Removing deep creases from large poster

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dmcgreen
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Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by dmcgreen »

Fellow FF members,

Your assistance please

I need to remove creases from folded A1 posters for a customer - the paper itself is a matt finish and rather heavy, probably around the 200gsm range.

I do not have a hot or cold press (yet). I have watched a video which uses a tacking iron just after moistening the creases of the paper with water and would prefer to pursue a method like this one if it's possible.

The pieces are not valuable and are easily replaceable.

Thanks in advance,
David
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by prospero »

I would replace them if that is possible. Or spend days of fruitless faffing about and then replace them. :lol:

Seriously, such procedures are the province of skilled restorers who charge skilled prices. There are no magic tricks.
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by Justintime »

I agree with Prospero. Wetting work can be a nightmare, paper tends to expand and contract once wetted.
I use a hotpress, putting the work between two sheets of mountboard. The moisture within the mountboards seems to very gently relax the paper, but even that doesn't always remove very old creases and they become part of the history of the piece.
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by Rainbow »

Since they're not valuable, you could try smoothing the poster down on to self-adhesive board. I've done that occasionally, and whilst I don't think I've ever made the creases completely invisible if you look closely, the results have been very satisfactory. It depends on the paper and how bad the creases are. What does it look like if you smooth the creases out with your hand? PS. There's a knack to laying paper down on to self-adhesive board - ask if you decide to try this and haven't done it before.

I've never tried ironing a job, I'm not that foolhardy, oops I mean brave :giggle: :D
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by Not your average framer »

Self adhesive board is not specifically manufactured for this purpose and not surprisingly, using self adhesive board is not necessarily fully sucessful when used for this purpose. Yes, self adhesive board will stick to the rear of the print where it has a flat surface to make perfect contact with, Unfortunately a creased surface potentially may not provide that fully flat surface and perfect contact as a result. The print needs to be properly flattened, hen you got a chance. It is not normal procedure to moisten the print at all, but instead to wipe a piece of left over mountboard with a not too damp cloth, less the moisture soak in to the mountboard (it's not meant to be wet), then put the print into your heated dry mounting press and allow the heat to turn the moisture into steam, which almost always flattens the print properly, without leaving any water marking of the print.

Any impurities in the water that you are using don't turn into steam, but stay in the mountboard, so no staining of the print. My heated dry mounting press is a mechanical press, not a vacuum press, so I cold press the print between two other sheets of clean mount board for long enough to ensure the the print has fully returned to normal humidity before removing it, from the press. Generally this produces a more, or less perfect result. Trying to do the same thing, by adding moisture to the print and ironing it with an iron is fundamentally a very different process. The pressure is not applied constantly across the whole print for a continuos period of time, insuring that the print remains uniformly flat and that uneven pressure or temperature has not resulted in areas of expanded paper due to different levels of pressure, or temperature in some areas.
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by JFeig »

Any process by a picture frame might flatten the crease; but, it will not remove the visibility of the damage done. A paper conservator is needed to do that with their special bag of skills.
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by Richard Photofusion »

(Big) if this is a low value, lots of spares available poster, then it might be worth trying to iron, with a slim piece of slightly damp mountboard between the iron and the print, possibly with an equally not quite dry sheet of board below. Essentially localised steam treatment.

I'm not suggesting this is a good, or correct idea, nor have I tried it, but it is not wildly dissimilar to the vacuum press method. If there are a fair few number to do, then I think it should be slightly faster than a tacking iron.

Assuming it is an offset poster, rather than an Epson inkjet print (ultrachome <=K3 inksets didn't take kindly to heat).

It's been a long while since we got rid of our vacuum press.
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Re: Removing deep creases from large poster

Post by dmcgreen »

Thanks all for posting so promptly - I will take your advice away with me and experiment. Am i right to assume self-adhesive board is readily available from suppliers e.g.LJ, Lion?

I notice unsurprisingly that a press of some kind has featured. When/if to obtain a press or go 'partner' with a 3rd party for jobs which require is a on-going debate I have with myself, but that is another conversation to be had!!

David
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