the film is loaded. Make sure to feed the film through the back during replacement (this is tricky-- be extra careful not to get burned!) And if you bought film, please post in Discord with what thickness you bought so we can adjust this document accordingly.