GrimboCrimby's Profile

More delicate things that are being conserved are backed with linen, but I always see oversize vintage prints that are backed with a thick paper or canvas to make them more durable. That's what I meant to suggest.

I've been a framer for 13 years, and I say it's okay to iron it. It's actually safer to iron it than to try to put it under a weight or roll it backwards. And DO NOT use plastic rails to try to hold the sides straight, those will damage the paper edge. Ironing might help, but the only way to completely flatten it would be to mount it to foamcore, (and if you do that, you might as well just frame it and ditch the roller because it won't roll again.)

These things aren't designed to hang constantly, so they almost always curl over time. Like some others said, use an iron on low/med heat, making sure to test an edge to make sure nothing melts before you slap the whole iron on the map. I would also use a piece of plain printer paper as a buffer between the iron and the map to guard against scorching (which is unlikely, but better safe than sorry).

For a more permanent solution, you might want to talk to a restorer about getting it backed with linen so you could still roll it, but it would be thicker and hold its shape better.

Hope this helps. :)