₹3 a print. Thirty prints go from ₹270 to ₹360; a hundred from ₹900 to ₹1,200.
It is the cheapest upgrade we sell and the one with the clearest trade-off, so it is worth five minutes rather than a default.
What it buys
A glossy sealed surface that resists fingerprints, humidity, splashes and the general handling that loose prints get.
That matters more in India than the price suggests. A monsoon and an un-air-conditioned room do measurable things to unprotected matte card over a few years, and anything at a height a child can reach is being touched daily.
What it takes away
1. You cannot write on it. The surface will not take ballpoint or marker. If you were planning handwritten captions, lamination ends that. Captions under polaroid prints →
2. It changes the look. Matte card with a retro border reads as a photograph; a glossy sealed card reads slightly more like a product. Some people prefer it and some find it plastic — it is a genuine aesthetic choice rather than a strict upgrade.
When it is clearly worth it
| Situation | Why |
|---|---|
| Children will handle them | Fingerprints, and worse, at exactly reachable height |
| A humid city, on a wall | Coastal, or any un-air-conditioned room |
| They are being posted somewhere | Handling in transit, and in a care package |
| A party, handed out | Thirty people touching thirty prints |
Polaroids in a care package → · Prints for a milestone birthday party →
When to skip it
Your own wall, in a dry room. Nothing is touching them.
Anything you want to write on. The single most common regret.
A gift where the object should feel like paper. Lamination is the least paper-like thing you can do to a print.
Anything going into a book, a wallet or a frame. All three protect it already.
The arithmetic
| Prints | Plain | Laminated | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | ₹270 | ₹360 | ₹90 |
| 50 | ₹450 | ₹600 | ₹150 |
| 100 | ₹900 | ₹1,200 | ₹300 |
Flat ₹70 delivery either way. It is one-third of the print cost, which is a real proportion rather than a rounding — worth a decision rather than a reflex.
Can you laminate some and not others?
No. One pack, one choice. If you want both, that is two orders — and at ₹9 a print the per-print cost does not change, so nothing is lost except a second delivery charge.
What lamination does not do
Worth separating from what it does, because it gets over-credited.
It does not stop fading. Fading is caused by light, and lamination is transparent. A laminated print in direct sun fades on roughly the same schedule as an unlaminated one. How long do printed photos actually last →
It does not make a print rigid. It is a thin film, not a mount. A laminated print bends exactly as easily.
It does not make it waterproof. Splash-resistant, yes — the edges are still open card and a soaked print is a lost print either way.
What it genuinely stops is fingerprints, surface scuffing and humidity working on the card, and those are the three things that actually happen to a print somebody handles.
Frequently asked
How much does lamination cost on polaroid prints? ₹3 a print. Thirty prints go from ₹270 to ₹360.
Is lamination worth it? Yes if children will handle them, if they are going on a wall in a humid city, or if they are being posted. Otherwise usually not.
Can I write on laminated prints? No. The surface will not take pen, so leave them plain if you want handwritten captions.
Does lamination change how they look? Yes. Glossy rather than matte, which some people prefer and some find slightly plastic.
Can I laminate half the pack? No, it is one choice per pack. Two packs if you want both.
Part of our guide to polaroid prints. See also: captions under polaroid prints and how long do printed photos last.
₹3 a print: Polaroid Pack from ₹270 · Custom polaroid prints