The CrAFT Studio at UNC Asheville: Frequently Asked Questions

Laminator Frequently Asked Questions

Who can use the laminator?
Our space, equipment, and services are intended for current UNC Asheville students, faculty, and staff use only. If you're a community member and interested in laminating, there are a number of local businesses that offer this service!

How much does it cost to use the laminator?
The laminator costs $2.50 per linear foot. Check out the main Laminating information page for the prices of common sizes!

How can I pay for laminating?
You will receive a e-mail upon receipt of your file from the CrAFT Studio with a price. To pay with cash, check, or credit/debit card, the charge is applied to your library student account. Payments are accepted at the Circulation Desk on the main level of the library.

How long does it take for the charge to be applied to my library account?
Charges are applied to accounts three times per day (morning, mid-day, and afternoon) during normal business days. Charges received after the last payment posting (approximately 5:00 pm), after hours, on weekends, or during university holidays will be applied the next business day.

When will my job be laminated?
Items will be laminated after the jobs are paid for (except departmental invoices); any jobs left unpaid for seven (7) days will be deleted from the queue and the charge deleted from your account.

Can departments pay for laminating?
Yes, and this includes paying for student jobs! Items will be queued up after a fund number is provided.

How long does it take to process requests?
Please allow at minimum three (3) business days for processing time.

Why do items take so long?
We endeavor to complete jobs faster, but the CrAFT Studio has a number of services we have to balance! We also take pride in quality control; when you submit a job, the staff of the CrAFT Studio take the time to run the file through a thorough quality check, including image quality, spelling and/or syntax issues, and formatting issues. After that, we make sure that your item is successfully laminated and trimmed properly. In addition, items are wiped down with a isopropyl alcohol based solution and quarantined for at least one (1) day before pickup.

Do I have to print my items to be laminated in the CrAFT Studio?
No! You can bring by items to be laminated; please drop off items during our normal business hours after submitting the Laminating ONLY Submission Form instead of the Large Format Printing Submission Form.

How large can an item be?
The Xyron PRO 1225 Cold Laminator we use can accommodate files up to twelve (12) inches wide.

If you all are printing my item before laminating, what file type do I need to send in?
You can submit either a PDF or a standard image file (e.g. JPEG, PNG, or TIFF) at native resolution for printing. We cannot print Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign file types (.psd, .il, or .id).

Can't I submit a PowerPoint/Keynote file?
We do not accept PowerPoint or Keynote files due to the chance of formatting loss. There is a distinct possibility that images, fonts, and/or formatting will not transfer correctly, and we want to make sure your poster matches what you see on your screen. Our Designing a Poster in PowerPoint guide has detailed instructions on how to easily convert a PowerPoint file into a PDF, and the Apple website has detailed instructions on how to export Keynote files to PDF.

What about Google Slides or Docs?
We do not accept Google Slides or Docs due to the possibility of formatting loss. When you give us access to the file, the Studio would require editing capabilities to export the file to PDF. To download your document so it can be opened by other programs, click File > Download as and choose PDF as your file type. 

How large can my file be in megabytes?
We can accommodate any size of file. On the Large Format Submission Form, select File Upload if the file size is under 100 MB, or Google Drive Link if the file's size exceeds 100 MB.

What can I laminate?
You are welcome to laminate items that you create in the Media Design Lab, class projects, posters, and much more. This includes:

• Items for class
• Original art work that you created;
• Creative Commons and Public Domain licensed images;
  • Sources for these include Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons, Flickr’s advanced search, and Google Images (Tools > Usage Rights > anything except Not filtered by license).
• Images that fall under the definition of fair use;
  • What is “fair use”? Fair use is defined as “is a copyright principle based on the belief that the public is entitled to freely use portions of copyrighted materials for purposes of commentary and criticism.” Downloading random images from Google Images does NOT constitute Fair Use. For more information on the four tenets of Fair Use we utilize to verify prints, visit http://tiny.cc/fair_use.

What will the CrAFT Studio not laminate?
The CrAFT Studio will not print items that are:

• prohibited by local, state or federal law;
• can be considered unsafe, harmful, dangerous or poses an immediate threat to the well-being of others, and as such use may violate the terms of agreement with the manufacturers of our equipment;
• or is in violation of another's intellectual property rights, copyright, patent, or trademark protection.

We reserve the right to reject any submission, and that includes items that contain copywritten material or uses an artist's renderings without their express permission.

How can I ensure the best outcome for my job?

• Make sure your file's dimensions fall within the proper specifications (see above).
• Proofread your file before you submit it. No refunds will be issued in the event of typos.
• Items on heavier paper laminate better than those on thin paper! Cardstock or a heavyweight paper is our recommended paper.

Where do I pick up finished laminated items?
After your job is done, you will receive an e-mail, letting you know your item is finished and asking you to schedule a time to come pick it up at the CrAFT Studio. We are offering contactless pick up, so we will schedule a 15 minute window for you to pick up your item outside of the studio.