I will definitely use it in the future. If you do, how do you protect such a piece? What about flat Styrofoam panels in place of bubble wrap? David Straithairn, Charlene Swankie and Linda May also star in this film that became a favorite on the film fest circuit. I was told that the package was there and trace is on processing.

These are large, flat sheets of cardboard that can be used anytime you need extra padding or wrapping. Your kids or grandkids or you!

While any individual bubble is easy to pop, a sheet of the bubbles, working in concert, draws a surprising amount of strength by distributing pressure and impact across a wide area. Bubble wrap both cushions the art and fills space, preventing unwanted movement within your packaging. When shipping paintings, bubble wrap should be your filler of choice — never use styrofoam peanuts when shipping paintings more on this later. I order two to four rolls at a time so that I always have plenty on hand.

The perforations make measuring and cutting much easier and cleaner, and it costs the same as the non-perforated rolls. We suspend the rolls on wires from the ceiling in our supply room so that the roll is out of the way and yet easy to access and unroll. While I understand that every penny counts, packing tape is not an area where you should be pinching those pennies. I have received packages before where the art was literally falling out of the box because the tape had failed to hold.

You will end up having to use two to three times as much tape to secure your boxes, and even then you risk it not working effectively. Cheap packing tape may actually end up costing you more, not to mention a client, especially if your artwork is damaged because the tape fails. I always use 3.

This will usually be the heaviest duty option available, but, when in doubt, ask your supplier what their best tape is, or just buy their most expensive option. This is probably true. I imagine that delivery company employees become pretty immune to those stickers after a while. Even so, I use large fragile stickers on every shipment.

The freight company might not pay much attention to them, but they make me feel better, and they let my clients know I care. Ideally, you would have a dedicated shipping area in your studio where you keep all of your supplies and tools and have a large table to work from. The first step in packing a painting is determining which boxes and materials you are going to use, and then planning how to use them optimally.

This process begins by measuring your artwork. I start by determining which outer box I am going to use. So this box will work just fine. We are also going to be double-boxing our artwork, which gives us an added layer of protection.

If your delivery company always charged you shipping fees based purely on the weight of your package, calculating and minimizing your shipping costs would be pretty easy.

Unfortunately, this is not the case. If a package exceeds a certain size threshold, the carrier will charge you based on the size or the actual weight; whichever is greater. Simply contact your delivery company and ask them how they calculate dimensional weight and what their size thresholds are. Many of the companies will list this info on their websites. The formula typically looks something like this:.

In our example then, we would first figure out the volume of our box. When shipping larger artwork, you can often run head first into this issue. Think of this extra charge as leasing van space. Knowing this, if you find that the box has a lot of empty space inside, it might make sense to use a smaller box, or to cut it down with the box sizer so that we avoid the dimensional weight charge. It still might not be worth the hassle to cut the box down or get another box, but at the very least you should be aware of the impact that size has on your shipping costs.

Check with them to find out what those restrictions are. Exceeding these size restrictions will cause you to incur additional fees and force you to seek out another delivery option. The size of the artwork dictates the size of the final package, and there are going to be times when you simply have to go over the threshold for dimensional weight and bear the additional costs.

This is not the end of the world, though, and you should certainly never compromise the safety of your artwork simply to shave off a few inches to remain under the thresholds. Again, damaged artwork costs you far more than slightly higher shipping fees. I mentioned above that one of my essential supplies is palette wrap.

I use the plastic wrap to protect paintings and frames from scratches and scuffs. However, with larger pieces you should pass the wrap over the surface multiple times to cover all of the artwork. Your natural tendency is going to be to start on the front, but if you start on the back and wrap at a straight angle all the way around once, you can then pull the wrap diagonally down the back side of the artwork to start your next row of wrap.

By having your diagonals on the back, the front of the artwork is covered with smooth, straight rows of plastic, which not only protects the art itself, but also looks attractive to the client upon opening. This inner layer of cardboard is going to create a kind of second box that will greatly diminish the possibility of having a foreign object pierce or scuff your artwork. This box will also help absorb shock if the package is dropped. Most shipping companies require that freight be double-boxed before covering it for damage, and in my experience, this layer of cardboard has always satisfied the requirement for a second box.

