Wet Pressing or Dry Pressing: What Each Stage Does for Handmade Paper

The paper’s condition tells you which operation you are performing. Putting a board over damp sheets does not automatically make the process dry pressing: if moisture is still leaving the sheets, you are drying them under restraint.

Stage	Condition of the paper	Main purpose
Wet pressing	Newly formed and wet	Squeeze out water and increase fiber contact
Restrained drying	Damp and becoming dry	Limit distortion while moisture leaves
Dry pressing	Already dried	Flatten remaining curl or waviness

Hand Papermaking describes wet pressing as both a water-removal step and a way to increase fiber bonding. Its drying guidance separately describes weighted or forced-air systems, while Ted Snider’s workshop account places dry pressing after air drying. These distinctions explain why the stages can complement one another. Methods of Drying Paper, Wet Sheet Handling / Drying

Wet pressing expels water and brings fibers into closer contact, helping the sheet develop strength. A batch can be arranged as alternating sheets and felts, often called a post. However, pressing does not finish drying the paper; a separate route for the remaining moisture is still needed. Methods of Drying Paper

For a small trial, Paperslurry describes covering the couched sheet with interfacing or paper towel, then using a sponge with gentle pressure before pressing more firmly. Its batch method alternates paper and felts between boards. The practical choice is whether to work with individual sheets or a layered stack. Here’s How to Make Handmade Paper from Recycled Materials

Apply pressure gradually and evenly. The Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking explains that gradual loading removes excess water without misshaping newly formed sheets. Its documented process uses a particular stack and pressing schedule; that schedule should not become a universal timer for a different pulp or home setup. Washi Finishing

A pressed sheet remains delicate. Snider describes impressions left by fingers on wet paper, so arrange your drying materials before lifting sheets from their supports. That preparation reduces unnecessary transfers while the surface is easily marked. Wet Sheet Handling / Drying

Your drying method determines how much moisture should remain after pressing. For stack drying, Hand Papermaking recommends a stronger initial wet pressing. For board drying, it recommends lighter pressing so the sheet retains enough water to adhere to its drying surface. Pressing every batch as thoroughly as possible can therefore work against the next step. More Couching and Drying

For board drying, place the damp sheet on a suitable smooth surface and establish contact from the center toward the edges with a soft brush or roller. Test an unfamiliar surface with one sheet first: the same guidance notes that unsuitable surfaces can hold paper too firmly to release cleanly. Temperature and humidity also affect whether contact holds during drying. More Couching and Drying

Board drying also affects the finish. The surface-facing side can become smoother and denser than the air-facing side. Choose it when that difference suits your paper, and inspect both faces when comparing results. Methods of Drying Paper

Exchange drying is a practical starting method: damp paper sits between absorbent layers beneath a weighted board, and those layers are replaced as they take up moisture. Paperslurry specifies checking daily and exchanging damp material for dry material until the paper is dry. Here’s How to Make Handmade Paper from Recycled Materials

1. Prepare flat blotters or another suitable absorbent material, plus a board and weights.
2. After wet pressing, place each paper sheet between absorbent layers.
3. Build an even stack and add the weighted board.
4. Check daily and replace damp interleaving with dry material.
5. Continue until the sheets are dry before deciding whether they need finishing pressure.

This method requires active moisture exchange. Leaving the original damp layers in place misses the operation that makes exchange drying useful. Drying duration varies with humidity, fiber, and sheet thickness; Hand Papermaking gives a broad range of a day to a week for this method. Drying Paper

For repeated batches, forced-air stack drying is another option. Snider describes paper between blotters, separated by corrugated boards, with weight above and air moving through the open corrugations. The blotters receive moisture while the airflow carries it away. Wet Sheet Handling / Drying

Dry pressing is useful when dried sheets still curl or show unwanted waviness. Hand Papermaking recommends clean, heavy books or boards for flattening air-dried paper. Snider also describes a separate overnight dry pressing in his workshop, although that account does not establish a required pressure or duration for every sheet. Drying Paper, Wet Sheet Handling / Drying

Start by flattening a dry trial sheet between clean, flat surfaces under weight. Release it and assess the result before treating the batch. If substantial cockling persists, Hand Papermaking suggests gentle misting followed by weighted blotters. Once moisture is added, allow for drying again; the treatment has become damp flattening rather than strictly dry pressing. Drying Paper

Use the sheet’s condition to select your next adjustment. The following diagnostic sequence is a practical synthesis of the cited methods, rather than a tested recipe for every pulp.

What you observe	Stage to reconsider	Next trial
Paper will not maintain contact with a drying board	Wet pressing and board application	Try lighter initial pressing and more even contact
Absorbent layers remain damp	Exchange drying	Replace them with dry layers and continue drying
Paper curls during open drying	Drying restraint	Compare with a restrained sheet from the same batch
A dried sheet has mild waviness	Dry pressing	Try clean boards or books before adding moisture

These adjustments follow the sources’ guidance on board adhesion, exchange drying, restraint, and final flattening. Change one part of your process at a time so the comparison remains useful. More Couching and Drying, Drying Paper

Make a small comparison using sheets from the same pulp batch with roughly similar thickness. Keep wet pressing consistent for two sheets, then exchange-dry one and air-dry the other on its couching support. Compare their shape and texture after drying, then dry press the air-dried sheet and assess it again. This suggested trial follows Hand Papermaking’s recommendation to compare drying methods by size, shape, surface, and texture. Drying Paper

For flat sheets, begin with wet pressing followed by restrained drying, then assess whether final dry pressing adds anything useful. For a more rippled texture, compare an air-dried sample before flattening it. Let the intended finish guide each stage: remove water while the sheet is wet, manage its shape while it dries, and use finishing pressure where the dried result needs it.

• Here’s How to Make Handmade Paper from Recycled Materials — Paperslurry
• Methods of Drying Paper — Hand Papermaking
• Wet Sheet Handling / Drying — Hand Papermaking
• More Couching and Drying — Hand Papermaking
• Drying Paper — Hand Papermaking
• Washi Finishing — Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking