YOU’VE RECEIVED YOUR ROLLED PRINT – NOW WHAT?
Now that you have received your rolled print, what should you do to have it professionally framed? You don’t need to do anything, just take it to your framer in its original shipping tube. However, if you choose to do it yourself, there are a few things you must NEVER do!!
- NEVER use an iron, even if you put protective layers between it and the print.
- NEVER use steam or moisture; this will compromise the longevity of the print.
- NEVER (and I am sure a few of us have been guilty of this with other rolled products) scrape the back of a print over the edge of a table or other surface.
DO:
- Gently de-curl the print by rolling it in the opposite direction to which it is curled. Make sure the surface you are working on is clear of all debris – grit and particles that might imbed itself in the print and damage it.
- Make sure your hands are super clean. Skin oils are not good for a print.
- Handle the print by its edges, not touching the printed image area.
- Place a smooth, heavier paper, the same size or slightly larger, on the working surface. Place the print image-side down on the paper.
- With extreme care so as not to damage or bend the print, proceed with the following:
- Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the paper and print in the opposite direction to the curl, but not too tightly to run the risk of bruising/damaging the print.
- Slide both paper and print fully into the shipping tube.
- Let sit this way for a time; this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours (the longer the better).
- Remove paper and print from tube, unroll it, and lay out with image side up on a clean flat surface.
- Leaving the smooth paper in place, lay several heavy objects such as books on the corners and in the middle of the print and leave for several hours.
- Remove the heavy objects; if still not uncurled, replace objects and let sit for a few more hours.
If this seems too daunting or too much work, simply take print in original tube to your framer.