DIY: Make An Effective Anti-curl Device
For pennies with things you may already have laying around
If you print your images in anything larger than 13 x 19, you fall into one of two categories; those who have experienced print curl and those who will.
If there is one question I get most often about handling fine art prints, it's about how to prevent or cure that dreaded print curl.
The Problem and Its Roots
Print curl can happen under a variety of conditions. The primary one is when printing on roll paper, especially at the end of the roll when the paper is tightly wound against the core. Just watch as a large print comes off a large format printer. As you use that roll of paper and it gets closer to the core, the problem worsens.
The root cause of this curling is that paper has memory. The cotton fibers will retain their shape after being compressed for any length of time.
Even large sheet paper can be affected by curl, based on how it is stored. Humidity is sheet paper's Waterloo, so proper storage is needed to at least minimize curl.
The Solution
After decades of addressing this issue, I developed a low cost, but effective solution that literally will reverse your print curl in less than two minutes. You can buy a reverse print curl device for $200 online. You can make your own following my directions for under $20! And I've used the same self-made device for more than a decade.