I keep both single-wall and double-wall sheets on hand, but I almost always use the single-wall. I only use double-wall cardboard when I am dealing with extremely heavy or delicate art. I try to plan my folds so that they are on this axis. You can then measure the width of the painting and double it, measure the depth of the painting and double that, then add a few inches for good measure and mark the cardboard using your T-square and Sharpie.

Use your box cutter to make your cut. Now, lay the cardboard flat, place the artwork roughly in the middle, and fold the ends over. Tape the overlap to seal the cardboard closed. The ends of the inner-box will be open, and because we allowed four extra inches at the end, you should have about two inches of empty space at either end. Instead of cutting and folding this extra space, simply squeeze the sides together to form a kind of triangle and tape it closed. By taping the ends in this way, you are creating an additional buffer at the end of the artwork that will act as a great shock absorber.

I mentioned earlier that the edges of the artwork or frame are the most prone areas for damage, and by giving yourself this extra cushion, you have given the two ends of your artwork an almost impenetrable barrier. Our final inner layer is bubble wrap. Just like we did when we were wrapping the plastic around the art, we want to keep some tension on the bubble wrap as we are applying it to the artwork.

Keeping the wrap tight will allow us to maintain clean edges and prevent bunching. Next, I almost always apply a second layer of bubble wrap around the edges of the artwork. I do this by measuring enough bubble to completely circle the edges of the artwork. I fold the bubble in half lengthwise and then tape it to the edges of the painting. Now we are ready to slide this whole, neat package into the cardboard box. We want to fill this outer box as completely as possible.

The number one cause of damage to frames and corners of the artwork is movement allowed by extra space in the box. You can go about eliminating this space in one of two ways. First, you can cut the box down to size as mentioned above in the section on sizing , or you can fill any voids with bubble wrap. I usually choose the bubble wrap because it takes less time than performing surgery on the box.

Just keep the guidelines on carrier size restrictions in mind when making this decision. If you do end up cutting the box down, Woodshop Dust Collectors For Sale 5g I suggest you use your T-square and Sharpie to create straight cuts. Your box will look much better if all of your cuts are straight.

It will be easier to get good results if you tape one end of the box closed so that you are dealing with the box in its 3-D form instead of flat. If you minimize the cuts I usually only have one continuous cut all the way around the box , you can telescope the parts of the box together to eliminate your extra space.

Telescoping is great because it reduces waste and adds an extra layer of cardboard wherever the boxes overlap. I consider sloppy taping a cardinal sin and I want to devote an entire section of this document to the subject of taping. The first step to good taping is to use good tape. I said it above, but it bears repeating: Use the highest quality tape you can find. The next secret to good taping is tension. Almost every packing tape gun allows you to control tension with a knob on the tape wheel.

Low tension will cause your tape to bunch and fold as you are sealing your box, and it will also make it nearly impossible to cut the tape.

Applying the tape is a two-handed operation. When starting on a new seam, I hold the tape gun in my right hand and use my left hand to hold the tape down at its starting point on the box. I pull the tape gun back to unroll enough tape to cover the seam, but I do this several inches above the surface of the box. Once I have enough tape, I keep it tight, line it up with the seam, and then lower it onto the box — keeping tension on the tape by pulling the gun.

Cutting the tape is an art. I use my right thumb as a brake, holding the roll in place. I now have a couple of taut inches of tape extending from the box to the gun. The rest is in the wrist. I want the saw-blade knife on the gun to start cutting on one side of the tape. I make this happen by turning my wrist in a clockwise motion while maintaining tension. In short, the tape cutting process is a combination of tension created by my thumb holding the tape roll while I pull on the gun, and twisting my wrist so the blade can bite through the tape.

I encourage you to tape all of the seams of your outer box, including the short seams at the ends of each flap. This may seem like overkill, but any un-taped seam is a potential snag, and if something catches under the seam, your box could easily be ripped open.

