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Now that I have all four maps I was planing to have them laminated. I wanted to first check with any others who may have already done this and if you have any tips or sugestions for me?
Anything thing that will help to preserve them is ok (not just laminating), if there is something better available. I do want to do each one seperatly so I can use just one at a time when needed.
Thanks for any sugestions?
All mine have been lamenated with no problems. They fed through the l-machine with no problem. No tips really. Just make sure the clerk running the l-machine is skilled at doing so.
Mine are all separated, too. I didn't trust the clerk that much.
And they look great lamentated. Spectacular, really.
Once laminated, are they easy to roll up and transport? can any excess laminate edges be trimmed easily without peeling? is the texture smooth, slightly rough, clear, slightly cloudy, etc.?
They are very easy to roll up and transport.
I usually cut my laminated maps down to give them a one-inch board of lamenant around the edges.
The lamenator I use uses a very clear plastic. I would say it makes the colors even more vibrant.
The texture ends up being relatively smooth. There are a few bumps, but they are very tiny and insignificant.
If you are concerned about ruining your map, dig up an old National Geographic with a map supplement and have them lamenate that first to see what you think about it. Alternatively, use one of the free maps in the back of the DMG or from a miniatures game.
My lamenator charges only about $1.50 per foot of lamenation. My final charge for lamentating all the maps was about $18-20. Well worth the cost, in my opinion.
I've previously used wipe-away markers on another map too. Not sure whether they were "Dry Erase" or "Overhead" markers though.
I assume overhead.
Luckily, I've purchased two copies of each map. There's a print and signage shop next door to my job, so I might stop by there and have them laminate my "use and abuse" copies of my maps.
I didn't iron mine or even flatten them out. I handed them over to the lamenator completely folded up. After the lamenation, they were completely flat. If the paper was thicker, that might be a neccessity.
OK I did it. I took he southwest portion of the map to the shop next door and left it with them to laminate (they were pretty busy). The woman was sincerely intrigued by the place names on the map; she noted the Dry Steppes as a region that looked interesting. She promised me she'd take good care of it. They charge $7 per foot so she quoted me at $15 fo the one map. I'm assuming it's in good hands for that much money, although this means I won't be laminating all four maps at once. I'll let you know how it goes.
I imagine that the rate-per-foot is based on the thickness of the lamentation. My lamenation "store" uses very thin plastic.
Yeah, if it's too thick, I might not be able to roll it up as easily as I'd like, but at least I know it will last a long time.
What's cool is she volunteered to trim the edges with a straight cut once I have all of the maps laminated. :)
Well, I picked up the two southern portions of the Map of Greyhawk from getting laminated at the shop. They look great! the map is perfectly smooth; you can barely see the folds. The lamination is clear and thin enough to roll the maps easily but strong enough to protect it. I'm going to wait a couple of weeks before I have the two northern maps laminated. I think it was worth the $15 per map, to be honest.
The woman was sincerely intrigued by the place names on the map; she noted the Dry Steppes as a region that looked interesting.
When I took my maps to a local sign shop to get them laminated, the worker there also seemed intrigued on where I obtained the maps. The quality of them made him understand why I wanted them laminated. I hate to burst your bubble, Amaril, but I paid $18 for all 4 maps to be laminated. It pays to visit a college campus...things tend to be cheaper there.
And everyone that has seen them seems to wonder why I have maps of such strange places....
The quality of the maps after lamination was wonderful. The colors of the map seem more vibrant now. My thanks to Dungeon for the wonderful work. It was well worth the wait for all 4 parts.
I hate to burst your bubble, Amaril, but I paid $18 for all 4 maps to be laminated. It pays to visit a college campus...things tend to be cheaper there.
And everyone that has seen them seems to wonder why I have maps of such strange places....
The quality of the maps after lamination was wonderful. The colors of the map seem more vibrant now. My thanks to Dungeon for the wonderful work. It was well worth the wait for all 4 parts.
I live in a college town (Go Gators!), so I know there are places to get it done cheaper. However, I also know the quality of student employees at most of the chain places such as Kinko's, and I've heard too many horror stories about maps being ruined by them. I saw the expense of having it down by a privately owned professional graphic and print shop as the price for confidence that it will be done right. Plus, I'm paying for speed and convenience; the shop is right next door to my office suite, so I am able to walk there during a 5-minute break.
I laminated the two southern maps first and compared them to the two northern maps afterwards. The colors are definitely richer. It's almost as though the process burns in the colors or "wets" the map a bit. I had a small water stain in the Dry Steppes (oops) and now it can't be seen.
So what did you guys do with your maps once you laminated them? I'm thinking of taping them together with doublesided tape where they overlap, punching holes in the two top corners where the laminate overlaps the edges, and hanging it from two nails. this way I can take it down and roll it up if I want to.
as far as ironing them out goes, if you do so, put a thin cloth over it (like a bandana) and iron the map's backside. use the setting for the material of the bandana. i use to do this all the time with posters, and typically you'd never know it was folded by the time i was done.