Do you mind filling me in on the label information? I am doing card stock and laminate today to see how that looks. I did some pokemon trainer cards for my sons pokemon birthday themed party which turned out good just wasn't a fan of the left over edge of lamination.
So here is what I've tried....
First I printed playing cards at staples on 12PT Glossy card stock:
Then I cut them out roughly with a guillotine paper cutter, stuck a sticker tag on the back, glued the two halves together with emler's rubber cement, used the paper cutter to cut along the crop lines and then used a "Sunstar Kadomaru Pro, Corner Cutter (S4765036)" with its 3mm cutting edge to cut the corners of my cards. I have documented my processes here (the pdf has the old way I used to do it, with double sided tape - but the general process is the same).
Here are the results:
and in perfect fit card sleeves (pokemon card size)
I bought a Scotch brand laminator for like $30 and a pack of lamination sheets for like $4. I also dont like the idea of having the edges of lamination though. So, I cut off the edges:
Toon Link was my first attempt. I had cut out the card completely and then decided to laminate it. I used a xacto knife to cut off the edges. However I did not cut it perfectly and after a few days I was handling the card and since the lamination wasnt flush with the edge of the card as I ran my finger across the edge the lamination started to peel up taking some of the print with it so now there is some white speckles on my card where the ink didnt line up properly when I tried to lay it back down.
I found that using a bead of super clue on the edges of the card help prevent the peeling.
For standard Link, I cut out the card roughly (leaving the bleed), glued the halves together, then laminated it. Then I cut along the crop lines and cut the corners off. This way the lamination doesnt hang off the edge of the card and as such I feel it will be less likely for me to nick it and have it peel up. But I will let you know if it ends up peeling. I want to see if you could get away without having to carefully run super glue along the edge.
here you can see the damage from the lamination peeling up:
you can see the edge of toon link is a little rough because of the super glue (my cutting job was probably not the best either):
Then I moved onto credit card size...
As per AnalogMan's suggestion I went and got Avery 5265 shipping labels. I printed them off on my works Sharp MX-3070N laser printer... it didnt do the best job
White speckles on some cards:
black spots on other cards:
Here is the results after applying the labels to the pvc cards
The Avery labels also had diagonal lines cut into the backing in order to make it easier to peel off. However the scoring is deep enough that it affects the label. You can sometimes see hints of the line through the image and if you happen to accidentally crease the card on that line it could put a mark on the print, so you have to be careful.
Also after applying "Rust-oleum Painters Touch 2x Ultra Cover Satin Clear" I noticed it was darkening my images. I applied two good thick layers because I wanted them to be more smooth, but I guess I should have just went with the gloss finish. I am still experimenting with finishes though.
All cards with the finish applied:
Comparison vs no finish, Left is the one with the finish. Right is the plain one.
I may also go to staples this weekend and try to get some printed by them. See if they turned out better.
I hope that answers your question. And gives others some ideas.
Last edited by Random11,