Dugz Cards / Product guide
How to use your
Dry Press
Dry your TCG cards with reusable silica beads, protective foam and firm but gentle pressure.
This guide covers assembly, monitoring and care. Read it before your first use, then keep it handy while you work.
Start the guide
Always practise on low-value cards first
Card restoration is a skill. This is a specialist drying tool, used at your own risk. Practise on inexpensive cards of the same type before working on anything valuable, and learn how their stock and finish respond.
Excess pressure, unsuitable treatment or handling a fragile surface can damage a card. Keep pressure firm but gentle and inspect carefully. Results will vary.
The principle
A dry environment. A supported card.
A damp card can curl as it dries. The Dry Press is designed to support it between two foam sheets while silica beads reduce moisture in the surrounding air.
Silica takes up moisture
Dry silica beads adsorb water vapour from the enclosed air. This creates a drier environment into which moisture from the card can gradually evaporate.
Foam and lid support the card
The two foam sheets cushion the card. The flat lid and four thumbscrews let you apply firm but gentle, even compression, holding the card flat so it cannot bend as it dries.
The bag encloses the air
The resealable bag limits exchange with humid room air. Keep the press inside the closed bag while drying and read the hygrometer through its window.
Get to know the parts
Build the sandwich in this order
The card sits between the two foam sheets, above the red grid. The silica stays in the base recesses, separate from the card.
- 01 / TOPPressure lid & thumbscrews
- 02Upper foam
- 03Your card
- 04Lower foam
- 05Red grid
- 06 / BASESilica reservoir
Step by step
Using your Dry Press
-
Check the silica beads
Your press arrives assembled, with loose silica beads already in the base recesses. Keep the base level. Remove the lid and foam, then release the red grid's side clips and slide the grid out to inspect the beads.
The supplied orange indicator beads should be bright orange and cool before use. If they have darkened towards green, recharge them using the instructions below.
When refilling, spread the beads across the base recesses. Keep them below the supporting ribs and clear of the sliding guides so the grid can close without pressing on them.
Beads stay below the supporting ribs and sliding grid. -
Slide the red grid into place
Align the grid with its guides and slide it fully into position. Check that the side clips have engaged and the grid sits level.
Remove any loose beads or debris from its upper surface before adding the foam. If the grid will not close easily, check for trapped beads instead of forcing it.
Shown partly open. Close and secure the grid before adding foam. -
Add the foam and card
Place one clean foam sheet flat on the grid. Centre your card on it, keeping every edge within the foam. Cover it with the second foam sheet.
Check both contact surfaces for grit, beads or residue. Keep the card and foam aligned as you lower the lid.
Always use both foam sheets.The illustration shows the card before the upper foam is added. Add that second sheet before fitting the lid, so foam protects both faces of the card.
Lower foam, then card, then the second foam sheet. -
Apply firm but gentle pressure
Fit the lid with its curved cut-out beside the hygrometer. Start all four thumbscrews by hand, then tighten gradually, alternating between diagonally opposite corners.
Hold the card firmly flat between the foam sheets so it cannot bend as it dries, keeping the lid level. This is a drying tool, not a dedicated flattening press. Do not try to force out a crease or dent with extra pressure.
Do not force the screws, use tools or tighten simply to reach a mechanical stop. A thicker card takes up more space, so the lid sits higher and needs less screw travel to make contact. Adjust to the card and foam, rather than using the same number of turns for every card.
Alternate opposite corners: 1 and 2, then 3 and 4. Keep pressure firm but gentle. -
Seal the press inside the bag
Place the assembled press in the supplied black resealable bag, with the hygrometer facing the window. Close the resealable strip completely across its full width.
Keep it on a level surface at room temperature, away from direct heat and sunlight. The press works with desiccant and does not need heating.
The closure is at the short end beside the hygrometer. Window shown clear for illustration. -
Monitor, inspect and release
Read the humidity through the window while the bag is closed. When you inspect the card, open the bag and gradually loosen the thumbscrews in opposite pairs. Lift the lid and upper foam gently, supporting the card as you handle it.
If a surface is sticking, do not pull it apart by force. Stop if you see a new imprint, surface change or other sign of damage.
If the card needs further drying and its condition remains suitable, reassemble with clean foam and active beads, then reseal the bag.
Reading the result
Drying time and humidity
What the display tells you
- 51%
- The larger number is relative humidity: the moisture level in the surrounding air.
- 21.8°C
- The smaller number above it is the air temperature.
These are example readings, not drying targets. Your display will change with conditions inside the bag.
There is no single drying time
How long a card takes depends on its starting moisture, thickness, coatings and construction, as well as the room conditions, bag seal and condition of the silica.
Build experience with low-value practice cards. Record the card type, starting condition, inspection times and outcome so you can develop a routine for the stock you work with.
Do not assume a thicker card needs the same time as a standard TCG card, or that more time always gives a better result.
RH is an air reading
The hygrometer displays relative humidity (RH) in the surrounding air. It does not measure moisture inside the card.
A falling reading helps show that the environment is becoming drier. A low or steady reading alone does not prove that the card is dry. Use it alongside inspection and your experience with that card type.
Opening the bag changes its humidity. After resealing, let the reading settle before comparing it with an earlier sealed-bag reading.
Reuse and maintenance
Recharge the silica beads
The supplied orange indicator beads change colour as they take up moisture. When they darken towards green, it is time to recharge them.
Heat the removed beads only
Never put the press, red grid, foam, card, hygrometer or resealable bag in an oven or microwave. Empty the beads into a suitable heat-resistant container and allow them to cool fully before returning them to the press.
Oven settings for the supplied beads
Approximately 93 to 121°C
Allow 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Check regularly. The beads should return to bright orange before you stop heating them; the time needed will vary with the moisture they have absorbed and the amount being recharged.
This guidance applies to the orange indicator beads supplied inside your Dry Press.
Remove, recharge, cool, refill
- Remove the card, foam and lid. Release and slide out the red grid, then carefully empty the loose beads from the base.
- Spread the beads in a shallow layer in an oven-safe tray. Heat within the range shown and check regularly.
- When the beads are bright orange again, remove the tray using suitable heat protection.
- Allow the beads to cool fully. Return them to the base recesses, below the ribs, and refit the grid. If you are not refilling immediately, store the cooled beads in an airtight container.
Between uses
Keep the contact surfaces clean
- Inspect the foam before every card. Replace it if it is dirty, damaged or permanently indented.
- Keep loose silica and dust away from the foam and card. Silica belongs beneath the red grid.
- Keep the bag closure clean and check the bag for damage if humidity stops falling.
- Store the empty press and its cool, dry beads in the closed bag between uses.
- Keep loose desiccant away from children and pets. Do not ingest it.
Common questions
Why is the humidity not falling?
Check that the bag is fully closed and undamaged, and that the beads are active. A damp card adds moisture to the enclosed air, so its reading can take time to change. A persistent problem may need fresh or recharged beads, or a check of the hygrometer.
Should I tighten more if the card is still damp?
Keep the pressure firm but gentle: the card should be held firmly flat so it cannot bend as it dries. This is a drying tool, not a dedicated flattening press. Extra force is not a substitute for drying time or active desiccant. Reassess the beads, bag seal and card condition before applying more pressure.
Can I use the press without the bag?
The supplied bag is part of the drying process. Without it, the beads are exposed to room humidity and the press does not provide the intended enclosed environment.
Does it repair creases, dents or surface damage?
The Dry Press is designed to support a card during drying. It does not guarantee the removal of creases, dents, warping or other existing damage. Suitability and results depend on the card and any treatment carried out beforehand.