The effects of hot pressing of electrodes onto Nafion(R) membranes in the preparation of membrane and electrode assemblies for direct methanol fuel cells have been investigated. Hot pressing does not significantly influence the cell resistance or methanol crossover, but it can decrease cell performance by restricting mass transport in the anode catalyst layer. It also increases the time required for the cell to reach optimum performance. Best performances were obtained with membrane and electrode assemblies that had not been pressed. It was also found that membranes that had not been subjected to hot pressing could easily be re-used, making recycling of membranes and catalysts more feasible.