What does laminator mean?
A laminator is a machine that applies a thin protective or decorative layer to a sheet or object. Most commonly, it heats adhesive film and bonds it to paper, card, photographs, or teaching materials, producing a smooth, wipeable surface. Laminators are widely used in schools, offices, print shops, and craft activities for labels, signs, certificates, maps, and display cards. The word can also refer to someone who performs laminating work, although this sense is much less common. In everyday use, “laminator” denotes the machine rather than the laminated result itself: one puts a document into a laminator, while the finished object is called a laminate. Thermal and pouch laminators are the most familiar types, though cold- and heatless laminating systems also exist for particular materials and uses.
A machine that bonds a thin layer of material to paper, card, or another surface, usually with heat and adhesive.
"She used the laminator to make colourful labels for the classroom shelves."
The machine sense is standard in British, American, and other English varieties.
A person who laminates documents or other materials.
"The laminator checked each certificate before adding it to the folder."
This occupational sense is uncommon compared with the machine sense.
The standard plural refers to multiple laminating machines or, less commonly, multiple people who laminate materials.
"The classroom has two laminators on separate tables."
A laminator turns an ordinary sheet of paper into a durable display card, menu, certificate, or teaching aid with a protective sealed surface.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does laminator come from?
The word derives from “laminate,” which comes from Latin lamina, meaning a thin sheet or layer. The English verb “laminate” developed from a French form based on that Latin source. “Laminator” was formed as an agent noun for a machine or person that performs the process, and it shares its origin with words such as “lamination” and “laminal.”
Related word forms
How laminator is actually used
The word is most often used for a compact tabletop machine in offices, schools, and craft settings. As a person, it is comparatively uncommon and may sound descriptive rather than occupational.
Easily confused with laminator
A laminate is the finished layered sheet or material, whereas a laminator is the machine or person used to make it.