What is "Poor Pressing" and how is that a book defect and not an opinion? 5 5

[Crusafitch]

Yes, I am not a professional presser and I do not press anything other than my own books. I do not vary my technique often either. Been at it for almost 3 years now and over 500 books all from my own PC. I have never seen this grade before. Especially since the submission a week before came back all 9.8's minus one at a 9.6.     I have over time seen grader notes such as canvassing which is a defect of poor pressing etc. But the point is that very much points out what was wrong. While some of the books above include other grader notes such as moisture damage. Ok, an argument can be made there that maybe idk i don't have the books back yet. But what about Star Wars force Awakens if you see only has one note.....poorly pressed. Well WTF does that mean? And with no other notes to accompany it. Leaves me to wonder just WTF is going on here.

Edited April 10 by Crusafitch

[joeypost]

Keep in mind that books react differently to what you might consider standard operating procedures. 

[DougC]

Maybe.... this is just a personal dig by the CGC graders directed at you for being poor and they believe it is a really pressing mater?

Tell me how is your relationship with your press...

[Mr. Zipper]

My guess is that these books suffer from a constellation of issues related to poor pressing and it was easier to note this than go though a laundry list of flaws. 

I'm glad to see this and I wish CGC did it more. Why? To stem the tsunami of janky Facebook / YouTube pressers who are ruining books. A casual viewing of these channels you will quickly see yahoos doing everything wrong and taking bad shortcuts:

• Pressers who insert backing boards between the cover and first page, leaving staple tears and a sharp crease parallel to the spine
• Pressers who bake books at way too high temps
• Pressers who crush books leaving them flat and lifeless 
• Pressers who spray books with a steamer instead of proper humidification
• Books with wavy open edges, humidity ripples, erasure marks and more
• Books being cleaned with peroxide, bleach, and other unknown "magic" solvents sold by Comic Hobby Snake Oil Salesmen

I could go on and on. But what is even more sad is that there are star struck schmucks waiting in line to use the services of these clowns.

This isn't an anti-pressing post. But if you are going to do it, do it right. Teach yourself the proper way, or use a true professional like Joey.

Edited April 11 by Mr. Zipper

[Crusafitch]

So guys just an update here. CGC finally got back to me. Asking for the certification numbers in question. However this cracks me up. When i went to get the cert numbers, the grader notes were changed to say something different or removed.  So heres a few examples. You can see all the screenshots of what they were compared to these. I can say im glad i took screenshots. this has been the least transparent process ever.  I should also mention at this point i have the books in hands so its not like they could look at them again. Im not sure if the kep copius notes or they are recalling off memory. 

Edited April 11 by Crusafitch

[Mr. Zipper]

So "poorly pressed" was probably the internal grader notes that were inadvertently entered into the actual grading notes. I would take that as a wake up call. 

[aardvark88]

On 4/10/2024 at 1:30 PM, Topnotchman said:

Instead of grading the book “The CGC” has admitted to grading the pressing with this example. 

How much is Blackrock/CGC billing us now to grade the quick press or full press not done by their own staff? Monetize every 'service' in 2024 for CGC business model.

Edited April 11 by aardvark88

[joeypost]

The defects introduced by a poorly pressed book can be compared to books stored improperly. If you stack books incorrectly you wind up with stacking curls or spine rolls. These would be listed as defects, and I don’t believe I have ever seen notes mentioning improper storage, yet the way the books were stored resulted in the defects. The same is true for a book that has been pressed and hydrated poorly. 

[CGC Mike]

I have asked the team regarding this, and here is what I was told:

We changed the grader notes on that invoice to reflect the damage caused by the pressing.   Apparently, there is an excessive amount of moisture being introduced into the books, and further, it’s not being removed (i.e. not “dried out” for a lack of a better word). The moisture will not only cause side effects like dimensional change and warping, but because the book is still damp, the grade could continue to worsen—mold and rust setting in over time. 

