Press
Heat and pressure in a dry mount press to flatten defects that do not break colour: spine rolls, reading wrinkles, printing waves and light creases. Results depend on the book, and we tell you what we find.
Services
Services and pricing
Clear prices, set by the fair market value of each book. All prices are in Canadian dollars.
Pricing
Price per comic
| Service | Under $500 | $500 – $999 | $1,000 – $4,999 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press | $20 | $30 | $50 |
| Press + Clean | $30 | $40 | $75 |
| Press + Clean + Extra Service | $40 | $50 | $100 |
3% FMV
FMV $5,000 and above
Press + Clean + Extra Service. Includes all applicable services.
+$10
Add-on: Open a slab
Per comic, only if you ask. We open the graded case before we work on the book. Opening a slab ends its grade. A signature series slab cannot keep its signature status once it is opened. This cannot be undone.
+$150
Add-on, any tier: Emergency Rush
2 to 3 business day turnaround, per comic. Stacks on top of base pricing. Subject to availability, so please contact us before submitting.
How payment works
A deposit is due when you submit: the Press price for each comic's value tier, or $150 for a comic worth $5,000 or more. The balance is invoiced when the work is done, with return shipping. Details are in the terms.
About Extra Service
Extra Service is for books that need more than a standard clean and press: extra cleaning, additional press cycles or a spine fix. Our technician decides at the pre-press assessment, not at intake. If your book needs it, we contact you for approval before going ahead.
What each service does
Choose the right level
Press + Clean
Dry surface cleaning first, then pressing. Cleaning lifts surface dirt. It does not remove stains, tanning or foxing.
Press + Clean + Extra Service
Extra work beyond a standard clean and press, such as extra cleaning, additional press cycles or a spine fix. We decide at assessment, and we ask you first unless you approved it for the whole order.
Straight answers
What we cannot do, and what we will not do
Pressing and cleaning are not restoration. Here is where the line is.
What we cannot do
- Fix colour-breaking creases, tears or missing pieces.
- Fix staple damage, water damage or chemical damage.
- Remove stains, tanning or foxing.
- Restore a book. We do not repair tears, replace missing pieces or touch up colour.
- Do work that needs a tacking iron. It is not part of our service at present. If a book needs it, we say so in your report.
- Make every defect disappear. Some pressable defects improve without going away.
What we will not do
- Promise a grade, a higher grade or a higher sale price.
- Hide a defect we could not treat. If we cannot fix it, your report says so.
- Charge for work we did not do. We bill from our own assessment of the book, not from what was requested.
- Insure your comics while they are with us. We do not carry insurance on them.
- Show your photos in public unless you ticked the box that allows it.
- Guarantee that a rush will fit. We confirm availability before charging for it.
Our process
How every book is handled
Assessment
We start with a careful look at the book: cover, spine, staples, paper, and any damage or defects. We note what is there before we touch anything.
Cleaning
We clean the book with gentle methods chosen to protect the paper and inks. The goal is a cleaner book, never a changed one.
Extra service
If the assessment calls for it: extra cleaning, additional press cycles or a spine fix. We ask you first, and it is priced as Extra Service.
Pressing
The book goes into a commercial-grade dry mount heat press. We only use Seal or D&K machines, so temperature and pressure are reliable and repeatable.
Quality control
After pressing we assess the book again and decide whether every pressable defect has been dealt with. If it has, the book is released for shipment. If not, it goes back to step 3 or 4.
Ready to send your books?
Tell us what you have and we will come back with an estimate.