How to Get Creases Out of Your Warhammer Printed Banner

Quick Answer

Lay the banner print-side down on a clean towel and iron the back on low heat with no steam, or hang it somewhere warm and let gravity do the work. If the creases sit in a thick fold or the print feels brittle, stop and hang it instead of ironing. Always test a corner first.

A folded banner is easy to ship and store, but those fold lines are the first thing anyone notices when you hang it. The good news is that most creases in a printed banner come out with gentle heat and patience, not force.

The method depends on why the crease is there. A shipping fold behaves differently from a crease caused by a heavy object sitting on the banner for months. Work out the cause first, then pick the gentlest fix that matches it.

Diagnose the Crease Before You Touch It

Look at where the crease sits and how sharp it is. A soft, rounded line along a fold usually comes from packing and storage, and it responds well to low heat or hanging. A hard, shiny ridge that feels stiff to the touch often means the fabric or coating has been compressed for a long time, and heat can make it worse.

Check the back of the banner too. If the reverse side is a different material, coated, or noticeably stiffer than the front, treat the whole banner as heat-sensitive. In that case, hanging is the safer route and ironing should be a last resort.

• Soft fold line: start with hanging or low-heat ironing.
• Hard shiny ridge: hang first, avoid direct heat.
• Coated or stiff backing: skip the iron entirely.
• Crease near the printed edge: work slowly and keep the iron moving.

The Low-Heat Ironing Method That Protects the Print

Set your iron to its lowest heat setting and turn the steam function off. Lay the banner print-side down on a clean, light-coloured towel, then place a second towel or a plain cotton sheet over the back. Press and lift rather than dragging the iron across the surface, working from the outer edges toward the centre of the crease.

Give the fabric a few seconds to cool between passes before you check the result. Creases relax as they cool, so judging too early leads to over-ironing. If the crease is still there after three or four gentle passes, stop and hang the banner instead.

• No steam: moisture plus heat can distort the print.
• Press and lift, never scrub back and forth.
• Let the banner cool flat before rechecking.
• Test one corner before working the whole banner.

Hanging and Weighting as a No-Heat Fix

Hang the banner from its top edge in a warm room and let gravity pull the creases out over a day or two. A shower room after a hot bath works well because the humid air softens the fabric without direct contact. Keep the banner away from direct sunlight, which can fade the print over time.

For stubborn lower creases, clip small weights to the bottom corners, such as clean binder clips with a light cloth underneath to protect the fabric. Never weight a banner that is still damp, and never pull it tight enough to stretch the printed area.

• Hang from the top edge, print facing outward.
• Use gentle warmth or bathroom humidity, not direct sun.
• Add light weights only to the bottom corners.
• Check daily and remove weights as soon as the crease drops.

When to Stop and Choose Another Option

Stop ironing the moment you see any change in the print's sheen, colour, or texture. Those are signs the heat is affecting the surface, and continuing will make the damage permanent. If the crease has not relaxed after hanging and two careful ironing attempts, it is likely set into the material.

At that point, reframe the banner rather than fighting it. A slight wave reads as texture when the banner is hung against a wall, and you can draw the eye away from a stubborn fold with a shelf, a print, or a piece of Warhammer decor placed just below it. If the crease still bothers you, consider a different display format that does not rely on a flat fabric panel.

• Stop if the print looks shinier or duller than before.
• Stop if the fabric feels stiffer after cooling.
• Two failed ironing attempts means the crease is set.
• Reframe, reposition, or switch display format instead.

Storing Your Banner So Creases Do Not Return

Roll the banner loosely around a cardboard tube rather than folding it, with the print facing outward so the surface is not pressed against itself. Store it somewhere dry and out of direct light, and avoid stacking anything on top of it. If you must fold it, fold along the same lines each time so new creases do not form across the artwork.

For long-term storage, wrap the rolled banner in acid-free tissue or a clean cotton sheet. Avoid plastic bags for anything longer than a few weeks, because trapped moisture can affect the print and encourage a musty smell.

• Roll, do not fold, for storage longer than a few weeks.
• Print facing outward on the roll.
• Keep away from damp, heat, and direct sun.
• Refold along existing lines if folding is unavoidable.

Crease Diagnosis: Symptom, Cause, Fix, Stop Point

• Soft fold line from shipping or storage: The fabric was folded flat for a short time and the fibres have not yet relaxed. Hang the banner in a warm room for a day, or iron print-side down on low heat with no steam. If the line fades after hanging, stop there. No heat needed.
• Hard shiny ridge across the print: The coating or fabric has been compressed for a long time, often by weight or a tight fold. Heat can set this further, so hang first and only try a brief low-heat pass if hanging fails. If the ridge feels stiff and looks glossy, do not iron it.
• Crease that returns after hanging: A crease that reappears once the banner is back in storage is a storage problem, not a heat problem. Roll the banner around a tube with the print facing outward and keep weight off it. Fix the storage method before trying more heat.
• Print changes sheen, colour, or texture: This is heat damage and it is not reversible. Stop ironing immediately and leave the banner to cool flat. Reframe or reposition the banner so the affected area is less prominent. Any change in the print surface means stop for good.

Related Officially Licensed Pieces Worth Knowing

• Warhammer 40000: Servo Skull with Halo Hanging Decoration: Officially licensed Warhammer 40,000 hanging decoration featuring a detailed servo skull with halo design and durable construction for lasting use. A hanging piece like this can sit beside or below your banner to draw attention away from a stubborn fold, and its durable build means it stores and rehangs season after season.
• Warhammer 40,000: Iron Warriors Graffiti Insignia Notebook: Soft finish 80 page lined A5 notepad with bookmark, pen loop, and an elastic closure. Useful for jotting down which creases responded to which method, so you can repeat the fix that worked instead of guessing next time.

Most banner creases come out with low heat, no steam, and a little patience. Diagnose the crease first, use the gentlest method that fits, and stop the moment the print changes. If a crease refuses to budge, hang the banner, reframe it, and let the artwork do the talking.