Encapsulation is the process of sealing a document within a tough plastic film, on both sides, and heat sealed at the edges. You would normally see a clear lip around the document or item. This makes the document very tough, sturdy, and water resistant, as the inner media is completely sealed in plastic. It differs from lamination (see below) which is generally a thin coating of film, mainly to improve aesthetic appearance or give a wipe clean finish

In general, encapsulation is used for different media and different purposes than lamination would be. For example, items that might get wet or need to be wiped clean, may well be encapsulated rather than laminated, as they would be subjected to more rough handling or perhaps outside use. The film resin adheres to the substrate to completely seal the document within

We use a 250 micron total thickness encapsulation with a rigid gloss finish

If you wish the item or document to have a longer life, be water resistant, or be subjected to rougher handling, then encapsulation would be preferable over lamination

Lamination is useful for a different range of applications compared to encapsulation. It is generally used to improve the appearance with vibrant gloss or non-reflective matt finishes available. In addition to improving the look of the item, it also adds to the life of the product by making it more durable, so is useful where repeated handling of the item is common

With lamination, a thin layer of self adhesive film is adhered to one or both sides and is trimmed flush with the edges. The coating is generally fairly thin (under 30 microns). It should be noted that although it adds some degree of protection from moisture, it is not waterproof, however it offers a lower cost finish compared to encapsulating