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THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO
LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
How to Identify, Invest & Care for Your Collection
by: Jay Brown |
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CHAPTER 11
- STORAGE AND SHIPPING |
Packing For Storage
Your intention was to frame the print right
away, but economics determined that you should save a few pennies first. Or,
perhaps your plan was to buy the print, keep it as an investment, and then sell
it when you could clear a cool million buckaroos. Either way, paper art prints
need to be carefully packed if they’re not going straight into a mat and frame.
Most art prints today come in protective acid-free
folders or envelopes. Inside the folder will be a one-ply, acid-free buffer
paper and often times a board to offer the print support. This is adequate
protection if the print is being kept in a file drawer or a plastic portfolio
sleeve. But, what if you don’t have a drawer or a sleeve? Then how should you
protect the print?
The first thing to do is make sure that nothing is
touching the print that could lead to discoloration from acid-burn. Ideally, all
biographical cards and authentication paperwork will be taken out of the
envelope, too, since there’s no guarantee that they are harm-free. Then the
envelope with the print inside should be sandwiched between two sheets of an
acid-free board. After you’ve done this just lay the boards flat in a safe area
within a room that is humidity controlled. If you want, you can put a couple
small pieces of tape on the boards to hold them together.
Above all, never roll a paper print for storage. When
you roll a print you are stretching the paper fibers, and when you allow a print
to remain rolled for a long period of time there’s a very strong possibility
that it will never flatten completely again. If you receive a print rolled —
whether it’s in a tube or not in a tube — unroll it immediately.
Also, avoid using any corrugated material. Corrugated
cardboard is very high in acid content and it can be very harmful to any piece
of art. If your print arrives in a corrugated box or packing and you don’t plan
to frame the print within a couple of months, you should remove the print and
throw away the corrugated packing material.
The Harm of the Roll
While rolling a print and putting it in a
tube may seem like a space saving way to store a print and an economical way to
ship one, it can cause irreparable damage to a work of art and it should be
avoided whenever possible.
If an art print has to be rolled, there is a method to
use that can reduce the amount of damage. Nearly all paper has a grain to it and
if the print is rolled with the grain less damage will be done. To find the
grain, curl the paper slightly horizontally and then do the same vertically.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to feel some resistance one of the ways. The least
resistant direction is the way the grain runs and this is the direction that the
print should be rolled.
The rolling should then be done as loosely as possible.
For instance, it’s much better to use a tube with a 6-inch diameter than one
with a 3-inch diameter. And, if the print is being rolled for storage, you can
roll it around the outside of the tube instead of rolling it tighter and putting
it on the inside.
At the first opportunity, take the picture out of the
rolled format and either store it flat or arrange to have it framed. Rolling for
a long period of time causes the paper fibers to stretch abnormally and if it
stays that way for a long period of time, the roll can become permanent.
The Art of Shipping Unframed Prints
Have you ever looked out your window seat on
a plane just above the area where the baggage handlers put the suitcases on the
conveyer belt and seen someone’s luggage go flying over the conveyer belt and
land on the tarmac? Well, that’s the kind of care you can expect when you ship
your precious artwork from Point A to Point B.
Perhaps you’re one of a rare breed that enjoys filing
insurance claims and fighting with shippers over who was really at fault. But if
you’re not a glutton for punishment and abuse, then you need to take extreme
care to pack your artwork well before shipping.
If there’s a gallery near you, stop in and see if they
have a print box you can use. Most galleries have extra boxes and they’ll
probably just give you one as a courtesy. But, if there isn’t a gallery nearby,
then you’ll have to make your own shipping container.
If you’ll be making your own box, the first thing
you’ll need is four sheets of heavy corrugated cardboard cut to at least 4”
bigger than the print’s envelope. You need the boards to be bigger than the
envelope to protect the print in case the box is dropped on a corner and
crushed. If the print is sitting away from the corner, the risk of damage is
reduced significantly.
