Last Updated: November 15, 2026 · Salado Commercial Pressroom
Trade Lamination for Print Brokers
Quote lamination on the first call from 29¢–58¢, hand clients our zero-logo 5-gauge sample deck, and blind-ship nationwide from Salado, TX.
Print brokers nationwide partner with Lamination Services in Salado, Texas to quote instant per-sheet margins online, close hospitality and corporate buyers using our zero-logo 1.5–10 mil sample deck, and route press sheets straight from any trade printer for $0 non-compete blind shipping.
No plant, no press, no laminator. Still your job, start to finish.
How Our Salado Trade Floor Operates
A print broker needs three things from a laminator: a published cost so the margin can be calculated before the bid, a blind shipment so the client never learns who ran it, and total silence toward that client afterwards. We publish the per-sheet ladder on this page, blind ship as standard with your packing slip, and never make contact with your customer. You do not need to own equipment to sell finished work.
Salado Pressroom Capability Matrix
| Specification | Salado Pressroom Standard |
|---|---|
| Built for | Print brokers, resellers, agencies and design studios |
| Cost visibility | Published per-sheet ladder — mark it up before you bid |
| Blind ship | Standard. Your packing slip, nothing of ours in the box. |
| Client contact | None. All communication returns to you. |
Published Wholesale 5-Mil & Multi-Mil Rate Schedule
| Finished Sheet Size | Common Commercial Use | 100–249 | 250–499 | 500–999 | 1,000–2,499 | 2,500+ Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.25" × 5.5" | Quarter-sheet credentials, postcards, equipment tags | $0.62 | $0.44 | $0.36 | $0.29 | Roll Contract (~26¢) |
| 5.5" × 8.5" | Half-letter bar menus, cocktail lists, field checklists | $0.84 | $0.61 | $0.49 | $0.41 | Roll Contract (~37¢) |
| 8.5" × 11" | Standard letter restaurant menus, SOP sheets, signage | $1.18 | $0.89 | $0.72 | $0.58 | Roll Contract (~53¢) |
| 8.5" × 14" | Legal-size dinner & wine menus, bilingual instruction cards | $1.44 | $1.08 | $0.87 | $0.71 | Roll Contract (~65¢) |
| 11" × 17" | Tabloid two-page menus, scored bi-folds, shop schematics | $2.05 | $1.54 | $1.24 | $1.01 | Roll Contract (~92¢) |
| 12" × 18" | Oversize digital press sheets, wipe-clean counter placemats | $2.38 | $1.79 | $1.44 | $1.17 | Roll Contract (~$1.06) |
Tip: Click any sheet row above to load that size straight into the live multi-mil calculator.
| Finished Sheet Size | 1.5 Mil (0.78×) | 3.0 Mil (0.88×) | 5.0 Mil (Published) | 7.0 Mil Shield (1.28×) | 10.0 Mil Plaque (1.58×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.25" × 5.5" (Badge) | ~$0.23 | ~$0.26 | $0.29 | ~$0.37 | ~$0.46 |
| 5.5" × 8.5" (Half-Letter) | ~$0.32 | ~$0.36 | $0.41 | ~$0.52 | ~$0.65 |
| 8.5" × 11" (Letter) | ~$0.45 | ~$0.51 | $0.58 | ~$0.74 | ~$0.92 |
| 8.5" × 14" (Legal Menu) | ~$0.55 | ~$0.62 | $0.71 | ~$0.91 | ~$1.12 |
| 11" × 17" (Tabloid Menu) | ~$0.79 | ~$0.89 | $1.01 | ~$1.29 | ~$1.60 |
| 12" × 18" (Placemat) | ~$0.91 | ~$1.03 | $1.17 | ~$1.50 | ~$1.85 |
You cannot broker what you cannot price
The structural problem with quote-only vendors is not the phone call. It is that you are asked to commit a number to your client before you have one yourself. So you pad it, and either the padding loses you the job or it eats the margin that made brokering the work worth doing.
Every figure in the table above is a real cost line. Put your margin on top, quote it, and know exactly what you are making the moment the job is accepted rather than after the invoice arrives.
A worked example, since brokers ask: five hundred letter-size menus laminated at 5 mil is $0.72 a sheet, so $360 in finishing cost. The retail counter your client would otherwise walk into is ~$2.75 a sheet at national walk-in copy counters (~$1,375 for the same five hundred pieces). There is a genuine business in the space between those two numbers, and it belongs to whoever knows both of them.
