How to Press a Printed Catalog Flat

Catalogs can be useful marketing tools for businesses. A well-designed catalog shows off products attractively. However, printed catalogs often arrive bent or curled from the printer or bindery. Curled catalogs frustrate customers. They also make it hard for recipients to page through the publication. Fortunately, you can flatten printed catalogs before sending them to customers.

There are several effective methods for pressing printed catalogs flat, including using a hydraulic heat press, a large format heat press, a cold press technique, and even an iron. The process will depend somewhat on if you have a long perfect bind catalog, a saddle stitch catalog or a completely flat signature. As a professional China catalog printing manufacturer, I will share a complete step-by-step tutorials for flattening catalogs using each method here.

How to Press a Printed Catalog Flat

Using a Hydraulic Heat Press to Flatten Catalogs

One of the most efficient ways to flatten printed catalogs is with a hydraulic heat press that uses a combination of pressure and heat. Heat presses like this are commonly found in screen printing shops. They include flat metal plates heated by electrical coils or infrared heating elements.

A hydraulic shop press exerts pressure using a hand pump or electric pump. The pumped hydraulic fluid pushes a metal plate down onto the paper catalog. You’ll typically use a lower platen padding or silicon release paper to protect the catalog pages from scorching.

To flatten curved catalogs with a hydraulic heat press:

1. Turn on the heat press coils or infrared panels to warm up the upper platen. Heat up to approximately 225-250°F for coated catalogs and 300°F for uncoated paper catalogs. Too little heat won’t relax the paper fiber enough. Using higher temperatures risks scorching imprints or burning paper.
2. Activate the hydraulic pump to raise the lower platen level with the upper heated platen. Or use the electric lift if your hydraulic press includes one. Position the lower platen just below contacting the upper heated surface.
3. Place multiple pages of the curved catalog together between sheets of silicon release paper. Stack several printed pages together. Insert these between two larger sheets of silicon release paper. The release paper should extend past the edges of your paper.
4. Load the catalog and release paper “sandwich” between the press platens. Quickly move your stacked catalog and release paper into the press between upper and lower platens. The catalog should lay flat in the horizontal position. Center your load to flatten evenly.
5. Close the press and lock the upper platen securely in position. Pump up the hydraulic pressure to maximum press catalog flat. Metal stops will halt downward travel and prevent crushing paper.
6. Hold clamped under full pressure for 20-30 seconds. Count slowly up to 30, then release hydraulic pressure on the press.
7. Crack open press and remove flattened catalog. Lift upper platen just enough to pull out the flattened paper. Move quickly to avoid unflattening curves.
8. Repeat steps for any remaining curved catalog pages. Always work in small stacks with silicon release paper separating heated metal from coated paper stock.

Releasing hydraulic or air pressure too quickly often allows flattened catalogs to spring back slightly curled. So go slowly when done. Better yet, after removing catalogs, reinsert flattened pages between pressure boards or other heavy flat weights. Allow to cool completely before unstacking finished publication copies.

Flattening Catalogs With a Large Format Heat Press

Large format heat presses like the Geo Knight DK20 or Hotronix Fusion IQ offer an ideal way for sign shops or photographers to flatten any size publication. These oversized heat presses use electric heating elements and mechanical leverage for applying high pressures to flatten.

Many wide format heat presses allow disengaging one heated platen to work in the cold setting for flattened fragile media prone to scorching. To flatten with a large heat press like the Fusion IQ:

1. Set the “cold” disengaged platen on top as the moving plate. Switch the Fusion IQ to cold operation to prevent scorching catalog inks or coatings. The bottom plate stays heated to relax paper.
2. Adjust pressure setting to the higher range. Place a piece of cardboard over the lower heated platen set around 250°F. Position your curved catalog on top of this cardboard “heat shield”. Close the press to lock firmly using full spring tension and pressure dial setting.
3. Keep under pressure at least 45 seconds before carefully releasing. Lift upper cold platen, then immediately remove flattened pieces. Work swiftly to avoid re-curling the corners.
4. Maintain flatness by stacking under weights during cooling. Place flattened publication pages between compression boards or other rigid flat surfaces after removal. Apply weight like concrete blocks evenly across the top board layer. Let sit overnight before unstacking to ensure pages stay flat after heat pressing completes molecular changes initiated in paper fibers.

Using the disengaged cold platen prevents the possibility of scorching that a conventional clamshell style heat press always present. Having the ability to cold press and alter settings makes wide format heat presses extremely versatile for working with odd sizes or thicker media like perfect bound publications vulnerable to damage under too much heat.

Cold Pressing Catalogs Flat Without Using Heat

Flattening curved catalogs doesn’t necessarily require applying heat. You can often gradually uncurl publications using just extreme pressure over an extended duration.

This cold press technique works especially well for flattening catalogs or books on bibles printed with uncoated paper stock. Dense smooth papers without clay coatings more easily compress under pressure than gloss coated pages.

