How to Flatten a Rolled Poster

October 21, 2026

A poster that has come through the post in a tube wants to stay rolled. Take it out and it springs back into a cylinder. That is normal, and it isn't damage. Paper has a memory. It can be persuaded to lie flat with a little patience.

The risk is in rushing. Most ruined posters are ruined in the first five minutes, by a crease or a hot iron. Here is how to do it safely.

Before you start

Wash and dry your hands. Skin oils mark paper, and the marks show more with time.
Clear a clean, flat, dry surface larger than the poster. A table is best. A clean hard floor will do.
Let it settle. If the tube has come in from the cold, leave it closed in the room for an hour or two. Cold paper is stiffer and more likely to crack or crease.
Take it out carefully. Remove the end cap and let the poster slide out, or reach in and loosen the roll by twisting it gently in the direction that tightens it, then draw it out. Don't pull it by one corner.
Check it for any damage from transit before you do anything else. See the inspection checklist.

Handle the poster by its edges, with two hands. Never let a curled sheet fold over on itself. A crease is permanent.

Method 1: weight and time

This is the safest method. It suits every poster.

Lay a clean sheet of plain paper on the table. Tissue, baking parchment or plain wrapping paper will do.
Unroll the poster on it, image side up, and hold it open.
Lay another clean sheet over the top, to protect the print.
Place flat, heavy objects on it: large books are ideal. Cover the whole area if you can, and at least the corners, the edges and the middle. Use weights with flat, smooth bases.
Leave it for one to three days.

A poster that has been rolled for a week needs a day. One that has been rolled for months needs longer. Check it after 24 hours and put the weights back if it still curls.

Method 2: gentle reverse rolling

Faster, with a little more risk. Use it for a poster with a stubborn curl, and take care.

Lay the poster face up on clean paper.
Find a wide tube. The shipping tube itself is good, or anything 3 inches or more across. A narrow tube forces a tight bend, which can crack the ink.
Roll the poster round the outside of the tube in the opposite direction to its curl, loosely, with a sheet of clean paper over the print so that the surface is covered.
Hold it for a minute or two, or secure it with a strip of paper taped to itself and leave it for an hour. Don't use rubber bands, which dent the paper.
Unroll and check. Repeat if needed.

Don't roll it tightly, and don't leave it reverse-rolled for days, or you will have a curl the other way. Follow with a few hours under weights.

Method 3: frame it

If the poster is going into a frame, the frame will do the work. The backing board and the cover hold the sheet flat between them. A slight curl doesn't matter. Flatten it under weights for a few hours first so that it is easier to position, and then put it in the frame. After a week or two behind glass or acrylic it will be flat for good.

This is the simplest answer of all. See black frame or white frame and the poster size guide for frame sizes.

Method 4: hang it and let it relax

A poster hung with clips, a magnetic rail or a wooden hanger at the top and bottom will straighten under its own weight in a few days. Rails with a weighted bottom bar are made for this. See how to hang posters without frames or wall damage.

What not to do

Don't iron it. This is the most common piece of bad advice. Heat can scorch paper, change the surface of a matte print, make inks shift or stick, and leave a shine. Steam can cause ripples and water marks. For a print you care about, the risk isn't worth it.
Don't use a hair dryer or a heater.
Don't dampen it. Wetting paper to relax it is a method conservators use with training and equipment. At home it causes cockling and stains.
Don't bend it backwards sharply over the edge of a table. That makes a line of creases.
Don't put weights straight on the print. Always cover it with clean paper first. Book covers can transfer colour or texture.
Don't use tape on the front or the edges to hold it down.
Don't fold it.

Common problems

The corners still curl

Corners are the last part to settle. Put small flat weights on each, over a slip of clean paper, for another day. In a frame they will be held anyway.

There is a ripple or a wave

This usually means damp. Move the poster to a dry room and press it under weights between sheets of clean, dry paper. Change the paper after a day.

There is a crease or a dent

A crease can't be fully removed at home. Pressing under weights for several days will soften it. Framing behind a cover hides small dents well. If the poster arrived creased, that is transit damage. Take photographs and contact us within 30 days. See what happens if my order arrives damaged.

It curls again after a few days on the wall

Changes in humidity can bring back a curl in a poster hung by its top edge only. Add clips or a rail at the bottom, or frame it.

How long does it take?

Rolled for a few days in transit: 12 to 24 hours under weights.
Rolled for weeks: two to three days.
Rolled for months or years: up to a week, and a gentle reverse roll helps.

Thicker paper holds a curl longer than thin paper, and flattens just as well in the end.

Starlight City poster print by Kiyo Arts — Starlight City as a matte poster.

Other things that arrive curled

Desk mats. Unroll and lay flat, printed side up. Roll gently the other way once if the ends lift. Most settle within a day. See how to clean a desk mat.
Tapestries. These have fold lines, not a curl. A cool iron on the reverse or a steamer removes them. Fabric can take what paper can't. See how to wash a tapestry and remove wrinkles.

If you would rather skip all this

A framed poster arrives flat, framed and ready to hang. So does a canvas. See canvas vs poster vs framed poster.

Keeping it flat afterwards

If you aren't hanging the poster straight away, store it flat between sheets of clean paper, under a board. Don't put it back in the tube. See how to store posters and prints.