I also always apply tape all the way around the length and width of the package to tighten everything up. Glass is so susceptible to cracking in transit that some carriers refuse to insure anything that involves it. Because the slightest jolt or tension can cause your glass to shatter, it is even more important that you provide ample padding and eliminate all possible movement.

You can apply this tape to the entire surface of the glass, and, if the glass should happen to break, the resulting shards will stick to the tape instead of slashing your artwork to shreds. Another approach is to get out of the glass shipping business altogether. I know of an artist who does pastels, which are, of course, displayed behind glass. When a piece is sold, the artist takes the artwork to his framer, has the framer remove the glass and replace it with a sheet of clear plastic.

The artist has built the cost of doing this into his pricing. If you are dissatisfied, keep trying different companies until you find one that makes you comfortable. There are two general classes of delivery companies: the common carriers such, as FedEx and UPS, that primarily handle small to moderately sized packages, and the larger freight companies and freight forwarders that deal with larger shipments.

Anything larger will ship via a freight company or truck line. If you plan to ship in any kind of volume, however, you should set up an account with the carrier and ship using their online service. This will save you money, and often you can schedule a delivery driver to pick up the package from your studio, saving you a drive as well. If you start shipping in even higher volume, say an average of 10 pieces or more per month, you should talk to a sales representative for the company and ask if any volume discounts are available, and if they would apply to your situation.

Depending on your volume, the savings could be significant. Most of these companies offer a variety of options for delivery time.

Ground shipments can take anywhere from a couple of days to over a week, depending on the distance and accessibility of your customer. You can also use their 3-day, 2-day and overnight express services. For larger pieces you can use one of the trucking lines like Conway, or freight forwarders like Bellair Express. The freight forwarders may ship the art via air, truck or train, depending on your timing needs and budget.

Unfortunately, many of these companies will only pick up from a commercial address rather than from a private address , and may be unwilling to come to your studio no matter how hard you try to convince them it is a business. Now I would like to discuss some practices you should avoid. Recently we received a painting the artist wrapped using only bubble wrap. As I mentioned above, bubble wrap is great for padding your art in transit, but it should not come in direct contact with the art.

When we unwrapped the painting we could see that the bubble had stuck to the varnish. Removing it left an imprint of the bubble wrap on the surface of the entire painting. From certain angles you could see the perfectly spaced imprints of the bubbles. We had to have the artwork re-varnished before we could present it to a client who had already purchased it. Sometimes when delivering a piece of artwork directly to a client, I will wrap the painting with only bubble wrap, but when I do this I make sure the bubbles are facing out so the flat side of the bubble wrap is turned toward the painting.

Recycling is both environmentally conscious and economical, but every cardboard box has a lifespan. Avoid pressing a box into service beyond that lifespan, especially if you are shipping to a customer. Using an old box is inviting trouble. As an artist, you want your client to feel that they are buying one of your masterpieces. As I stated in the shipping procedures section, bubble wrap is the correct material for filling voids in your boxes.

Never use peanuts for this purpose. There are two main reasons for this. This is especially true when you are shipping two-dimensional artwork. There is simply no way to get a painting, photo or print out of a box filled with peanuts without disgorging them all over the unpacking area. Peanuts will settle to the bottom of the box and as the box gets jostled about in transit, the bottom of the box will flex and expand, allowing more peanuts to concentrate there.

The space at the top of the box will be left unprotected. In spite of your best efforts in padding and protecting your artwork, damage is inevitable. Once Woodshop Dust Collectors For Sale Quartz your artwork leaves your hands, it is passing into a vast and complicated shipping network with lots of moving parts.

There is no way to completely eliminate the possibility of damage, so you should plan for its eventuality and consider purchasing insurance to protect against loss. You can insure yourself against loss in several ways. The delivery companies usually offer some minimal coverage by default, but this is usually just a few hundred dollars. For an additional charge you can add more coverage.

If you are only occasionally shipping, carrier insurance is probably the simplest and most efficient way to insure the work with the least hassle. If you ship regularly however, it makes sense to have a business insurance policy that covers your art not only while it is in transit, but at all times.

