Signs of pressing 0

[NoMan]

 

What are the tell-tale signs (if any) a book has been pressed? Some books the cover on the right side doesn't line up and the interior pages are slightly exposed. Does this mean book has been pressed? 

As always, thanks in advance. 

Edited May 18, 2017 by NoMan

[Bomber-Bob]

Oh no, questions like this, regarding pressing, can be very controversial and many get upset. I will answer with MY OPINIONS but be prepared for some backlash. First off, a properly pressed book should offer no clues that it was pressed. This is the reason CGC decided they would not regard pressing as restoration because they could not always tell. The characteristic you described, the right edge pages not lining up, can be from pressing but not always. IMO, it depends on the severity of the fanning and other characteristics of the book to determine if it's from pressing. I hate the look and simply avoid books like this. Other signs of a poorly pressed book are extremely flat spines, a natural spine should be a little plump with a rounded look. Take a look at the spine of a book fresh off the stands. I can offer more information but I don't feel like reacting to the forthcoming comments.

 

[NoMan]

2 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Oh no, questions like this, regarding pressing, can be very controversial and many get upset. I will answer with MY OPINIONS but be prepared for some backlash. First off, a properly pressed book should offer no clues that it was pressed. This is the reason CGC decided they would not regard pressing as restoration because they could not always tell. The characteristic you described, the right edge pages not lining up, can be from pressing but not always. IMO, it depends on the severity of the fanning and other characteristics of the book to determine if it's from pressing. I hate the look and simply avoid books like this. Other signs of a poorly pressed book are extremely flat spines, a natural spine should be a little plump with a rounded look. Take a look at the spine of a book fresh off the stands. I can offer more information but I don't feel like reacting to the forthcoming comments.

 

Thanks a lot for the response. I guess it's the things I figured they were. Don't want to start stuff. 

[joeypost]

There are plenty of existing threads about this subject. 

[Artboy99]

1 hour ago, joeypost said:

There are plenty of existing threads about this subject. 

just a few.

[mosconi]

10 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Oh no, questions like this, regarding pressing, can be very controversial and many get upset. I will answer with MY OPINIONS but be prepared for some backlash. First off, a properly pressed book should offer no clues that it was pressed. This is the reason CGC decided they would not regard pressing as restoration because they could not always tell. The characteristic you described, the right edge pages not lining up, can be from pressing but not always. IMO, it depends on the severity of the fanning and other characteristics of the book to determine if it's from pressing. I hate the look and simply avoid books like this. Other signs of a poorly pressed book are extremely flat spines, a natural spine should be a little plump with a rounded look. Take a look at the spine of a book fresh off the stands. I can offer more information but I don't feel like reacting to the forthcoming comments.

 

Bob makes some great observations   A properly pressed book is extremely difficult, if not near impossible to detect from a scan.  It's the less than perfectly pressed books (over-aggressive presser's) that display certain characteristics that a discerning eye can usually detect.  It's my own personal preference, but I've always liked Silver Age books with ever so slightly rounded corners.  When I see corners that are severely fanned out and have an overly starched, pancaked appearance, you're usually looking at a pressed copy. 

Edited May 19, 2017 by mosconi

[B2D327]

ink transfer from pages to the interior of the front and back covers, smell of cooked pulp, stiff pages can be telltale signs of pressing but not in all cases

[Bomber-Bob]

Same book. Before and after a spine realignment, with a press. Note the exaggerated fanning on the right. IMO, a telltale sign and I stay away from books that look like this.

[mosconi]

4 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Same book. Before and after a spine realignment, with a press. Note the exaggerated fanning on the right. IMO, a telltale sign and I stay away from books that look like this.

 

[mosconi]

1 hour ago, B2D327 said:

ink transfer from pages to the interior of the front and back covers, smell of cooked pulp, stiff pages can be telltale signs of pressing but not in all cases

Interesting, would poorly pressed books have a distinct smell from a non-pressed copy?

