Whether you're protecting a set of worksheets, adding shine to handmade cards, or just want your photos and documents to survive a few knocks, a good laminator can be a lifesaver.
I've tested portable and tabletop machines across a wide range of budgets, looking at ease of use, speed, size and price to find the ones that are actually worth buying. My list now includes proper foil applicators and heat-free options alongside classic thermal laminators, since not every creative project calls for the same finish.
My top pick overall remains the Scotch PRO Thermal Laminator (TL906), thanks to its speedy warm-up time, value price, and never-jam technology. You might also want to check out our guides to the best vinyl cutters and the best Cricut machines for home crafting.
The best laminators in full
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The best laminator overall
30-second review: The Scotch PRO Thermal Laminator (TL906) is a real workhorse. It takes a little bit longer than most to heat up (three to five minutes), but makes use of two heated rollers to laminate pouches up to 5 mil thick and 9inches wide. The results are bubble and wrinkle-free, and I'd say this is the best laminator for arts and crafts projects, photos, recipe cards, and educational activities in the classroom or on the move, although some reviewers found that the build quality was on the flimsier side.
Pricing: The Scotch PRO model typically sells for around $100, though it's on sale at Walmart right now for $44.99 at the time of writing. For UK shoppers, expect to spend between £50-£70, often including a starter set of laminating pouches.
Features: This laminator features a two-roller system with two temperature settings (3 mil and 5 mil) for different pouch thicknesses. It includes convenient, hidden built-in cord storage and a foldable input tray. for portability and easy storage. An automatic shut-off feature enhances safety and energy efficiency.
The best budget laminator
30-second review: This nice all-round affordable laminator comes with all of the tools to get you up and running, including a paper cutter, round corner trimmer and hole punch, as well as 15 laminating pouches (A4, A5 and A6). It takes a little longer to heat up (five minutes) and it's slower than the Buyounger too, running at a 250mm/min laminating speed.
Pricing: The Crenova A4 Laminator is typically found in the budget-friendly range of $30-$50 / £25-£40, often including the accessory pack.
Features: The Crenova has both a hot and cold setting and works with pouches between 120-200 micrometres in weight, which is ideal for laminating bookmarks, photos and recipes. Like the Buyounger, this laminator has a useful ABS unjammer for removing stuck documents.
Best foil laminator
30-second review: If you've ever wanted that mirror-shine foil finish on invitations, cards or packaging without buying a separate foiling machine, the Heidi Swapp 9.5" Foil Applicator does double duty as both a laminator and a toner-reactive foil applicator. Its four-roller system spreads heat and pressure more evenly than the usual 2-roller laminator, which cuts down on the patchy "pitting" that ruins a lot of DIY foiling attempts.
Pricing: At around $79.99, this sits in the mid-price bracket, but you're getting a laminator and a foil applicator in one machine, along with a starter kit of foil sheets, a transfer folder and laminating pouches, so it's decent value.
Features: Four adjustable heat settings (cold, 3 mil, 5 mil and foil) let you switch between straightforward lamination and foil application without buying a separate machine, and a manual jam release lever helps clear misfeeds. The catch is that toner-reactive foiling only works with laser-printed designs, so inkjet prints won't bond with the foil, and you'll need to keep the included carrier sheet in good condition (or buy replacements) to protect the rollers and keep results consistent.
The best heat-free laminator
30-second review: Every other laminator on this list needs a wall socket and a few minutes' patience; this one doesn't. The Xyron Creative Station Lite is a hand-cranked, entirely heat-free machine that laminates, sticks or magnetises your project the moment you turn the handle, with no warm-up or cool-down required. It won't replace a thermal laminator for bigger jobs, but for cards, labels and small craft projects, it's quick and mess-free.
Pricing: It typically runs $35-$50 / £30-£40, plus the cost of refill cartridges, which is worth factoring in if you'll be using it a lot.
Features: Drop-in refill cartridges switch between 3in and 5in widths and between permanent adhesive, repositionable adhesive, two-sided laminate and laminated magnet, all without touching a power switch. A built-in trimmer finishes each piece as it comes out, and because it's a cold process there's no toxic fumes or odour, so it's a good option for classrooms or anywhere you'd rather avoid a hot laminator.
The best premium laminator
30-second review: We previously had the Fellowes Saturn 3i Laminator as the top choice in this guide of the best laminators, but the newer Fellowes Jupiter 125 is even better. It boasts a one-minute warm-up time, 55" per minute laminating speeds, and an AutoSense system that can automatically make adjustments based on pouch thickness to prevent jamming and errors.