Talk to a business insurance agent and they will be able to get you a quote. There is, of course, another option: You can insure yourself. If you feel that the likelihood of damage is small enough, or that the cost of insurance is too high, you can simply cover the cost of any damage yourself. Often, damage is repairable, and since you made the art you probably have the perfect skill-set to repair it!

On the rare occasion that damage occurs, the manner in which you react will affect your relationship with your client and the likelihood that you will recover damages from your shipping company or insurance policy. You are in a far better position if your client feels that you did everything in your power to protect the artwork.

You are also far more likely to file a successful claim with the shipping or insurance company if you have met their shipping requirements. Reassure your client that your are doing everything in your power to rectify the situation.

There have been times where we have provided an immediate refund for their purchase, and then worked to get a replacement piece from the artist. Typically, when damage occurs, the shipping company will return the artwork to you. When the piece arrives, talk to both the shipping company and your insurance adjuster to find out how they would like you to proceed.

Document the damage to the packaging and to the artwork per their instructions. You can never have too many photos or too much documentation.

Provide the shipping company or insurance agency all of the information they need in a timely manner. As I mentioned in the introduction, I enjoy shipping artwork from time to time. When I first opened my gallery, I would ship everything from the smallest sculpture to the largest painting. Any artwork larger than this almost always requires a wooden crate for shipment. In the early days of my gallery I had access to a great woodshop and I would build the crates myself.

I felt I not only enjoyed shipping, but was certainly saving money by doing all of the work myself. Imagine my surprise when, several years after opening the gallery, I had a local art crater ship a large painting and discovered that the total charges for his crating and shipping services came to less than what it would have cost me to ship the piece myself. Because the shipper did such a large volume of shipping, he was able to achieve economies of scale with his materials, and got a huge volume discount in his freight charges.

It was actually costing me more to ship the art myself, especially if I factored in the time. You will probably find this to be the case for you as well. When shipping large artwork, it will probably ultimately save you money to find someone locally to ship the work for you.

Shipping artwork can be a challenge and frustration, but it has actually never been easier to ship than it is today. With the right tools, supplies and shipping procedures, you can ship your artwork safely and efficiently. What have you learned by shipping your artwork? Do you have any tips or advice that might help other artists? Simply want to share feedback on this article?

Leave your comments below. Thanks Jason, very valuable information. What is your experience with the plastic wrap on the surface of oil paintings, assuming they are dry enough.

There is also another product that I hang onto when I find it in packaging, a sort of papery plastic wrap that seems to not stick to anything, but just lies on top. It sort of feels like the peanuts surface. You have to tape it down of course. I find it great under the bubble wrap. I do like your idea of the double boxing with bubble in between. But yes: Excellent article! Thanks, Jason. Spot on! We are a family owned business which we make handcrafted art panels in wood and metal.

Your method is preferred to insure damage-free results. We basically use these guidelines to ship within the US, as well as internationally. The damage occurred when the large box slip and dropped during handling by the carrier. This is valuable information! Where is your company located. Do you have any advice for me? Thank you? Great article. Thank you for very valuable information! Use the Airfloat Systems box L.

Do you have a preferred gauge for this stretch wrap? Now a lot of it has stuck to the surface. It will probably come off, but an annoyance to be avoided. All the best Jessica Dunn. Jason, I commend you on your taping technique. Fully sealing all of the seams on a carton traps the atmospheric conditions from the origins where the painting was packaged. Thus shipping the art piece in its own little atmospheric bubble. Shipping from one climate to another e. Not just in locations but by shipping containers.

Over-heated truck to oversea cargo container. The paint needs to breath and acclimate to the changes gradually. Although your experience in shipping art is more than mine, depending on how far you are shipping something, I would not directly wrap a painting in plastic. As others have mentioned, especially with oil paintings, the oil may adhere to the plastic from heat. Plastic can also trap moisture against the surface.

I would suggest the Glassine paper or Tyvek for any paper or canvas artwork. Or at least kraft or packing paper. Paper would give some level of absorbency. All this barrier needs to do is prevent scratches and keep it clean. All great ideas! Thanks Jason! Although I trust your knowledge, I feel uneasy about the plastic wrap next to my acrylic paintings.

