CBCA Sponsors Scientific Testing on the Effects of Pressing

[fantastic_four]

That means that every collector out there... including the anti-pressers... have taken a tucked-in corner and bent it back into place.

 

That's not what pro pressers do though--they use heat and humidity. Pressing is almost a misleading way to describe what pro pressing actually does--"molding" seems more accurate to me. Paper fiber is made pliable by heat and/or humidity and then pushed into a new form.

 

Pressing isn't done for conservation or aesthetics, it's done primarily for profit, and therein lies the controversy. It'll always people off.

[DrWatson]

Paper fiber is made pliable by heat and/or humidity and then pushed into a new form.

It isn't a new form. It's the paper's rightful form.

 

Pressing isn't done for conservation or aesthetics, it's done primarily for profit, and therein lies the controversy.

I disagree. I have had several books pressed for aesthetic value and at least one of those books had a defect removed which prevented further color loss and therefor conserved the book.

 

Pressing a 7.5 to a 9.4 is generally a function of pressing for aesthetics with an increase in value. Pressing a 9.6 to a 9.8 is generally a function of pressing simply for profit

[fantastic_four]

Pressing isn't done for conservation or aesthetics, it's done primarily for profit, and therein lies the controversy.

I disagree. I have had several books pressed for aesthetic value and at least one of those books had a defect removed which prevented further color loss and therefor conserved the book.

 

Note I said it's done PRIMARILY for profit--I doubt you disagree.

 

What was the defect you're talking about that pressing removed and thereby prevented further damage?

[Bookery]

That means that every collector out there... including the anti-pressers... have taken a tucked-in corner and bent it back into place.

 

That's not what pro pressers do though--they use heat and humidity. Pressing is almost a misleading way to describe what pro pressing actually does--"molding" seems more accurate to me. Paper fiber is made pliable by heat and/or humidity and then pushed into a new form.

 

Pressing isn't done for conservation or aesthetics, it's done primarily for profit, and therein lies the controversy. It'll always people off.

 

Well, people who get pissed off simply because someone makes a profit is a psychosis beyond my purview. Over the years I've had people walk up to me, just because I deal in collectibles, and proclaim that "all you care about is profit!" Some day I'm going to follow them back to their job... accountant, burger-flipper, doctor, whatever... and scream in front of their clients... "You actually get paid to do this?! All you care about is profit!"

 

No, obviously pressing isn't done for conservation. But saying it isn't done for aesthetics defies logic. If it weren't for the collector demanding a more aesthetic book and willing to pay for it, there wouldn't be any pressers out there.

 

Fingertips not only apply heat and humidity, but add acids and oils and bacteria as well.

 

Look, I'm not defending pressing... but I am defending logic and consistency... though I often fail miserably in these myself, they nevertheless are the overriding principles and goals of my life. What I have done in my previous example (sorry, Sean... I'm not sure I grasp your response post... I'll need more info to respond directly) was so that every day we all do things to comics that, unless surprisingly shown otherwise, I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind do far more damage, both immediately and long term, to comic books than pressing is likely to be shown to do.

 

Sure, pressing probably does some damage... anything you do to paper aside from putting it in a gas-controlled chamber causes damage. But are the protestors willing to demand the same of themselves in handling collectibles that they demand of others? Or, as in so many instances of human existence, from religion to politics to collectibles.... are they arbitrarily picking and choosing aspects that benefit themselves while pointing figures at those "not-of-the-tribe".

 

 

 

 

[DrWatson]

Pressing isn't done for conservation or aesthetics, it's done primarily for profit, and therein lies the controversy.

I disagree. I have had several books pressed for aesthetic value and at least one of those books had a defect removed which prevented further color loss and therefor conserved the book.

 

Note I said it's done PRIMARILY for profit--I doubt you disagree.

 

What was the defect you're talking about that pressing removed and thereby prevented further damage?

I agree that certain individuals press books primarily for profit, but I think there is a measurable chunk of comics fans who get their books pressed simply because it can make them look better.

 

It looked like the back cover caught on a Mylar (A guess on my part. It caught on something), tore and then folded and/or crinkled. Pressing flattened out the back cover and therefor prevented anymore color loss on the back cover due to creased areas rubbing against the backing board. The book is now in a slab.

 

I also read where a few books with moderate to serve spine rolls were pressed, therefor relieving the pressure on the paper around the staples preventing a staple pop.

[DrWatson]

Oh, I also remember the coffee can books. I would categorize the pressing of those books to be conservation even though I believe the individual who pressed them did it solely from a monetary standpoint.

[Theagenes]

Pressing isn't done for conservation or aesthetics, it's done primarily for profit, and therein lies the controversy.

I disagree. I have had several books pressed for aesthetic value and at least one of those books had a defect removed which prevented further color loss and therefor conserved the book.

 

Note I said it's done PRIMARILY for profit--I doubt you disagree.

 

What was the defect you're talking about that pressing removed and thereby prevented further damage?

I agree that certain individuals press books primarily for profit, but I think there is a measurable chunk of comics fans who get their books pressed simply because it can make them look better.

 

It looked like the back cover caught on a Mylar (A guess on my part. It caught on something), tore and then folded and/or crinkled. Pressing flattened out the back cover and therefor prevented anymore color loss on the back cover due to creased areas rubbing against the backing board. The book is now in a slab.

 

I also read where a few books with moderate to serve spine rolls were pressed, therefor relieving the pressure on the paper around the staples preventing a staple pop.

 

I can attest to that personally. I have had several GA books with severe spine rolls pressed out. And while they certainly look better, the greatest benefit is that they can now be opened and read without fear.

[MR SigS]

I collect comics. I don't sell comics. I like to look at what I collect. When I see a wrinkle or a non color breaking crease, it drives me batty, so I set it aside for future pressing. Since I'm not going to sell them, I'm doing it for aesthetics.

 

[Conan63-migration]

The results of this test will all be in the numbers used during the "pro pressing process"

 

How much humidity.

Time exposed to this humidity.

How much heat.

Time exposed to this heat.

How much presser.

Time exposed to this presser.

 

If these exact numbers are not provided with the results than you can't really prove much. Has each of these numbers go up, so does the damage to the comic.