Lamination and Encapsulation are two different ways of applying a plastic coating to paper or card. However what most people call lamination is actually encapsulation.

When you cover a sheet of paper in plastic so that there is a lip going all the way around it, making the whole sheet water tight you are Encapsulating.

On the other hand when you put a very thin layer of plastic on which has no lip, it is Lamination. Lamination is not water tight because moisture can get into the paper through the unsealed edges. However because it is so thin it is used to give printing a high gloss on really matt finish, without making the paper thick to fold or score. Indeed the only way the untrained eye can recognise if a sheet of paper is laminated, is if they rip the corner of the sheet. Only that way can you see the layer of plastic.

Different types of Lamination

• Matt
  Gives a smooth flat matt appearance to the print
• Gloss
  Gives the print a very high sheen gloss effect
• Satin
  Somewhere between matt and gloss – gives little effect, but offers protection to the print
• Velvet
  Quite a matt finish, but as it’s named –  gives a velvet tactile feel to the print
• Biodegradable Matt
  Another matt laminate but this one is biodegradable and environmentally friendly
• Biodegradable Gloss
  Another gloss laminate but this one is biodegradable and environmentally friendly