Comic Pressing Service
Pressing is the term given to the direct application of pressure (with or without heat and/or with or without humidity) in order to reverse, eliminate or lessen some forms of damage.   Its main purpose is the improvement of a book’s appearance (and therefore) condition.   While pressing has been a mainstay of restoration treatment for decades, it has only recently been adopted by some comic collectors as a way of improving the overall appearance of a book without finding or purchasing a higher grade example.

The process of pressing a comic book does not usually involve the disassembly of the book (i.e. removal of the staples and separation of the folios).   Instead, a controlled environment is created where methods and technologies are utilized to provide direct application of pressure to the surface of a comic book in order to remove deformations and light defects.

This service is offered at a standard 'price per book' fee, regardless of the age of the book or the current condition.   Unless prior arrangements are made, we ask that you submit a minimum of five books at a time.   The current fee is $42.00 U.S. funds per book.

If you are considering having your comics pressed, we can help you identify the best candidates in your collection.  Please contact us by email:  trace@eclipsepaper.com

When To Consider Comic Pressing
Comic pressing should be considered anytime there is a desire to improve the overall condition of the book. This can either be for resale purposes, grading and encapsulation purposes or simply to improve the appearance of your collection at a minimal cost instead of spending time, money and effort in acquiring new, higher condition issues.

There are many defects (both small and large) that can occur to a comic that will result in a lowered appearance and while there might be some advantage in pressing any and all condition books, the best results will usually be seen on books that are already in higher grade.

The majority of the damage that can be addressed is limited to non-color or non-image breaking defects like  Light Creases, Slight Surface Dents, Light Scratches, Subtle Folds, Minor Spine Rolls, Ripples or Waves, Surface dirt, Smudges, Fingerprints and other disruptions in surface gloss.

The procedure of pressing will not recreate missing areas (such as color or image loss) and it cannot address every defect or all damage that has occurred.   In the case of lower condition books, or books with severe defects, the best method for pressing might be to remove the staples and treat each folio but this is considered a full restoration treatment and should be discussed thoroughly.

To help you determine which candidates will benefit from Pressing, please contact us by email:  trace@eclipsepaper.com

Special items such as square-bound comics or magazines can sometimes benefit from pressing, but it is best to contact us to discuss these types of items.  

Is Pressing Safe?
As an academically trained Archival Conservator, Trace has looked extensively into the research and science of pressing paper. While there are no specific studies on comics, there is past research data regarding similar 20th century papers and inks. This data shows that there is a measurable correlation between exposure to heat and humidity and the effect on paper.

Effective pressing requires comics to be subjected to low levels of controlled heat or humidity. Applying the available data on newsprint and color inks, we suggest that the remaining lifespan of printed newsprint is reduced 57 days during pressing. This same data suggests that newsprint has a useful lifespan of approximately 50 years. The age and condition of the comic should be considered when applying this data, but assuming a comic which is 30 years old has 20 years of lifespan remaining, pressing reduces this by .008% (57 days.) A comic which is 45 years old has 5 years of lifespan remaining; pressing reduces this by .03% (57 days.)

In comparison, storing a typical book in an improper, uncontrolled environment may affect useful life at a rate of approximately 2% per year loss, if not more. To clarify the extremity of this, consider our useful lifespan of 50 years is reduced by an entire year for each year it is neglected, giving it a total of only 25 years of useful life if subjected to poor storage. It is well known that proper and controlled storage can ultimately extend the lifespan of any book, pressed or not – improper storage will ensure or accelerate the destruction of paper.

The assumption of a 50 year lifespan is problematic because it applies to newsprint alone; comic covers are a much higher quality paper and the book is treated while still assembled, so this will mitigate the effect of pressing, but there is no data for this kind of composite result. A typical comic collection is now in a controlled (if not ideal) environment, and it is not unusual to find comics well past 5o years in very nice condition, and with continued conscientious storage books may still double that lifespan. In this case, pressing may reduce a still remaining 5o year lifespan by only .003% (less than 4 months of a 100 years total useful life.) This ideal example, and any other pressed comic book, is far more affected by future storage and handling than by its one time pressing treatment.