Encore Machinery managing director Mike Biggs said that the majority of his laminator customers were first-time buyers into the market looking for an inexpensive solution to discover whether lamination is a profitable market before upgrading to a faster but more costly machine.

He said: "It is a chicken and egg situation – customers are moving into lamination but need to find out how much work they can bring in before spending a lot on a laminator.

"We are offering our entry level Matrix laminators to customers who are wanting to test the water."

Both Encore Machinery’s MX370 and MX530 B3 and B2 laminators are being sold with a one-year 80% buy-back guarantee against Jupiter and Europa B3 and B2 laminators, starting at £23,000.

The Matrix machines offer speeds between two and five metres per minute, while the Jupiter and Europa laminators produce 15 and 35m/min respectively.

The Jupiter system also comes complete with an infeed decurling roller to ensure that digitally printed pieces lie flat when fed into the machine.

Biggs added: "The Matrix is good for shorter runs but many customers are finding they are getting hit with 5,000 runs soon after promoting lamination work and so they have to upgrade to a more productive machine."

The offer has been in place since the beginning of this year and, although Biggs said there hasn’t been a noticeable increase in the high-end laminator sales, Matrix orders have increased.

He said: "We are still waiting for customers to part-exchange their Matrix machines but the guarantee has given customers confidence to give it a go in the lamination market."

Encore Machinery claims to offer the largest range of folding solutions in the UK and also offers a portfolio of laminators, gluers, creasers, pile turners and inserting lines for the mailing industry.