Every time I ship, I put a layer of either paper or cardboard against the front, and then wrap it in either the plastic or bubble wrap.

I got my rolls of palette wrap from Uline, btw. Hi, As I tend to move paintings that are dry but not fully cured and I worry about plastic wrap, I have found that heavy butcher freezer paper works well.

Because hunters use that paper to wrap meat, it is available inexpensively at Wallmart in large quantities and size. It is very slippery on one side and heavy paper on the other side. This is an exceptionally useful article. It will be my shipping Bible, with the use of the freezer wrap! Hi Desley, The papery plastic wrap you refer to is Glassine, as others have already mentioned. Glassine is a translucent paper product often used for archiving paintings a photos.

It is also used in the food industry for items like cookie pouches or wrapping butter. It is strong and grease resistant. Another option is Tyvek.

This is more of a fibrous clothe material. Often used for shipping software CDs or wrapping houses. It is a very strong, tear resistant and breathable material. Costs more than Glassine. Both are available by the roll from Uline. Thanks Jason for sharing your knowledge. I advise anyone who has the opportunity to take one of your workshops, to do so. Thanks for taking so much time to write a detailed article with photos.

Thanks very much. Thank you so much for such an informative article. You mentioned that when you hand deliver a piece to the client you will wrap it in bubble wrap. I have made various size soft bags using felt lined vinyl.

I sew up the sides with seam facing out so the inner felt side has no edges for artwork to hit, just felt. I have used them over and over throughout the years and they are also good to store beautifully framed work.

Good article. Jason, you always provide the best information in a simple and easy to understand format. Thank you so much! Great advice. And I would add that seal release paper is great for covering encaustic paintings. It will not stick to anything. What an amazing article and suggestions! I will never use peanuts again!

Thanks so much for sharing your expertise. Fantastic article and interesting to read the comments. I have started to use glassine paper which is extremely hard to get large size in the UK unfortunately. Thank you Jason! I would love to learn how to do the packaging and preparing of the artwork for shipping so as to be able to pass that savings on to my clients.

I love the plastic wrap and use it often but great idea to put it around the paintings prior to boxing. Thank you again! Let me add some additional info based on my shipping of client work in my giclee printing business. I find it really difficult to get boxes at good prices as Uline seems to be the best source, and if you want larger sizes you have to pay for truck deliver which is a lot more expensive than UPS which is their usual shipper.

Also Uline has minimum amounts which are mostly more than I need or want. Besides Uline I have not found another good source for boxes. Except for FedEx. No bubble wrap is necessary as the interior has a sheet cardboard system that allows for this, for artwork to be positioned securely for shipment. Now two shipments is only two, but these boxes seem pretty darn good and they are easy to assemble. I also have to say that a local packer told me they once used plastic palettte wrap when packing an acrylic painting and when it arrived the plastic pulled off some of the acrylic paint in the process of unwrapping.

She no longer uses plastic palette wrap. Personally I go to Lowes and get boxes of clear 4 mil sheet plastic in ft. After years of shipping my work to galleries, still something to learn! Your article was so practicle, great to see photos of packaging! Hi Jason, This is a great article with lots of valuable info. Thanks for your generosity in sharing it. They ship very well that way, stay in place, and are nice and neat. Again, thanks for a great article— the part about adjusting the size of the box was especially helpful.

Thank you for a very good article and the informative responses. I ship my glass paintings, and have learned from friends to double-box using foam in both boxes so that the work is entirely surrounded by foam. The best foam is new and therefore not compacted by previous use. Since foam occupies all the air space, there is no way for the artwork to migrate toward the edges and thus get damaged if the box gets rough treatment.

The second issue with things like ceramics or glass is their weight, because heavy works should be in custom-made crates. If they are heavy, even double-boxing with foam is not enough protection. Perhaps Jason will also write an article on shipping sculpture. Hi Nancy. Inteeesting to see your response. I am trying to mail a framed with glass painting that is 50 inches long and 33 inches wide.

Looking for a better alternative. Marlys johnson. Great article! I have been doing all of this with the exception of the palette wrap, never heard of it, could you tell us a brand name so I can get some?