[Yorick]

On 4/11/2024 at 10:14 AM, CGC Mike said:

I have asked the team regarding this, and here is what I was told:

We changed the grader notes on that invoice to reflect the damage caused by the pressing.   Apparently, there is an excessive amount of moisture being introduced into the books, and further, it’s not being removed (i.e. not “dried out” for a lack of a better word). The moisture will not only cause side effects like dimensional change and warping, but because the book is still damp, the grade could continue to worsen—mold and rust setting in over time. 

In the past, CGC would not grade/slab books that they felt might incur damage by being in a slab.  Shouldn't this be a similar situation?  Sealing a wet comic inside a plastic case doesn't seem like good PR for CGC when that collector shows a moldy comic in an 8.0 case in 3 years time...

[Hulksdaddy1]

On 4/11/2024 at 1:59 PM, Yorick said:

In the past, CGC would not grade/slab books that they felt might incur damage by being in a slab.  Shouldn't this be a similar situation?  Sealing a wet comic inside a plastic case doesn't seem like good PR for CGC when that collector shows a moldy comic in an 8.0 case in 3 years time...

Penicillin Pedigree?

[Yorick]

On 4/11/2024 at 11:09 AM, Hulksdaddy1 said:

Penicillin Pedigree?

If they press with some orange juice for the moisture!

[Hulksdaddy1]

On 4/11/2024 at 2:11 PM, Yorick said:

If they press with some orange juice for the moisture!

Well, citrus IS an excellent cleaner. Bonus!

[thehumantorch]

On 4/10/2024 at 6:13 AM, Paul Kosnik said:

He shared a pic elsewhere.  You can see what looks like rippling in the book, even in a straight-on view of the comic in the slab.  Looks like too much humidity was used without properly adjusting the pressing parameters.

Well that would tie in perfectly with CGC's water logged and moisture damaged assessment.

He did get an assessment of grade and defects but it would be nice if CGC could provide more specific information.

@CGC Mike

[EastEnd1]

I think a poorly pressed book can easily be a defect... just like any human introduced attempt to improve the book that goes awry.  To me, a pancaked unnatural looking comic (some of them are so crushed they look like slivers!) is a defect very much worthy of grade reduction and notation.  

[buttock]

On 4/12/2024 at 6:53 AM, EastEnd1 said:

I think a poorly pressed book can easily be a defect... just like any human introduced attempt to improve the book that goes awry.  To me, a pancaked unnatural looking comic (some of them are so crushed they look like slivers!) is a defect very much worthy of grade reduction and notation.  

Agreed.  But to the OP's point, they need to clarify what the exact defect is.  If there was a 2.0 and they gave the grader's notes of "poorly handled" that wouldn't be helpful.  

[EastEnd1]

On 4/12/2024 at 11:34 AM, buttock said:

Agreed.  But to the OP's point, they need to clarify what the exact defect is.  If there was a 2.0 and they gave the grader's notes of "poorly handled" that wouldn't be helpful.  

Maybe they can change the wording from "poorly pressed" to "excessively pressed".  "Pancaking" is still a defect in my mind and should be called out.  

[joeypost]

On 4/12/2024 at 2:54 PM, EastEnd1 said:

Maybe they can change the wording from "poorly pressed" to "excessively pressed".  "Pancaking" is still a defect in my mind and should be called out.  

I have seen books pressed with such high heat that they were scorched. In this case, I think scorched or burnt paper would be a better description compared to poorly pressed. 

[Ryan.]

I kinda like these vague opinion-based notes.

"Poorly pressed"

"Manhandled"

"It stinks"

"I just simply don't like this comic"

[Hulksdaddy1]

On 4/12/2024 at 7:12 PM, Ryan. said:

I kinda like these vague opinion-based notes.

"Poorly pressed"

"Manhandled"

"It stinks"

"I just simply don't like this comic"

"Wife had a headache last night"