Stumbled upon a cheap clamp setup that works wonders for book pressing

I always struggled with books not pressing flat and leaving dents. On a random trip, I grabbed a few spring clamps from the hardware store. They put even pressure across the whole cover, which fixed my issue. For example, I used them on a thick sketchbook and a thin novel rebound. Both came out with no marks and the spines stayed straight. This little find made my work look cleaner without much effort. If you have pressing problems, these clamps are worth a look.

2 comments

2 Comments

wren9583d ago

That bit about spring clamps putting even pressure really hit home for me. I mean, idk, maybe it's just me but I had a similar thing with using old textbooks as weights. Like, I used to stack heavy books on top of the one I was pressing, but it always left uneven marks. Then I tried using those binder clips from the office supply store, and they kind of worked but not as good as proper clamps. It's funny how the simplest stuff from hardware stores can fix these niche problems. I guess the key is that even pressure you talked about, which makes all the difference.

morgan_perez842d ago

What about using foam pads under the clamps to spread the pressure? I put thin craft foam between the clamp and the book, and it stopped ALL those marks. Even pressure is KEY, but protecting the surface makes it perfect.