Thanks again! Beware wrapping your painting in plastic when it is varnished, it can stick to the painting doing damage to the work.

This is why I use heavy freezer paper sometimes called butcher paper as the first wrap and not plastic. It is used here by hunters to wrap cut meat. It is shiny and slippery on one side and heavy paper on the other. Reynolds makes it and it is found at Wallmart in large rolls in the same section as kitchen wrapping plastic. It has proven a lifesaver on several occasions. I need to know of a good art shipper for artwork from San Diego to Cincinnati.

The piece is 6. Can you advise anyone? Thanks so much, Connie. Dear Jason, Thank you for posting this information. It was a great find for me. I have been looking for my notes from your webinar on this topic. Now I can add the information next to your book. I plan on having Stan Bowman make some copies of my paintings and to ship them as you have suggested. Thank you, Jason and everyone else for the great tips. This is information close to the heart of every artist. I will be sure to share this on facebook.

I made the same mistake with bubble wrap once, with the same results — only once. Now I first wrap the paintings in brown mailing paper and then in a clear plastic bag, taped closed with shipping tape in case the package comes into contact with water. What plastic bag do you use, may I ask?

And do you have a preference for brown mailing paper that is both flexible and strong? Thank you. One point I might add.

Very helpful info. Although I primarily ship prints and ceramics, this is great information to have handy! Thanks fo much! I loved this thorough and well-written article. I find it a little perplexing that you advise against bubble wrap against the surface of a painting, but not plastic wrap. I use Glassine paper as the first layer against the painted surface, and then bubble wrap. Others have also mentioned this in their comments. I saw the saddest result of inadequate packing yesterday.

An artist located in Saigon had shipped a matted and framed watercolor for an international show to the U. No plastic wrap no plastic bag, just cardboard protection.

The whole package was soaking wet when it arrived. The watercolor paper was severely buckled, some of the paint had been released in the process and the entire matting was destroyed. This is an extreme case but so sad when it happens. Great, very helpful article, Jason. I love that you are a very practical, hands-on gallery owner who speaks so well to the artists you sell.

Thanks, Jason!! Thank you very, very much for sharing in such a pictorial and informative way that us visual people can understand. I pay to get my artworks packed and sent overseas but now I may have enough courage with such an excellent explanation to follow to have a go at doing it myself. I have avoided shipping a framed painting under glass perhaps to my detriment, but with these instructions I clearly see how safely it can be done. Thank you for the well informed step by step instruction.

Thank you for the professional article—and especially for the clear, step-by-step images. I have been using 4 mil. This method works, and does not stick in any temperature.

But your method would be easier and less expensive. I fear acrylic sticking in the heat, though. Have you ever had issues with that? Good question Kirsten. If anyone were going to have this issue, it would be a gallery in Arizona which is where we are located. It might make sense to test it out on several pieces as your mileage may vary. Jason, Great tips. I am an artist living in the UK and need help getting my art off the ground. Many Thanks. I will try that. Is it also archival for longer-term storage?

I was unsure whether to wrap paintings in tyvek for archival storage, then re-wrap them in plastic palette wrap prior to shipping or to just stick with the plastic wrap for both storage and shipping. Great information, thanks for sharing! What is the standard practice? Insuring it for double the value would be excessive, and the insurance company would probably refuse the claim. If you think about it, the client paid you for the piece already, so you have that money, then if the art gets destroyed you get the insurance money to pay the client their refund, but you still have the original money that the client paid you to compensate your for the time and materials.

Of course! Thanks for taking the time. Thanks so much for your fantastic advice on shipping artwork, definitely very helpful. For someone who is new to this, I was wondering if you have had any experience with shipping art that uses shells or other natural items and whether there are any boarder security requirements specifically to the USA. I would advise you to pack the artwork assuming that a Customs agent might open it and have to repackage it, so try not to make it too complicated to remove from the box.

This article is SO valuable! I never thought of using an inner AND outer box. Thank you for taking the time to teach us! I have been successful in shipping framed pastel paintings within the continental US, but now am wanting to ship one to Hawaii and am concerned about the pastel dust shifting during air transit.

