Getting creases out of paper

[NoCoolUserName]

I have a map that I would like to frame and hang on the wall. It's currently folded so, of course, when I unfold it there are serious creases all over it. How can I flatten those so that it'll look like a nice, flat, pristine piece of paper? Can I iron them out? Pile on books and wait? Steam them out? I don't want to practice on this particular item, altho' I suppose I could fold up something else and practice on that.

[emmaliminal]

Originally Posted by NoCoolUserName

I have a map that I would like to frame and hang on the wall. It's currently folded so, of course, when I unfold it there are serious creases all over it. How can I flatten those so that it'll look like a nice, flat, pristine piece of paper? Can I iron them out? Pile on books and wait? Steam them out? I don't want to practice on this particular item, altho' I suppose I could fold up something else and practice on that.

Steaming and then pressing (with evenly-distributed weights, not with an iron) will make creases and wrinkles less pronounced. Framing it behind glass will help, too. Ironing is possible but tricky, and degrades the paper, making it brittle. I'm not aware of any method to remove creases entirely, leaving the paper pristine; not even ironing.

[Scarlett67]

You could take it to a framing shop and have it dry-mounted. The wrinkles will probably not disappear entirely, though.

[dracoi]

Part of the problem with creases in paper is that they tend to get heavier wear than the parts of the paper inside the folds. If that happens, no amount of flattening will help - you'll still see the whitish lines where the paper has been worn.

[Hampshire]

You won't get rid of the "lines" left on the map, but if your goal is to get the creases out so it lies flat you can take the creases and fold them the opposite way on the sharp 45 degree edge of a counter or table.
(I do this all day with folded up packing lists so they stack in a flat pile on my desk.)

[psychonaut]

Originally Posted by Hampshire

You won't get rid of the "lines" left on the map, but if your goal is to get the creases out so it lies flat you can take the creases and fold them the opposite way on the sharp 45 degree edge of a counter or table.

Counters and tables have 45 degree edges? Almost all of the ones I've seen have 90 degree edges.

[hobscrk777]

Originally Posted by psychonaut

Counters and tables have 45 degree edges? Almost all of the ones I've seen have 90 degree edges.

Clearly his tables are chamfered.

[CookingWithGas]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

You could take it to a framing shop and have it dry-mounted. The wrinkles will probably not disappear entirely, though.

I second this motion. I believe the dry mounting process uses heat so that helps and so does mounting in on a hard surface but a crease will never be undetectable.

[JR Brown]

Originally Posted by Scarlett67

You could take it to a framing shop and have it dry-mounted. The wrinkles will probably not disappear entirely, though.

This may not be a good idea if it's an old or rare piece that you may want to preserve. The adhesives can seriously degrade the paper over time.

[Bookkeeper]

You could try mounting it pressed between two pieces of glass.

[astro]

Nothing will get rid of them entirely. In physical terms a crease is a damaged point in the fiber integrity of the paper sheet.

The only time I have ever removed almost all of a true crease was in taking a folded map printed on 8.5 x11 standard sheet size paper and loading it into a laser printer and printing an infinitesimal dot in a super small font to get the sheet to load and print. The heat of the laser fuser and going through the laser rollers removed almost all the crease.

Scanning the map and printing it on high quality paper will also result in removing a lot of the creasing evidence. There are blueprint and engineering scanning services that can this inexpensively ($10-$15) with sheets up to 36'' x 48".

[LSLGuy]

If this map is something still in print you may be able to contact the publisher. They come out of the printing press flat. They're then folded for distribution. Many items are also available flat or rolled in a tube.

[Hampshire]

Originally Posted by psychonaut

Counters and tables have 45 degree edges? Almost all of the ones I've seen have 90 degree edges.

Doh!

(90 degrees, 90 degrees)

[Stranger On A Train]

Originally Posted by astro

Nothing will get rid of them entirely. In physical terms a crease is a damaged point in the fiber integrity of the paper sheet.

More or less correct. See the old thread What causes a crease? for a detailed explanation.

Stranger

[hekk]

If you have a large, flat surface that you won't be using for awhile (like a unused pool table), you can do what I do.

2 panes of glass with the item between, and a bunch of heavy books evenly placed on top. Let it sit awhile, like 2 months. Helps with warping due to water, too.