How to Flatten Crumpled Paper

You might be holding a crumpled piece of paper and wishing you hadn't accidentally sat on it, crumpled it, folded it, or even turned it into an airplane. Generally, the paper can still be used and looks almost flat after being slightly moistened with distilled water and pressed between heavy books or laid flat under a cloth. These methods carry the risk of tearing or fading the paper, so be careful. For important documents, you may need to bring them to a professional archivist for handling.

Lightly mist the paper with distilled water. When paper is crumpled, its fibers are damaged and torn. Water can soften the fibers, allowing them to flatten out, which reduces wrinkles and creases. Be sure to use distilled water, as tap water contains minerals that can make the paper brittle or hard. Use a spray bottle to lightly mist the paper from at least 30 cm away, or gently dab the paper with a damp cloth.

• Warning: Water can damage materials like watercolor, chalk, colored chalk, and water-soluble ink. If your paper contains these materials, you should spray water lightly on the back side. You can also press the paper dry to flatten it, but this method won't remove wrinkles.

Place the paper between absorbent materials. If the paper is wet, sandwich it between two layers of absorbent paper, felt, or other water-absorbing materials.

• Paper towels also work, but the pattern on the towel may transfer onto the surface of the paper.

Press the paper between heavy objects. Place the paper, with absorbent material, onto a flat and firm surface. Smooth it out with your hand to ensure there are no large creases or wrinkles. Then, place a flat, heavy object that covers the entire sheet on top. A stack of heavy books will work well for this purpose.

Check daily while waiting for the paper to dry. The paper will dry and be almost wrinkle-free, but it may take some time. You should check it daily and replace the absorbent materials if they feel damp.

• Completely wet paper may take three or four days to dry, while lightly misted paper can dry in less than two days.

Understand the risks of this method. When you place the paper under a towel or cloth, the paper will become relatively flat, but there may still be some wrinkles. You can eliminate the wrinkles by using steam or moistening the paper as described earlier, but this also increases the risk of ink smudging and paper tearing.

• For valuable or irreplaceable paper, you should first test on a scrap piece, or use another pressing method that takes longer but is safer.

Place the paper under a towel or cloth. Smooth the paper as flat as possible to avoid further wrinkles. Lay down a hand towel, pillowcase, or any other heat-resistant fabric to protect the paper from direct heat from the iron.

Set the iron to a low temperature. Start with the lowest heat setting to minimize the risk of damaging the paper. Excessive heat can dry out the paper, making it brittle and yellowed.

Press the iron onto the towel. Once the iron is hot, press it onto the towel and iron it just as you would with clothes.

Adjust the iron if necessary. After ironing for a minute, lift the iron and check the paper. If it's not flat enough, you can increase the temperature slightly and try again. If the paper feels warm to the touch, keep the iron on a low setting and lightly dampen the paper with water or spray some distilled water before ironing again. This will help smooth out wrinkles but may increase the risk of paper tearing.

• Do not use water on papers with watercolor, chalk, or other water-soluble materials.

Bring your important documents to a specialist for handling. Archivists and conservators are experts in preserving artifacts, including paper. They have the skills to expertly flatten and preserve various paper types, including watercolor paper, old, fragile, or easily torn materials, and other items that may be difficult to flatten safely at home.

• Look online for local archival services or ask a librarian to help find one in your area.

Understand the technique of moistening. As mentioned in other methods, wetting or 'moistening' paper can help smooth out wrinkles caused by damaged or displaced fibers. Conservators often use specialized tools with great precision to increase the paper's moisture level. If you're feeling adventurous and have some scrap paper to experiment on, you can try mimicking these techniques at home before pressing the paper. One of the easiest methods is the 'Horton moistening' technique. Roll the paper loosely into a coil, place it in an open plastic cup, and then place the cup in a plastic container. Add water to the bottom of the container and seal it.

• This method can promote mold growth, which is very difficult to manage at home. Some professionals use mold inhibitors like thymol or ortho-phenyl phenol, though these chemicals can be harmful to both paper and users if not used correctly.

Learn how to handle paper when drying. Pressing is a commonly effective method. You can use clamps and additional weight if you need more pressure. Another option that can be used alone or in combination with pressing is the adhesive method. When adhered to a flat surface with a special adhesive that can be removed once dry, the paper stays in place instead of curling or stretching when it loses moisture and shrinks.

• Even experts find it difficult to control the size changes of paper after it’s moistened. Individual sheets usually show little change, but you’ll notice significant differences or unevenness when dealing with stacks, bound books, or large sheets made up of many smaller pages glued together.

Store your documents in specially designed archival envelopes. These are tools commonly used by conservators, and they are widely available for purchase. You can buy high-quality archival envelopes to safely store important documents, family histories, and other papers for decades or even centuries, protecting them from moisture and UV rays.

• If you’re short on time or don’t have an iron to flatten the paper as previously described, you can try a simple method to smooth out the wrinkles by repeatedly running the paper along the edge of a table. While the paper won’t be perfectly flat, this will reduce some of the wrinkles.
• You can also attempt to photocopy the paper. Copy shops or libraries often have large photocopiers that can press the paper flatter if your home copier still leaves light wrinkles.
• If the paper is relatively durable, you can try running it through a printer without actually printing. The printer will flatten most wrinkles. However, be cautious as the paper could get jammed.

• When ironing paper that has print (such as photocopy ink or laser print), the ink may run under high heat and stick to the ironing surface. To prevent this, start with a low temperature and gradually increase the heat until the paper flattens.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using the iron. Make sure the paper doesn’t catch fire or burn. Children should always be supervised by adults when handling irons.

• Iron
• Ironing board or another suitable heat-resistant flat surface
• Towel
• Heavy object
• Spray bottle
• Distilled water