Do I Need to Change the Paper in My Flower Press?

Many people recommend regularly changing the paper in a flower press during the three week pressing period - it removes excess moisture that has been soaked up by the paper, helping flowers to press successfully. Contrastingly, others recommend leaving the flower press untouched (aside from tightening the bolts) during the pressing process, to ensure the flowers aren’t disturbed and damaged.

I don’t change the paper, instead trusting in my flower press and blotting paper to work their magic. I’ve experimented with both changing the paper and not, and have found that changing the papers can harm the flowers - delicate elements such as petals are likely to stick to the paper in their semi-dried state and therefore risk tearing, folding or wrinkling if the papers are moved.

If you are using the right type of paper in your flower press - I recommend absorbent blotting paper - this should be enough to successfully press most flowers without the need to change the paper during pressing. If you are pressing thick, juicy flowers, the risk of mould will of course increase; part of the skill of flower pressing is in understanding which flowers will press well, and which have too high a moisture content to press whole. If you are working with flowers that contain a lot of moisture, they’ll need to be deconstructed before pressing, and for thicker flowers it’s also a good idea to use multiple layers of blotting paper on either side of the flower rather than one layer, to help to soak up the extra moisture.

For me, the beauty of flowers that have not been disturbed during the pressing process is unrivalled - the blooms keep their shape better and the petals look pristine. I always advise experimenting and deciding on the approach that works best for you, but if you have a quality flower press and multiple layers of excellent blotting paper to work with, there’s a good chance you don’t need to disturb your precious flowers whilst they press.