Edited May 23, 2017 by mosconi

[Azkaban]

30 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Same book. Before and after a spine realignment, with a press. Note the exaggerated fanning on the right. IMO, a telltale sign and I stay away from books that look like this.

 what a shame

[NoMan]

that Avengers #1, what a drag.

But if you're going after a heavy key, inching into mega key territory, unless you got big dollars you gotta buy pressed. Everybody presses the mega keys and non pressed books seem to go for a mega premium. 

[B2D327]

9 hours ago, Azkaban said:

 what a shame

This is a good example of the presser assuming the staples and the spine should be in the same place. In alot of silver age books, this is not the case and the presser actually created spine roll. Just flattened it out.

@mosconi

It's more a smell that isn't there in non-pressed books if that makes any sense and the smell is similar to a scorched garment that the iron was left in one spot too long

[joeypost]

10 hours ago, mosconi said:

Interesting, would poorly pressed books have a distinct smell from a non-pressed copy?

Absolutely. I have seen books that were actually burned by the presser using too much heat.

 

Other things to look for are as follows:

Loss of gloss

Crushed spine

Rippling

Cockling

Foreign objects imbedded into the covers (small pieces of dirt, residue from dry cleaning, etc)

Burnt smell

Overly hydrated books will feel limp

Flaring of pages

Popped staples

...Just to name a few.

[mosconi]

3 hours ago, joeypost said:

Absolutely. I have seen books that were actually burned by the presser using too much heat.

 

Other things to look for are as follows:

Loss of gloss

Crushed spine

Rippling

Cockling

Foreign objects imbedded into the covers (small pieces of dirt, residue from dry cleaning, etc)

Burnt smell

Overly hydrated books will feel limp

Flaring of pages

Popped staples

...Just to name a few.

Great info Joey  Here's another example shown on these boards several years back.  Can't remember if this result was determined to be from shrinkage, spine realignment or something else?

Before:

After:

 

[thehumantorch]

5 hours ago, B2D327 said:

This is a good example of the presser assuming the staples and the spine should be in the same place. In alot of silver age books, this is not the case and the presser actually created spine roll. Just flattened it out.

@mosconi

It's more a smell that isn't there in non-pressed books if that makes any sense and the smell is similar to a scorched garment that the iron was left in one spot too long

This is a presser who realized he could get higher grades by rotating the spine and it's defects to the back of the book.  He's gaming the system and making books worse to get higher technical grades.

[Bomber-Bob]

4 hours ago, joeypost said:

Absolutely. I have seen books that were actually burned by the presser using too much heat.

 

Other things to look for are as follows:

Loss of gloss

Crushed spine

Rippling

Cockling

Foreign objects imbedded into the covers (small pieces of dirt, residue from dry cleaning, etc)

Burnt smell

Overly hydrated books will feel limp

Flaring of pages

Popped staples

...Just to name a few.

Joey, indeed good info. Just wanted to mention that I, for one, appreciate when you contribute to threads about pressing. IMO, pressing should be done by a professional, not an amateur. The marketplace is full of examples of all the characteristics you mention above, most likely the result of amateurs thinking that owning a press is all you need to do. Some Boardies get bent out of shape when discussions about pressing are brought up. It's like you can't say anything bad about pressing. However, as a well respected Boardie and a professional in the pressing arts, you add validation and insight to these discussions. Thank you !!!

[newshane]

19 minutes ago, thehumantorch said:

He's gaming the system and making books worse to get higher technical grades.

Isn't that precisely the point of pressing?

[NCAmother]

11 minutes ago, newshane said:

Isn't that precisely the point of pressing?

[joeypost]

27 minutes ago, newshane said:

Isn't that precisely the point of pressing?

Not really, but if one wanted to, they could make a fairly convincing argument to those who are not intimate with the procedure. Changing the alignment of the spine goes well beyond the process of pressing. This is not the same as taking out a non-color bend or dent, it is moving defects to a less visible part of the book.