The only way I can think of is to remove the art from the glass and frame, pack the art between foam core, then package and ship the art and the frame separately. That way I know the pastel would arrive safely. The recipient would have to re-frame the piece. Is there a better, reliable way to ship framed pastels with glass via air travel? Thank you so much for sharing this article! What is your experience with using Plexiglass in stead of real glass in a framed drawing?

I am in South Africa and I am almost sure glass would not make it if I ship abroad. I make photo realistic pencil drawings on paper and will be horrified if any damage come to them.

What are the dangers to my drawing if I opt for the Plexiglass in stead of glass? Non-glare plastic is better than glass anyway.

Hi Nadia, I have used acrylic sheets sold by my framing supplier over my drawings a few times. I now try to avoid it as much as possible. Plex can create static that will actually lift small particles of your medium off of your drawings, muddying the glazing and your mats, and scratches easily. I have had to replace it after each show because of scratching. If you absolutely must use it, try a high end product like Tru Vue Optium Museum glazing.

It was previously only sold in huge sheets that were terribly expensive and none of my suppliers would cut it; so I opted to send work under Tru Vue Museum glass in an Airfloat box re-enforced with glasskin and had no problem. Good luck to you! First I plan on wrapping the Floatmount image in a plastic bag to protect it from rubbing and moisture.

I would like your opinion on this. I am really not wanting anything like bubble wrap, Styrofoam, Honeycomb Cardboard, extra cardboard, etc. I am thinking that any excess force against the face of the box will transfer to the image if there is anything touching it. Can you give me your opinion on this? I could go with triple walled cardboard, or single wall with honeycomb cardboard or Styrofoam for extra stiffness and still find a way to keep it away from the image.

I should have noted that the images are The surface of the image does have a laminate on it. Do you mean to sell these Floatmounts Images to the public in stand up fashion? What happens when the canvas is bigger than the maximum size cardboard box that I can find? Is there a supplier than can supply this size box? Grant, look for telescoping mirror boxes. They are definitely available in sizes large enough to fit that size work.

Incredibly useful article — just what I was looking for to reference. I have not shipped artwork, but plan to start up — was curious how directly wrapping the canvas with palette tape works. Saved me from making mistakes. After double boxing my art work, I purchased a few cans of insulating foam from the hardware store and shot foam between the two boxes. Seems to help insulate the art. Thank you so much for this detailed tutorial! I just sold my first painting, and I was wondering how on earth to mail it!!!

Fabulous info — I do get into a panic sending my art through the post, that feeling of lack of control and worry until it reaches its destination safely.

Thanks H. What a lovely blog and advice you share regularly, thanks so much. Your videos are very helpful, as well, kudos for all you do within the arts community. Hi,great subject, I usually pack my work well but never knew about not putting bubble wrap close to your art work as this could damage your art, thanks Becky. I use a super smooth product called glassine ordered in rolls, re-usable from Uline. It keeps the soft stuffing from making imprints in the art. Thorough information on a very important subject.

Thanks for sharing! This is really helpful. I am looking for shipping company in Dallas to ship some paintings to China. Any advice is welcome. Thank you for being super thorough in this article!

Yes, it cost more to ship but the painting arrived intact with no damage whatsoever. This is awesome thanks soo much Jason for the knowledge and wisdom you displayed for us and thanks to everyone for the super helpful comments, great stuff!

If you need a well made, specially sized box in a hurry, Advanced Packaging Specialties in Mesa is great. An emailed order is ready in two-three business days and very inexpensive. Tom Fink Art Parts in Phoenix is one. He also makes beautiful wooden parts for my art as well. Then comes my shipper: I use Craters and Freighters. They are a shipper broker of sorts. I wanted to say, I have used Craters and Freighters twice. Shipping large cradled birch panels, painted in acrylic with a high gloss varnish to a restaurant.

They were wonderful, and I thought the cost was extremely good. Do you have any pointers specifically about shipping unframed prints? Excellent article! This article would have made a good addition to the packing bible. Great subject for discussion. The cost was under ten dollars and worked well for a 48 X 36 piece. Great article — never knew about the box sizer — sweeeeet. I ship lots of 3D work so this sounds awesome — thank you Jason!

