# Question about fiber based paper



## stone_family3 (Jan 10, 2010)

I had someone give me 16 boxes of fiber based paper (new) and a almost complete darkroom set.  However is there a way to flaten the paper once it is done drying? Our school has a press but at home is there something I can do like using an ironing board, place a towel over the print and using an iron?

Usually I use RC paper but 16 boxes was a great gift and beggers can't be choosers...LOL.


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## JC1220 (Jan 10, 2010)

Dry them face down on clean drying screens, after they are dry, try pressing under a heavy stack of books.  you could try the iron thing with the print between 2 sheets of of bristol board, but they won't be nice and flat as on a press and will take a while to do.  

Or you could bring them to school and press them there.


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## stone_family3 (Jan 10, 2010)

JC1220 said:


> Dry them face down on clean drying screens, after they are dry, try pressing under a heavy stack of books. you could try the iron thing with the print between 2 sheets of of bristol board, but they won't be nice and flat as on a press and will take a while to do.
> 
> Or you could bring them to school and press them there.


 

 Thanks. I know I could press them at school but there is one press to 16-22 people. Plus mounds of pictures to press. I didn't lay them face down to dry I'll try that next time to see if that helps some.


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## c.cloudwalker (Jan 10, 2010)

JC1220 said:


> Dry them face down on clean drying screens, after they are dry, try pressing under a heavy stack of books.  you could try the iron thing with the print between 2 sheets of of bristol board, but they won't be nice and flat as on a press and will take a while to do.
> 
> Or you could bring them to school and press them there.



+1

And you can make your own kind of press. Figure out what the paper you use doesn't stick to, put your prints between those, between two heavy duty pieces of wood that won't warp, with two sets of encyclopedias on top. You can get those at yard sales for about 5 cents a pound.


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## Sbuxo (Apr 22, 2010)

Omgg lucky you got all that paper for free? Gimme some. Lol.

Yeah, definitely dry them face down or else they will curl up. Mine are flat from being my heavy photo binder under other prints I have. They're in sheet protectors, but heavy books will do just fine.


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## Dwig (Apr 22, 2010)

stone_family3 said:


> ...However is there a way to flaten the paper once it is done drying? ...



Step one is to not distort the paper in the first place.

Most of the issues people have with difficult to flatten fiber based prints is caused by stretching the paper when it is wet. If you distort the fibers while wet it is all but impossible to ever get it to lie flat on its own.

1. Never, under any circumstance, lift a wet print from one corner. When moving it from tray to tray lift it carefully from two corners. The larger the print the more critical this is as the larger prints are heavier when loaded with water and chemicals.

2. Never, under any circumstance, squeegee a fiber print.

If the dried print look like a lasagna noodle, you abused the print when wet. A properly handled fiber print should only display significan curl along one axis with very little or no rippling.


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## Sbuxo (Apr 22, 2010)

I always squeegee my print front and back once each and it has never taken a 'lasagna noodle' look. It's just to remove excess water.


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