The timing couldn’t be better for my review of the Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator.  We kicked off the new homeschool year, this week, and I’ve already put the easy-to-use laminator to good use.  Previously, laminating a sheet for lessons meant that I had to wrestle long, unwieldy sheets of clear contact paper, hope to apply it without bubbles or wrinkles and then flip the project, hoping to do the same thing to the back side.  Needless to say, the results were often less than professional and sometimes required starting the project over.

My new Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator - Absolutely LOVE how it's speeding up my back-to-school tasks!

Numerous times throughout our school year, I will print sheets or cards that will be used multiple times in the course of a project or unit. Rather than having to reprint them each time I need one or because they were damaged in some way, I prefer to increase their durability and usefulness by laminating them.  This is great for things like maps, preposition lists, spelling rules, flash cards, times table sheets, paragraph writing examples, schedules, etc. Another cool thing about laminated sheets is that you can use dry erase markers on them. This is the perfect solution for handwriting practice!  The same sheets can be used over and over, again, to master letter formations.

It's easy to use the laminating sheets. They are sealed at one end and open on the other three sides.

Peel it back and arrange your product, smoothing it back into place over your project by starting from the sealed end. You will load the project into your laminator, sealed end first.

By selecting the correct laminating sheet thickness, and depressing that button, the laminator will begin heating up. The LED light blinks until the heat-up is complete. Then the machine beeps and the light stops blinking. It's ready to load.

It was no surprise as we got busy with our first day of work, that I already had a sheet that needed some reinforcement.  The program I use for grammar starts the year by having the kids memorize a list of  prepositions.  Once they’ve mastered the list, it’s easy to break down the structure of a sentence, eliminating the prepositions and their phrases to find the core grammatical elements of that sentence. The trick, though, is mastering that list of prepositions.  Rather than putting up a wall chart or having them flip back to the front of their book, each time they want to check and be sure, I simply print out the list, one time, and laminate it.  They keep the list with their school books and we get a full year of use from that one sheet.

I inserted the laminating sheet into the appliance, sealed-side first, and it began to auto-feed through.

It was the perfect test for the Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator.  The unit required no special setup.  It was as simple as removing it from the box and plugging it in.  I can heat laminate using either a 3 mil thickness or 5 mil thickness laminating sheet, meaning I have choices about how stiff I want the finished project to be.  Also, the laminator can take projects up to 9 1/2″ wide and has Heat Guard Technology, which allows all the heat to be contained inside the walls of the well-insulated laminator.  I love that it is safe to use and have around even with the grandkids in the house.  I don’t have to worry about curious fingers being burned.

In only a matter of seconds, the sheet was ejected from the back of the laminator, perfectly sealed much more sturdy than when I had fed it through. Perfect!

Another great feature is the Release Lever, that allows me to make last-minute adjustments or to straighten a project that wasn’t loaded properly and so caused a jam.  The controls are simple.  Use the power button to turn the machine on.  Wait for it to heat, which is indicated by a blinking green LED light and then, and when the light stops blinking, the unit beeps, and you are ready to laminate. Simply select the thickness of the laminating sheets you will be using and then load the sealed side of the project into the appliance. Your laminated item will eject from the back of the unit, fully sealed and protected.

Beautifully laminated, protected and ready for a year of use in our homeschool grammar class.

Laminating using the Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator was so fast and easy, I NEVER want to go back to messing with contact paper!  I’m hooked and I can think of dozens of new ways to use it.  Crafts, dry-erase calendar sheets, flash cards, dry-erase grocery lists, chore charts, preserving artwork, report covers and so much more.  I’m on a laminating “roll” and thanks to Fellowes, Busy-at-Home readers can be, too!  You’ll SAVE $30 when you start preserving and protecting your own projects with the Fellowes Saturn2 95 Laminator. From now through August 25th, use the PROMO CODE: 87298, at staples.com, to receive $30 off your online purchase!

A cleaning sheet was included in the package of laminating pockets. After a heated lamination, the sheet is run through to make sure no glue residue or other debris is left on the rollers.

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Fellowes and received a product sample to facilitate my review.  No monetary compensation was received.  As with all Busy-at-Home reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.