How can I laminate photo paper?

Photo paper comes in both matt and glossy finishes and can give the pictures you print out at home a professional look. If you want to preserve a picture that might be handled quite a bit or exposed to liquids, laminating it can be a great way to protect the image without compromising the quality of your photo. If you want to laminate a photo on photo paper, several different options are available.

Take your photo to a professional copy shop such as Kinkos and ask them to laminate your photograph for you. Most copy shops have professional-grade laminating machines that can laminate any size photo you might have in just a few minutes. Call ahead to make sure the copy shop you plan on visiting offers laminating services.

Buy your own laminating machine and laminate your photo paper yourself at home. When laminating at home be sure to allow the laminating machine to fully heat up before attempting to laminate your picture. If your laminating machine has not fully heated up before you start laminating your photo you risk having pieces of the plastic not attach to the photo, ruining your laminating job.

Laminate smaller pictures with commercial laminating sheets. There are a variety of different one-use laminating sheets available that allow you to laminate a picture without using heat or a machine. Typically, laminating paper consists of a large piece of clear paper folded in half with a sticky inside. To use the sheets open them up by peeling the two sides apart and place your photo face down on one sticky side of the paper. Press firmly down on your picture, making sure to remove any air bubbles that might be present between the photo and the paper. Once firmly in place, put the other side of the laminating paper down, sticky side down, locking the picture inside the paper. Use a book or rolling pin to flatten the laminating paper and ensure there is no air trapped between the plastic.