Flattening prints

[Thecollective]

Just wanted to share my cheap flattening method:

I picked up two cheap 30X47 frames from Aaron Bros the other day.
Stripped out and cleaned the glass from both.
Put one piece down on top of my flat file with cardboard in between the glass and flat file for safety - and to avoid scratching the file.

After relaxing a print for a few days - (blocking out the four corners gently) I lay it down and slowly/carefully drop the second piece of glass on top.
The glass is heavy enough to relax the print over time - and adding books or weight speeds the process up - with nice distribution of pressure...

I like that it's transparent - UV protected, and virtually dust / debris free. (I keep the glass "closed" or covered when not being used.)
Once flat I'm simply transferring to sleeves right at the flat file and they go right in the drawer. Less chance of accidents.

OH and I also got one of those cool scientific desk lamps with a magnifying glass. SO I have plenty of light and can look at things up close...
Pretty cools set-up. I'm stoked on it so far.

[kryptonite]

Didn't find a mention of this method, so would someone mind telling me if it's okay?

I have four to five prints to flatten tomorrow. The first lays on Kraft paper on a 30x40" piece of foamcore. I will then place another piece of Kraft paper, followed by a print, and repeat. So...

(Top) Weights
Print
Kraft
Print
Kraft
Print
Kraft
Print
Kraft
Foamcore

Is this okay to leave flattened for a few days? Will this possibly cause any issues?

Thanks!

[Thecollective]

kryptonite that sounds fine man.The only potential issue I see is that if you lay a larger print over a smaller you might run the rist of the edges of the smaller becoming imprinted in the larger from pressure. I don't think this will be an issue but I wouldn't go too crazy with the weight. Also if you have the time - you might pull the prints out and just start by letting them relax a bit for a day or two. I've noticed they expand and relax on their own a bit. Then you can slowly roll them out and corner them - then repeat. I think the key is to try not to rush it. Best of luck.

[kryptonite]

kryptonite that sounds fine man.The only potential issue I see is that if you lay a larger print over a smaller you might run the rist of the edges of the smaller becoming imprinted in the larger from pressure. I don't think this will be an issue but I wouldn't go too crazy with the weight. Also if you have the time - you might pull the prints out and just start by letting them relax a bit for a day or two. I've noticed they expand and relax on their own a bit. Then you can slowly roll them out and corner them - then repeat. I think the key is to try not to rush it. Best of luck.

Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I have no space to do that and, with a dog running around, need to keep this contained to a small area of a single small room.

I'm just using poster weights. They're all 24x36". Going to watch to make sure the edges line up. Do you suppose this is rushing considering the poster weights are light?

[bone811]

I put a print in a portfolio probably a little bit before I should have, took it out today after a couple of months and now it has some rolls to it. Is this from putting it in to soon? Kind of pissed even though its not that valuable of a print. If I frame it with mats will it look waving? any way to make it flat again? It's not horrible.

[Thecollective]

kryptonite: Depends. If they were rolled really tight in 1" tubes for a year or so... yeah it's gonna be a slog-fest. If they were in a nice fat 3" tube and they are relatively new than they should relax pretty easy right away. Are you framing yourself? I taked rolled prints into Aaron Bros. all the time. In fact I think it's a better option than delivering to them flat. I don't trust their transport. Never had an issue on the back end with them. Always a good job. But I'd just take them in the rolls they came in.

Here's how I usually flatten. I remove print very carefully from the tube. Put the print on the surface so that it's curling upward. 99% of the time it's wrapped with craft paper which should be on top. Gently unroll and carefully slide magazines OVER the corners of the craft paper and print. I like magazines because they are flexible, relatively light, and cover a larger area than a bean bag. With one on each (top of print) corner - also covering a lot of the leading edge - I slowly unroll the rest of the print and do the same on the other corners. What you end up with is the stretched print, covered with the craft paper it was shipped with over it, and four magazines on each corner. This is nice because sometimes they bow really bad in the middle if you just use bean bags. They actually arc off the flat surface which is a little scary to me.

When I want to do more than one at a time - I slide the magazines all the way to the edge of the print that's already flattened. Then I start the second posters top edge right near the first. This way you can easily slide the magazines off the bottom print and over the second one. Repeat the same process with the other three corners. Now you have two prints under four magazines on all four corners. I have done this with 4-6 prints easy - although in my case I then drop glass down over them and slide the magazines out and just use the glass to flatten and protect them over a few days. You could add more magazines over the prints carefully since they are all protected with craft paper. I think this is a pretty safe method. Just go slow. And keep the dog out of that room

[Thecollective]

I put a print in a portfolio probably a little bit before I should have, took it out today after a couple of months and now it has some rolls to it. Is this from putting it in to soon? Kind of pissed even though its not that valuable of a print. If I frame it with mats will it look waving? any way to make it flat again? It's not horrible.

