Pressing & Cleaning Before Grading
Professional pressing routinely bumps comics one full grade — sometimes two. The economics are compelling for any book worth $500+. Done badly, you can permanently damage the comic.
The Math: Pressing cost $25-75. Grade bump from 9.2 → 9.8 on ASM #300 = ~$1,800 price increase. Even one half-grade bump on a $300 book usually clears the math.
What Pressing Fixes
- Spine roll & bowing: Heat + pressure flatten warped covers
- Indentations / dents: Most non-color-breaking dents come out completely
- Wrinkles in the cover: Surface wrinkles disappear (color-breaking creases do NOT)
- Cover slope: The slight angle on books with off-center binding
- Subscription crease: The vertical fold from mailing — partial fix
What Pressing Doesn't Fix
- Color-breaking creases / cracks: Once the ink is broken, pressing can't restore it
- Tears, missing pieces, restoration: Pressing won't reattach material — and trying may make it worse
- Foxing / browning: Cellular paper damage. Cleaning (dry-cleaning) helps lightly, but heavy foxing is permanent
- Stains (water, food, ink): Pressing isn't cleaning. Different process entirely.
Pro Pressers (US)
Add pressing to your CGC submission. Convenient but more expensive ($25-60 depending on tier) and adds 20-30 days turnaround.
CGC's outsourced pressing partner. Standard for high-value books. ~$30-50/book.
Highly regarded independent presser. Quick turnaround, $30-50/book.
Pioneer of the practice, premium pricing. ~$50-100/book.
Don't DIY
There are YouTube tutorials suggesting you press at home with an iron, weighted books, or a heat press. Don't.
- Heat damage: Wrong temperature can scorch the cover or fade ink. Permanent.
- Restoration flag: If pressing leaves residue or asymmetric flattening, CGC may flag the book as "restored"
- Worse than original: Many DIY presses leave the book in worse shape than before
- Cost: $30-50 with a pro is cheap insurance against ruining a $5K book
Dry Cleaning (separate service)
Some pressers also offer dry-cleaning: erasers + soft brushes to lift surface dirt, fingerprints, mild foxing. Adds $10-20 to a pressing job. Worth it on high-value vintage where surface freshness affects grade.
Find Press-Worthy Comics
Mint Condition lists CGC 9.0-9.4 comics that could likely press into 9.6-9.8 territory. Spot the value.
Browse Comics →