# Ironing out Posters

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 2, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203 "2013-10-02T19:13:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203/1 "2013-10-02T19:13:43Z")

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I recently ordered 3 posters from [art.com](http://art.com) that I will eventually be gluing to cardboard in order to hang in a trade show booth.

The posters arrived tightly rolled up and I have unrolled them facing down with a heavy object place on top in hopes of flattening them out. I remember someone saying there was a technique using a warm iron and a damp towel that would remove the creases and flatten it out.

I really don’t want to ruin these posters, and I’ve tried rolling them backward in the past with poor results.

Is there a quick and easy way to flatten out rolled up posters using a warm iron that someone has tried and knows works?

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**Author:** ![Khendrask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@Khendrask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khendrask)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203/2 "2013-10-03T14:34:52Z")

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I’ve had success placing posters like that face down on the carpet, covering the back with a screen taken from my screen door, and using (lightly) a clothes steamer.

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**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203/3 "2013-10-03T14:50:13Z")

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If you will eventually glue them to cardboard, why the need to straighten them first?

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203/4 "2013-10-03T15:05:06Z")

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My own technique is to reverse roll them: roll them up in a tight tube the opposite way to what they were originally rolled up.

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**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ironing-out-posters/670203/5 "2013-10-03T19:33:05Z")

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I would just put them on a floor or bed and put heavy objects on the corners. Or just hang them up on a wall temporarily. That will get most of the curl out.