Waterproof paper menus vs Lamination.

It’s a question that restaurants, bars, cafes and even outdoor event companies have to consider as they produce and source their marketing pieces—be it entrée menus, table top advertising, dessert menus, after-dinner specialty cocktail menus or event marketing flyers for festivals or bands.

This question has really only come into focus recently with advances in durable and waterproof paper technology as it has evolved over the past 20 years.

Lamination

Lamination has been a relatively effective way to protect printed materials from the elements and it’s been widely used in the past for menus, flyers and outdoor signs.

What is lamination?

The lamination process involves applying a film of plastic on documents or important papers in order to preserve them. When an item is given a plastic coating, it becomes tear-proof and waterproof since the laminating film encapsulates the item completely, by being bonded to both its sides.

There are many things that benefit from this process. For example, different types of paper documents are laminated in order to protect them from smudges, fingerprints or water damage. Sometimes, lamination is done in order to enhance the item's contrast and color. Lamination can also benefit items like menus, identification cards, instruction printed on paper or any other thing that is handled frequently. It also helps in keeping materials as good as new for many years, increasing their durability as well as color preservation.

What is Waterproof Paper?

Waterproof paper is made with thick, tightly-bound fibers that prevent water from saturating the paper. Such fibers prevent the paper from weakening, dissolving or changing shape. Sometimes coatings of various forms are used to make paper waterproof. Waterproof paper can be laminated with synthetic materials, such as plastics, which repel water and prevent the paper from being damaged.

Waterproof paper is ideally suited for use anytime printed materials will be subject to frequent handling or extreme environmental conditions. Waterproof paper is tear-resistant and durable, as well as impervious to grease and chemicals and designed to withstand high and low temperature fluctuations.

Plus, waterproof paper provides the image quality and printability of standard paper. It can be folded, punched or die cut as needed, making it valuable for thousands of applications.

So now that you have a little bit of background on Lamination and Waterproof Paper let’s see the real differences to a restaurant owner.

Hear how one of our clients transitioned from lamination to waterproofmenu.com:

As a restaurant owner we started out using lamination because it was easy to clean and provided a good application that was durable and we had heard would withstand the large amount of touches and interactions that our menus would have throughout our busy season.

However, as our season progressed we found out that the continued interaction with our laminated menus caused peeling and bubbling, which compromised our menu’s clean, professional appearance while allowing moisture to penetrate and damage the menus.

So as we researched the restaurant menu printing industry, we came across Waterproof paper and waterproofmenu.com. Initially speaking with waterproofmenu.com and its associates, we found out that some of their clients had the same issues as we had.

They were looking for a printing partner that could provide a menu that was:

• tear-resistant and durable
• impervious to grease and chemicals
• and, if possible, designed to withstand high and low temperature fluctuations.

Waterproofmenu.com told us their product was:

1. Durable, tear resistant and it provides a waterproof solution
   Waterproof paper can withstand being run under a faucet, endure heat and temperature variations and deter grease, solvent and chemicals. It also does not tear or fade.
   
   
2. Finished product offers a superior digital image quality
   The final product is of the highest quality. On top of that, the paper comes in various weights, sizes, colors and the menus could be folded and punched as needed.
   
   

And Best of All – The Price!

The price ended up being much less expensive than our laminated menus. We were sold!

Want to know another easy way to make your restaurant stand out? Waterproofmenu.com offers restaurants and bars the perfect option when it comes to menus that last and look great. Printed on polyester paper that’s waterproof, stain-proof and tear-proof, our waterproof menus not only look great, but will last and last while saving you money.