Home-based lamination for local businesses

Cafés and restaurants, teachers and daycares, community groups, tradespeople, landlords, and local print shops that don't want to do small jobs.

Price per item or per sheet by size and film thickness, plus a minimum charge per job. Rush jobs, trimming and rounded corners can be added extras.

• Careful, tidy hands-on work
• Attention to detail
• Basic customer service and quoting

• A home-based business licence or zoning rules may apply, check with your municipality
• Commercial general liability insurance, and cover for customers' originals while in your care
• Heat can damage some originals such as photos, inkjet prints and thermal paper, so test first and tell customers about the risk
• Laminating some official documents may make them invalid, so check with the issuing body and turn those jobs down if unsure
• Register for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold, and check provincial rules if you sell in Quebec

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $800 to $4,000, depending on the laminators you choose and the supplies you stock. The setup described includes a pouch laminator and a roll laminator.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $500 to $3,000, depending on how many local customers you win and the jobs you take on. The estimates assume at least about 8 hours a week.

Check whether a home-based business licence or zoning rules apply with your municipality, and look into commercial general liability insurance. Test heat-sensitive originals first, and check with the issuing body before laminating official documents. Check GST/HST registration once past the small supplier threshold.