The Grading Upgrade Game: Where Are the Sweet Spots for Pressing and Cleaning?
If you’ve been in the comic collecting community for any length of time, you’ve likely asked yourself—or seen someone else ask—the ultimate question: “What grade will this get if I press it?”
As a professional pressing service, we get asked this daily. Collectors want to know if their 4.0 can magically transform into an 8.0, or if that 9.2 can hit the coveted CGC or CBCS 9.8 tier.
The honest answer? It really depends on the combination of defects.
There is no one-size-fits-all rule in comic pressing, but over years of handling thousands of books, we’ve noticed definite "sweet spots" where certain grade bumps are consistently achievable. Let’s break down where the realistic upgrades happen, and where books usually hit a hard ceiling.
The Realistic "Sweet Spots" for Grade Bumps
When a book is a good candidate for a press (meaning its defects are non-color-breaking wrinkles, bends, or ripples), these are the most common grade bumps we tend to see:
The Low-to-Mid Jump (2.0 to 4.0): Books sitting in the 2.0 range often have a massive accumulation of handling wear, heavy warping, or severe stacking roll. By flattening out the structural chaos, a comic in the 2’s can often make the 4’s.
The Mid-Grade Climb (4.0 to 6.0): Comics sitting comfortably in the 4.0 range can sometimes make the leap into the 6.0s, provided the major limiting defects are indentation-based rather than structural damage.
The Silver-to-Bronze Bridge (7.0 to 8.0): Once you hit the 7.0 tier, the book is already structurally sound but usually suffers from a few glaring surface wrinkles or a spine roll. Correcting these can comfortably push some comics into the 8.0 range.
The High-Grade Edge (8.0 to 9.0): An 8.0 is a sharp book with just a few minor flaws. If those flaws are purely pressable indentation lines or light cover ripples, moving up into the 9.0 tier is highly achievable.
Pressing-Issues.com - The Grading Sweet Spots
The High-Grade Reality Check: The 9.8 Chase
What about the holy grail of modern third-party grading—the 9.8?
As far as the 9’s go, upgrading is VERY defect-dependent.
Let's dispel a common myth: it is incredibly rare for a comic to jump straight from a 9.0 to a 9.8. A 9.0 usually carries enough minor, permanent defects (like micro-stress lines or tiny corner dings) that a press alone cannot erase.
However, if you are sitting in the 9.2 to 9.4 range, there is absolutely a fighting chance. If a 9.2 is held back strictly by a minor bend from shipping or a light thumb crease from reading, a professional press can remove that single limiting factor and unlock the 9.6 or 9.8 potential.
The Mid-Grade Ceiling: What Holds a Book Back?
While we love a good success story, it's vital to talk about the limitations. The mid-grades (4.0 to 6.5) are where we encounter a lot of limiting defects. These are flaws that a press simply cannot fix.
If your book is being held down by any of the following, a press will improve its presentation, but it won't drastically alter the grade:
Subscription creases (which usually break color heavily down the middle)
Tape or tape residue
Blunted, rounded, or split corners
Edge chipping and paper loss
Tears and missing pieces
Sun fading
Water damage and staining
Before submitting a book for a press, take a close look under a good, angled light source. If the grade is being limited by structural damage, stains, or color breaks, temper your expectations. But if your book is suffering from a bad case of "the wrinkles," you might just be sitting on one of our favorite grading sweet spots.
Need a professional eye to evaluate your books? Head over to our submission page at Pressing Issues Comics and let us help you find the sweet spot for your collection!