The client never learns we exist
Blind shipping is the whole trade. Your packing slip goes in the carton, the return address is yours, and there is nothing of ours anywhere in the box or on the label. As far as your client is concerned the work was finished by the same operation that sold it.
It is worth saying plainly that this is not universal. When we read the trade laminating sites competing for broker work in August 2026, the phrases “blind ship” and “white label” did not appear anywhere on the closest competitor site — not in the copy, not in the FAQ, not in the metadata. If a vendor has not written down what they will and will not do with your client, you are relying on their manners.
What to send us
- Printed sheets from whoever printed them. You do not have to print with us and you do not have to tell us who did. Ship flat, call ahead so the run gets scheduled.
- Direct press-to-Salado drop-shipping. Have your trade printer ship flat press sheets straight to our Salado dock—we never run printing presses and never compete for your print client.
- The finished spec. Size, gauge, finish, corner treatment, how it should be packed and counted. Anything you would put on a job ticket, put on the call.
- Your shipping paperwork. Send us your packing slip template once and it goes in every carton after that without being asked for again.
Frequently Asked Trade Questions
Do I need to own equipment to sell laminated work? No. That is what a trade laminator is for. You sell the finished piece, we run the finishing, and the published ladder above tells you your cost before you quote.
Will my client find out you laminated it? Not from us. Blind shipping is the default, your packing slip goes in the box, and we do not contact your customer under any circumstances.
Can you drop ship to multiple locations? Yes — split shipments to several addresses under your paperwork are routine for menu and signage rollouts. Give us the address list with the job.
What if the job fails after my client has it? You send a photo and we reprint free and pay freight both ways, for 90 days from delivery. You do not have to collect and return the goods first, because a bad seal usually surfaces weeks later once the piece has been handled.
Direct Salado Trade Dispatch
Call (254) 290-6337 and ask for Sam. Send your packing slip template once and every carton after that ships under your brand.
When your press sheets can’t afford a gamble
Don’t burn a client’s live press stack testing heat and tension on an under-pressured roller. Mail 3 printed press sheets to our I-35 Salado, Texas floor (serving Austin, Temple, Waco, and blind-ship accounts in all 50 states) or lock your 58¢–$1.18 wholesale run rate below.
How does Lamination Services run this specification on press?
What does wholesale thermal lamination cost for this specification?
At Lamination Services in Salado, Texas, published 5-mil wholesale lamination starts at $0.29 per 4.25x5.5 card and $0.58 per 8.5x11 letter sheet at 1,000 quantity (with 1.5-mil ~$0.45, 7-mil ~$0.74, and 10-mil ~$0.92), shipping blind nationwide within 48 to 72 business hours.
Can we test 3 printed press sheets in Salado before running our full stack?
Yes—at Lamination Services in Salado, Texas, include 3 marked test sheets with any 500-sheet or heavy 240% TAC digital black shipment (or mail 3 proof sheets in advance). Our crew verifies 100% EVA wet-out, zero silvering, and <=2% spoilage before your live stack touches heat.
P.S. — Don’t Guess on Film Gauge (Test My Rollers Free)
One botched retail pouch job—or one silvered stack of rich-black menus—costs more than three wholesale runs out of Salado.
You don’t have to ship a 1,000-sheet job blind to see how we work. Claim our free unbranded 1.5–10 mil sample deck so your buyer can snap our 7-mil menu shield in their own hands—or mail 3 dark printed sheets to Salado and let me run them free so you can try to peel the edge yourself.
— Sam Belcher · Lamination Services, Inc. · Salado, TX 76571 · (254) 290-6337
Lock your wholesale rate—or grab our unbranded sample deck free.
Don’t guess how 7-mil feels in your buyer’s hand. Lock your calculator rate in writing or have my Salado desk mail our zero-logo sample deck straight to your shop—no call center, no sales pestering.
Free 5-Gauge Sample Deck
Real 1.5, 3, 5, 7 & 10 mil sheets in Crystal Gloss and Satin Matte, 1/8" sealed lip vs. flush cut, and 1/4" round corners—100% unbranded so you close the markup.
3-Sheet Pre-Run Stop-Gate
Include 3 extra dark sheets—or mail 3 test sheets first. We verify zero silvering under angled light before your live stack ever hits the rollers.
Checking roll grain, I-35 Austin/Waco courier drop-off, or rush slots? Call Sam at (254) 290-6337 (Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm CT).