IMPORTANT: Don’t laminate one-of-a-kind documents unless you are sure of your laminating skills and can afford to damage or ruin the document.

Don’t laminate valuable items such as stamps, baseball cards, autographs or other collectables because the value of such items can be destroyed by lamination. Collectors generally value these kinds of items only in their original state.

Remember that you cannot laminate thermal paper, such as typical fax paper, because it is activated by heat and will turn black. Also, remove paper clips and staples because they can damage the rubber rollers. Be careful about laminating anything that will be affected by heat. For example, the colors in crayon drawings may run together or be smeared, especially if the crayon layer is heavy. Light crayon drawings may not be affected, but test an expendable sample of any item that may not laminate well.