I'm not sure that putting a print that still has a lot of snap in it - in a portfolio - will necessarily make it wavey in the middle.
My sense is that those waves are caused by rolling the print up with too much force or possibly during shipping.
I suppose it's possible during the process of unrolling them too.
It's really tough to say. It may be really noticeable if glossy - less so if it's a matte style print.
One suggestion would be that if it's not that valuable when you get it framed tell them NOT to put in spacers - and maybe don't use any matting.
If the print is in direct contact with the glass it may smooth it out a bit.

I've flattened about 60 prints in the past 6 months using the set-up described above.
One note I'll add is that I taped all the corners of the glass and actually built a hinge for the top piece of glass.
So it's a bonefide print flattening station now. I'm really happy with the results. No issue at all with waviness or buckling.
***Just get your prints out of the tubes right when they get to you*** The difference is really remarkable versus letting them sit in the tubes.

Everyone has their own method. Just how I do it.

[electrachrome]

I'm in the process of trying to flatten a dozen 1 sheet movie posters that have been stored rolled for around 15 years in a 2" tube.
I've resorted to using 4 C clamps, two 1"x3" boards, a couple strips of discarded foamcore and an unused drawing table.
damn things were too big for the standard foamcore sandwich.

[tylt33]

I put a print in a portfolio probably a little bit before I should have, took it out today after a couple of months and now it has some rolls to it. Is this from putting it in to soon? Kind of pissed even though its not that valuable of a print. If I frame it with mats will it look waving? any way to make it flat again? It's not horrible.

Vertical or horizontal waves? I put some prints direct from tubes into my portfolio and now they all have vertical waves (not the direction they were rolled in the tubes).

[bone811]

Horizontal waves for me, not happy. Do you think it could do with temperature swings in my apartment? Even if it was not the issue for this print, do you think that the fact that I'm always leaving town and turning the temperature down to 60, then back to 70 when I get home is bad? I also have it on a timer so when I am in town, turns down that low when I leave for work, then fires back up when I get home.

[tylt33]

Horizontal waves for me, not happy. Do you think it could do with temperature swings in my apartment? Even if it was not the issue for this print, do you think that the fact that I'm always leaving town and turning the temperature down to 60, then back to 70 when I get home is bad? I also have it on a timer so when I am in town, turns down that low when I leave for work, then fires back up when I get home.

I think it is the portfolio itself not having enough weight to flatten prints...

[bone811]

Horizontal waves for me, not happy. Do you think it could do with temperature swings in my apartment? Even if it was not the issue for this print, do you think that the fact that I'm always leaving town and turning the temperature down to 60, then back to 70 when I get home is bad? I also have it on a timer so when I am in town, turns down that low when I leave for work, then fires back up when I get home.

I think it is the portfolio itself not having enough weight to flatten prints...

I would guess that if it had been flattened properly before put into the portfolio it would not be an issue?

[simianfever]

Horizontal waves for me, not happy. Do you think it could do with temperature swings in my apartment? Even if it was not the issue for this print, do you think that the fact that I'm always leaving town and turning the temperature down to 60, then back to 70 when I get home is bad? I also have it on a timer so when I am in town, turns down that low when I leave for work, then fires back up when I get home.

I think it is the portfolio itself not having enough weight to flatten prints...

I would guess that if it had been flattened properly before put into the portfolio it would not be an issue?

Hard to say. I've had ripples/waves show up in framed older (50s, 60s) one sheet movie posters that were never rolled, only folded. Always attributed it to changes in humidity. They seem more prominent in the summer when the humidity levels are higher. Of course they are a much thinner paper than most screen prints so it could be something else entirely.

Just recently started collecting Mondo, etc screenprints so havent had any experience with any waves yet on those. Just started flattening some for either framing or the Picturesque I just ordered.

[tylt33]

Horizontal waves for me, not happy. Do you think it could do with temperature swings in my apartment? Even if it was not the issue for this print, do you think that the fact that I'm always leaving town and turning the temperature down to 60, then back to 70 when I get home is bad? I also have it on a timer so when I am in town, turns down that low when I leave for work, then fires back up when I get home.

I think it is the portfolio itself not having enough weight to flatten prints...

I would guess that if it had been flattened properly before put into the portfolio it would not be an issue?

That has been my experience thus far.

[wmd]

Somebody lucked out

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