Have you ever had an experience with the wrap sticking to the painting? I hope you reply to this because I really like the plastic wrap idea and will use it if I can rest assured that it will not stick to a painting even in high humidity conditions. The challenge for many artists with the Airfloat is the cost. Thanks Chisho! Very good advice, as always, Jason. I wonder if you ever ship larger pieces rolled up, qfter taking them off the stretchers.

If you do, how do you protect such a piece? I had a terrible, but at the same time amazing experience once, with a piece that I sent from Mexico to Austria. The painting measured 1mx1m So it was a long size.

But, inspite of my using a sturdy inner tube and bubble wrap, as well as the very firm outer tube, that my linen from NY Central is shipped in, the roll arrived in Vienna bent in the middle, at a right angle. I had not insured the package and nobody took the blame. I was willing to paint the piece again the recipient was a family member , but was told not to: A family friend, who is an artist as well as a professional art restorer, was going to fix the damage. I thougt this must be impossible, as oil cracks and crumples when bent that much, but I gave in.

The piece was indeed restored, at the atelier of that man, when another desaster hit: the Danube flooded his house and swept away several works of art, including mine!

After the water level dropped, my muddy painting was found, stuck in sime bushes a good distance down-river. The restorer went to work again, washing, cleaning and re-touching the piece. Thank you for the great information! Shipping can be such a challenge, and after reading your detailed article I feel more confident about doing it. Thank you so much for this incredibly useful informqtion. Does a thrid party need to be involved for customs, etc??

What are your thoughts on using a tube? I use a sheet of slick paper to protect the surface instead of plastic wrap and I would still tape the ends of the tube to prevent snags or water damage. What do you think? Thanks, Maggi. You would need a large-diameter tube, because lb watercolor paper will not roll up tightly, let alone lb. Shipping them flat wrapped in glassine and taped down between thick layers of cardboard significantly larger than the painting and with reinforced corners seems like a better idea, though the shipping may cost more.

Hi Maggi, I ship full sheet weight watercolors in tubes all the time with no problems. I ordered both products on Amazon. The larger boxes can cut to size and taped together if you need an even longer box.

Of course all the inner packing that Jason mentioned goes in the box too. Great job on this article, Jason — wow, that took a lot of work and time but will probably be the definitive article on the net regarding art shipping for some time.

They seem to handle things more carefully. We drive 80 miles roundtrip to use the Fed-ex shipper rather than the local UPS…. Just our 2 cents…. You mentioned that you use the box sizer tool to make shipping boxes from raw cardboard. I have one of these tools and would like to know how you do this. Thanks for the great article…I had to ship 3 Warhols a while back.. I hope to soon sell some of my own.. I think I shall give myself the same consideration as I gave Warhol….

Hi Great article! Thank you so much I had a question: what about framed work? Should I remove the oil painting from the frame, wrap it in the plastic, put the frame back and then pack it with more bubble? What is your suggestion? Thanks in advance. He painted a large canvas then rolled it up for storage. He had rolled it with the painted surface on the inside, and when he unrolled it later, the paint cracked as he unrolled it.

After that he always said, if you ever roll up an oil painting, make sure the painted surface is on the outside. Maybe Jason can speak on this. To date I have only shipped my work from Canada to US. I was recently contacted by a client from Singapore who intends to purchase a number of my artworks for resale. It is my first sale overseas, and as this client may become a steady customer in the future I do not wish to botch our transition.

When it comes to shipping I have first been stymied by the lack of adequate insurance. UPS has directed me to several online tools, but they are only available if I register, and the Terms Agreement is 97 pages long! Now I hear that there is also a customs fee and maybe even taxes? At this point adequate packaging is the least of my problems.

Mili here is asking the same things I was wanting to know about international shipping, customs and paperwork involved. To find out how you can make your money go further, read our guides to finance in Germany. Find out all about mobile banking in Germany with this guide explaining how Health insurance in Germany is mandatory, and conditions apply whether residents must choose Living in Germany? This guide explains everything you need to know about home Planning on driving a vehicle in Germany?

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