How to Get Photographs Unrolled
After years of storage in a hot attic or humid basement, photographic prints can begin to curl in on themselves. Extreme temperatures or drastic shifts in humidity can cause the edges of the print paper to roll inward, ruining the picture's chance of display or mounting. Though some archival companies will restore your pictures to like-new condition, these services are often expensive. Using a few household items, you'll be able to unroll your old photographs and preserve the memories for years to come.
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Instructions
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Place the curled photograph between two pieces of tissue paper on a hard, flat surface. Plug in your iron to begin preheating.
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Set the iron to the "Steam" setting once it has heated. Hold the iron 2 to 3 inches over the top sheet of tissue paper and depress the iron's steam trigger to dispense hot, moist air onto the photograph. Continue until the photograph begins to uncurl.
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Place the uncurled photograph between two sheets of paper towel once it is mostly flat. Ensure that the photograph is completely dry before doing so.
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Place several heavy books on top of the paper towel. Let the weight of books flatten the photograph for one to two days.
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Remove the photograph from the paper towels and display or mount as desired.
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Tips & Warnings
This process can be performed on multiple photographs at once. If you will be flattening many photographs, use more tissue paper and paper towels as needed.
Prevent curling by storing your photographs in archival plastic sheets, a photo album or a sealed frame.
Do not attempt to flatten the photographs without steaming them, as this may cause the print paper to crack or crumble.
References
- Photo Credit Burke/Triolo Productions/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