Pricing: The Fellowes Jupiter 125 typically retails in the range of $550 / £400, making it a premium option for large offices and businesses with advanced workloads. This is definitely too much to spend on a home-use machine.
Features: The Fellowes has quite a unique 'jam-free' system with an Advanced Pouch Tracking System and auto reverse mechanism to reverse laminating pouches in the event of a misfeed to shield pages from damage and realign any docs. The downside is that it works best with Fellowes' own lamination pouches, but you get a pack of 10 to get started.
The best basic laminator
30-second review: This no thrills machine can handle both three and five mil lamination, covering most items from photos to standard documents, but it can't handle thicker 10 mil lamination. I found it takes three-to-five minutes to warm up, a little longer than some others on my list. If you don't let it warm up, documents can come out with stripe marks. However, it offers excellent value, and if you're patient, the results are excellent. It features a paper jam lever for removing any stuck paper.
Pricing: As is typical of the Amazon Basics range, this 9-Inch Thermal Laminator is very budget-friendly, typically priced between $25-$40 / £15-£30.
Features: This laminator offers two heat settings for 3 mil and 5 mil pouches, accommodating common document types. It has a ready indicator light to signal when it's heated up and a manual jam release lever for clearing misfeeds. Its compact size makes it easy to store in a home office or classroom.
The most versatile laminator
30-second review: This is my pick as the best laminator for versatility and speed. It can laminate A4 and both 3 mil and 5 mil (though it lacks a manual switch to swap). It heats up under two minutes and can handle both hot and cold lamination for heat sensitive documents, although you'll need separate cold pouches for cold lamination. I found it to be quiet, and with a speed of 340mm/min, it's a fast device for those who need to get through lots of documents.
Pricing: The Buyounger 4 in 1 Thermal Laminator is usually found in the $40-$70 / £30-£55 price range, often bundled with its accessories.
Features: There's an ABS jam release button for quickly unsticking documents, which should extend life. It comes with a round-corner trimmer, which is nice for avoiding sharp edges, and a paper cutter for tidying the finish.
How to choose the best laminator
There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a laminator. First, think about the size of items you'll be laminating. Check the laminating width, as we've highlighted in our choices above, to make sure the laminator will accommodate your needs.
Next, decide what finish you're actually after. A standard thermal laminator, like the Scotch PRO or Amazon Basics above, is the right call for wipeable worksheets, signage and everyday documents. If you want a reflective, metallic finish on cards, invitations or packaging, you'll need a foil applicator like the Heidi Swapp, which works alongside laser-printed toner rather than any laminating pouch. And if you'd rather skip heat altogether, a cold, hand-cranked machine like the Xyron Creative Station Lite laminates, sticks and even makes magnets without a power socket in sight.
Consider cost: not just the price of the laminator, but the ongoing cost of the pouches, cartridges or foil sheets you need to feed it. That said, when it comes to valuable documents and precious memories, you should also think about the cost of not laminating them!
Finally, think about how often you'll need to use your laminator. If it's just going to be the occasional job, pretty much any basic model will do. But if you're going to be laminating lots of things in one session, or sharing the laminator in a busy workplace or classroom, you'll want something a bit more powerful and expensive, as some of the cheaper options may be slower and less reliable. Also make sure you check the dimensions of the laminator as some of them are quite bulky, and it's a good idea to check the weight too.
How we tested the best laminators
I've been testing and reviewing laminators and a wide range of other craft machines for several years. I test each device in real-world situations with the type of materials that they were designed to handle. To choose the best laminators, I compared their capabilities in terms of the size and thickness of lamination they can be used for, their speed, build and design, value for money and smoothness of operation – which included testing for jams. Where we weren't able to test each laminator, we have consulted user reviews from a variety of sources plus our own product knowledge to get the main pros and cons of each machine.
FAQs
Are there alternatives to using laminators?
Yes, these days you can use digital craft machines for some laminating tasks. For example the best Silhouette machines can laminate using the appropriate material, as can newer digital craft machines, such as the Cricut Maker 3.
Are laminators worth it?
That really depends on what you want to use a laminator for. If you're only doing one project, it might not be worth buying a whole machine, but if you know you're going to get regular use out of it, a laminator will soon pay for itself. There are plenty of affordable options. Just bear in mind that you'll have to pay for the cost of the sheets as well as the machine.
What shouldn't I laminate?
Some documents aren't suitable for laminating. You should avoid laminating government documents like passports or other forms of ID, for example, and certificates should also not be laminated, although you can laminate a copy if you like. Documents that shouldn't be laminated can be protected with clear plastic pouches.