Here is a simple multi-step process to flatten publications without adding heat:

1. Use rigid materials like tempered masonite hardboard panels bigger than your curved catalog. Clean grime, paper dust or debris off the pressing surfaces to prevent imprinting pages. Smooth, flawless panels work best for slowly flattening through compression.
2. Stack uncoated catalog page sections separated by a sheet of clean white butcher paper. Work in batches of around 25-50 pages for easier handling. Place stacks centered on bottom hardboard panel.
3. Top with second masonite sheet. Orient any wood grain direction at cross angles to minimize slight bowing over time under permanent load. Align both hardboards perfectly square to prevent skew pages.
4. Use bar clamps to tightly compress catalog stacks between the two panels. Place several sturdy bar clamps evenly spaced vertically along the sides. Slowly tighten each bar clamp to bring hardboard pieces together with paper securely locked in place.
5. Allow cold compressed stack to remain clamped under pressure at least 12 hours. Overnight lets paper fiber slowly take on new flattened shape. Longer compressing up to 24 hours or more results in flatter finished catalogs or books once pressure releases.
6. Unclamp rigidfand check for completely smooth pages. Re-compress another day or two between fresh sturdy panels if any minor curling still exists on book or catalog edges. Slow steady force over time effectively unbends coated or uncoated print media.

This basic cold pressing approach works great for flattening small run catalogs, or even wall posters with double-sided graphics needing perfectly flat final shapes. Using just simple framing lumber and clamps applies economical permanent pressure between two very rigid surfaces.

Compressing between flat panels overnight slowly removes bends in paper stock one page at a time. Best of all, the gradual action reduces risk of any image transfer between pages. So cold compression lets you flatten multiple page books or catalogs without markings.

Flatten Curled Catalogs With a Home Clothes Iron

In a pinch, you can even coax flatness back into a modestly curved magazine or catalog using a common household iron. Put a large padded ironing board on a hard flat work table to support bound publications while gently ironing covers and pages.

Follow these key steps for safely ironing slight curls from paperback books or other lightly folded media:

1. Preheat iron to the mid-range setting, then switch to low heat while ironing delicate paper stock. Higher temperatures may scorch inks or melt coated catalog covers. The “Cotton” iron setting around 250-300°F typically works for gently relaxing paper.
2. Cover publication with a clean plain cotton cloth. Position book or periodical print-side down onto the padded ironing board surface. Drape light cotton fabric like an old T-shirt completely over the top face to prevent direct contact from hot metal iron soleplate.
3. Slowly pull lightweight steam iron across covered paper in smooth strokes. Apply only very light pressure while gliding overr the cloth protecting paper. The indirect heat will slowly relax fibers. Be extremely cautious heating glazed inks or coatings to avoid melting onto fabric.
4. Reposition and turn catalog slowly while ironing to flatten in sections. Pinch pages together at binding edge when lifting publications. Flip over and repeat ironing with cloth coverage to incrementally ease out bends or creases page by page.
5. Check progress frequently. Portions of coats and pages respond differently at varied rates. Monitor for any problems after just minutes of working heat into the paper.
6. Allow paper to normalize 24 hours before assuming perfectly flat condition. Ironing can introduce different stresses while temporarily flattening some curled areas faster compared to tightly compressed sections like bindings. So expect slight spring back strain relief which fades over time.

Gently persuading heat into paper fibers using a clothes iron can effectively eradicate slight bends or creases. But the indirect heated application requires diligent attention to prevent transparentizing heavily coated media surfaces. Slow steady movement followed by enough cooling off time yields properly flattened thin print items like event programs or small run sales brochures.

Before Pressing Paper Catalogs Flat, Assess All Risk Factors

Flattening paper involves applying moisture, pressure, and sometimes intense heat, all of which can easily damage surfaces. So understanding how paper responds, identifying coated or fragile media, and selecting the appropriate methods constitutes the first vital steps for safely achieving flattened results.

Rushing any process risks ruining irreplaceable collectibles or artwork. Therefore, always research publications needing flattened to choose suitable low risk paper flattening techniques. Seek professional guidance with rare historical documents making preservation the priority before restoration aesthetics whenever possible. Respect fragile media limitations and find reliable options that protect what’s often impossible to recreate once lost.

Conclusion

Printed catalogs often bend and curve coming directly off the printing press. Distributing publications with dog-eared pages or rolled edges makes for frustrating reading experiences lowering customer satisfaction. Fortunately fixings mild catalog curling doesn’t require complicated equipment or procedures.

Using a hydraulic heat press offers the fastest approach for straightening printed materials on large scale commercial applications. For smaller jobs, wide format heat presses like Hotronix brand models permit disengaging the top heated element. That allows cold flattening delicate surfaces prone to scorching when directly exposed to heat for extended duration.

In a pinch when lacking presses, cold compression slowly straightens pages simply using rigid backing panels and tightened bar clamps. And even a lightly wielded household iron can stretch out small waves or folds applied indirectly under a protective cloth cover.

Just remember choosing coating-appropriate temperatures prevents mars. Then be sure allowing adequate cooling or normalization time before assessing flatness results for coated catalogs, posters and other printed media. Determining appropriate heat and pressure balances makes creating crisp, perfectly flat marketing materials or collectible artwork possible using affordable equipment easily sourced locally.