I think the fellow poster has already made the point you are talking about two different machines, but I will add some as I work with the drymounting presses, flattening fiber, all the time.
The "Trockenpresse" you can use to either 'dry' or 'gloss dry' the fiber prints. Gloss dry you do by putting the wet image face down to the aluminium plate. Drying you do by laying the print in there face up to the canvas. Obviously many people have used these methods and they result in more or less flat prints. The flatness depends on how good you are at it, understanding many parameters like humidity, differences in photo papers, what to do after using the machine (still putting weight on a stack of prints, etc).
Personally I stayed away from this machine and always used a drymounting press to flatten air-dried prints. I use this equipment professionally and also most b/w fiber labs that still exist will use the drymounting presses.
I have two drymounting presses: a Seal for just over 40X50cm and a Büscher for just over 50X60cm. The Büscher I have had for 25 years, the Seal I got recently to be able to use less the Büscher. I am always afraid it will break down, so all my 40X50 and smaller sizes I do in the Seal.
These presses get the same result but operate slightly different. The older Büscher takes 30 minutes at least to get to 90 degrees, the Seal is much quicker. The Büscher has three heating positions, 1, 2 and 3. The last brings it to and over the 90 degrees, so you check the thermometer on the machine to switch to 2 after the 90 degrees was reached. The Seal you set to 90 degrees, a red light goes out when the 90 degrees is reached and the machine turns itself off. And on again when the temperature has dropped below the set 90 degrees.
You put the dry prints face down between a smooth folded museum carton (for mats, acid free) and you press between 1 and 2 minutes. Or longer is ok too if you haven't set the tension of the press too high. This is important, it allows for you to be interupted or do something else a moment without risking to press too hot/tense which can result in prints sticking to the carton.
Prints you can dry on drying racks, I just hang them using two paralel lines with larger, strong clothes pecks . . . When you dry the prints, the warmer the room, the more they wrinkle. After pressing it is important to put the prints between acid free cartons for at least some hours. I always trim the prints about half a cm after that. You cut the tension out of the paper. Make sure you wash your prints well, for the obvious reasons, but remember that remaining fix will go into pressing carton or the canvas of the glossing machines. That's bad.
The Büscher I do not remember how much I paid, the Seal was €450 two years ago, near Köln (I am in The Netherlands). I have the feeling both exist in smaller sizes, you need to research a bit.
Hope it helps !
Michael
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