To attach the print to the cardboard, you’ll need to
prepare four corner pockets. The easiest way to do this is to take four sheets
of 8-1/2 x 11 paper and fold them into quarters (fold one vertically and one
horizontally). Now, center the print on the board and slip it into one of the
corner pockets and tape the corner onto the cardboard. Make sure you use a
reasonably strong tape at least 2” wide - preferably a filament tape, strapping
tape or duct tape. Then repeat this procedure until all four corners are
securely attached.
Now place one of the sheets of pre-cut cardboard below
the first board, and put two sheets above it. Then, tape all four of these
boards together. Now, run the tape around all of the edges of the cardboard
until all the seams are secure and covered. Next with a red magic marker write
“FRAGILE” all over the box and add your address label. You’re ready to call the
shipper.
Most art prints are shipped via UPS, FedEx, Airborne
Express, or RPS, however, if you live in a remote area the U.S. Postal Service
can be used as well. Call around for the best price and arrange to have the
package picked up or dropped off. And above all, don’t forget to add the
insurance.
If the picture you are shipping is extremely valuable,
it’s a good idea to add a sheet of either 1/8 tempered hardboard or plywood to
each side of the box and tape them down as well. This will give the box more
stability and hopefully keep the box from being punctured or crushed.
If the piece is irreplaceable, you should contact your
local insurance person before handing the package over to the shipper. Many
shippers will not insure irreplaceable items and no matter how well you pack the
print, damage can occur and packages can get lost. It’s always better to be
overly cautious than “boxed” into a corner.
The Art of Shipping Framed Prints
If you need to ship a framed print with
glass, you should first consider all the other options. Is there a way to have
the picture hand delivered either by you, a friend or a family member? Is the
picture small enough to be carried onto a plane and stored in the overhead bin
or put into one of the closets on board? Or maybe the person you are shipping it
to is coming to visit, and you can just give it to them in person and make it
their problem to get it home. Now, that’s a plan – just pass the buck to someone
else.
The problem with framed art is the glass can break and
if it does, most of the time it will damage the art. All you can do is take the
best caution possible and pray that the picture will get to its destination
safely. You might be able to convince your local gallery to do the shipping for
you. If they’ll do it, ask them how much experience they have shipping glassed
art and if they are experienced, you might be wise to let them do it.
If you decide to handle the packing and shipping on
your own, you’ll need to build a wooden crate. To determine the size of the
crate, lay the picture on the ground. Measure the length and width and add about
6 inches to each. This will allow for 3 inches of padding on the sides. Next,
measure the height of the frame and add about 4 inches. This will be the size of
your box. For example if the picture is 16 x 20 x 2, you’d need a box 22 x 26 x
6.
The easiest way to make the box is with 1 x 6 or 1 x 8
pine and a couple of sheets of inexpensive plywood. Simply lay the 1 x 6’s on
their edges and nail them together to form a rectangular box. Then screw a sheet
of plywood to the box for a base.
Next, you’ll need to reinforce the glass. By doing
this, if the glass does break then hopefully the tape will hold it together and
protect the picture. The best and easiest way to do this is with electrical tape
or masking tape. Just make a checkerboard design with the tape on the glass,
allowing approximately 1 inch of space between each strip.
Next, get some foam, bubble wrap or plastic foam
popcorn and float the picture in the box until it’s well-cushioned and evenly
protected on all sides. Make sure it’s snug, so it won’t slide around during
shipping. When you’re done, just screw the other piece of plywood to the box,
find your handy red marking pen and write “FRAGILE” all over every side. Now
you’re ready to select a carrier.
The best way to ship a framed and glassed work of art
is by air — FedEx, UPS overnight or second-day air or Burlington Air Freight.
Air shipments aren’t moved as often and the risk of damage is reduced. Make sure
you take the insurance option and then just keep your fingers crossed that you
get a phone call from the person to whom the shipment went and they sound happy
and excited instead of broken-hearted.
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