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Packing Guidelines

Please follow our packaging guidelines to ensure buyers receive their newest additions in perfect condition.

Paintings & Framed Work

We suggest using heavy duty cardboard boxes where possible to keep shipping costs down. You may want to consider a wooden crate for select sculptures or fragile items.

  1. Always make sure that your painting is completely dry before packaging it. If unsure (drying times can vary widely), research the correct drying time for the specific supplies you’ve used. 

  2. Select an appropriate shipping container. Ensure that the selected cardboard box or wooden crate has sufficient room to fit the artwork comfortably, leaving a few in/cm of space on either side.

  3. Wrap the artwork in archival quality glassine paper or archival quality acid-free tissue paper to protect against moisture. You may wish to cover the piece with plastic for added protection. Avoid touching the surface with bare hands by using either white cotton gloves or placing acid-free tissue between the work and your fingers while handling.

  4. Wrap the artwork in at least two layers of bubble wrap, with the bubbles facing outwards to ensure they do not mark the work. Secure fully with tape. Make sure all the corners are padded well to prevent any damage on impact.

  5. Sandwich the work between two layers of foam board (at least ½ in / 1.5 cm thick) or two-ply cardboard; the board sheets should extend about 3 in / 7-8 cm beyond the wrapped work on all sides. Use packing tape to bind together. For framed artworks, foam corners are recommended to prevent damage. Take care not to apply too much pressure to the surface of your work, which can create indentations on a stretched canvas.

  6. Place the board covered painting into the selected box or crate. Use bubble wrap or wadded/shredded paper to fill the empty space to pad and ensure the work doesn’t move during transit. If there is still room for movement, add more packing material to ensure a snug fit.

  7. Glazed work is particularly fragile and susceptible to damage in transit. If your work is glazed, take extra care when packing and place safety film over the glass to protect the artwork should the glass break in transit.

  8. Seal your shipment with heavy-duty, high-quality packing tape.

  9. Label the package clearly as fragile and consider providing instructions for the buyer for unpacking and re-wrapping in case of return.


Works on Paper (shipped rolled)

We recommend shipping works on paper rolled in a heavy duty mailing tube. This keeps shipping costs down, and the reduced surface area makes the package less susceptible to damage while in transit.

  1. Select the appropriate tube size. The tube should always be approximately 4 in/ 10 cm longer than the shortest edge of the artwork when laid flat.

  2. Wrap the artwork in archival quality glassine paper or archival quality acid-free tissue paper to protect against moisture. Fold any excess paper at the bottom of the print upwards and press down so the bottom edge of the print rests nicely within the fold. Make sure that the work is completely covered by the paper.

  3. Roll the print gently around the mailing tube a few times. This will prevent permanent creasing of the paper and eases the print into a roll. Then carefully roll the print to a diameter slightly smaller than that of your mailing tube. For added protection, you can use a second inner tube with a smaller diameter for support. In this case, you can roll the paper-covered artwork around the smaller rube.

  4. Roll a layer of bubble wrap around the paper-covered artwork for padding and to prevent moisture. Seal completely with tape.

  5. Insert the rolled print gently into the mailing tube. Fill any spaces at the ends with extra bubble wrap, taking care not to crush the edges of the artwork.

  6. Place the end caps on the tube and safely secure both ends with tape.

  7. Label the package clearly as fragile and consider providing instructions for the buyer for unpacking and re-wrapping in case of return.

 

Works on Paper (shipped flat)

If you need to ship flat packed, we recommend following these instructions to help ensure safe transit.

  1. Select an appropriately sized reinforced envelope or sturdy cardboard box.

  2. Wrap the artwork in archival quality glassine paper or archival quality acid-free tissue paper to protect against moisture. Fold any excess paper at the bottom of the print upwards and press down so the bottom edge of the print rests nicely within the fold. Consider covering the piece with plastic for added protection.

  3. Add corner protectors. You can easily make your own by taking a square piece of acid-free paper, folding it in half to create a triangle, folding in half again and placing over the corners.

  4. Affix the work to a sheet of mount board slightly larger than the artwork using tape to keep it in place.

  5. Place two pieces of stiff cardboard on either side of the artwork, taping both sides of the cardboard sheets together.

  6. Wrap the piece in bubble wrap before placing in your reinforced outer envelope and secure with tape.

  7. Label the package clearly as fragile and consider providing instructions for the buyer for unpacking and re-wrapping in case of return.

 

Sculpture

Because sculptures vary so widely (sizes, weights, materials used), it is difficult to provide a standard set of packaging instructions. Please refer to these as general guidelines and adapt as necessary to best suit your piece. 

  1. Glazed work is particularly fragile and susceptible to damage in transit. If your work is glazed, take extra care when packing.

  2. Securely wrap the top half of the sculpture several times with bubble wrap. The number of layers will depend on the form and fragility. Secure the cut edge of the bubble wrap with tape.

  3. Add protective top layers by using several pieces of bubble wrap, large enough to cover the previous wrapping. Seal in entirety with tape.

  4. Wrap bubble wrap around the bottom half of the sculpture several times. Make sure it overlaps slightly with the top half to ensure full coverage. Secure the cut edge with tape. Use more tape to seal the seam between the top and bottom half.

  5. Add protective layers to the bottom half. Seal in entirety with tape.

  6. Sculptures less than 12 in / 30 cm tall weighing under 5 lbs / 2.5 kg can be shipped in a sturdy cardboard box. We recommend all others ship in a custom wooden crate. Ensure that the selected cardboard box or wooden crate has sufficient room to fit the artwork comfortably, leaving a few in/cm of space on either side.

  7. Fill about 1/3 of the box or crate with shredded paper. If using a cardboard box, reinforce the bottom with extra packing tape (across the flaps and up the sides) before filling with paper. Make a shallow well in the middle and set the sculpture inside. Fill the remainder of the box with shredded paper, surrounding the sculpture. Securely pack the paper around the sculpture to lessen movement while in transit. Ensure that there is more paper underneath to account for compression.

  8. If using a cardboard box, seal securely with packing tape using the H-taping method.

  9. Clearly indicate on the crate or box which side is the top (“THIS SIDE UP”) with arrows on all side panels to ensure proper handling during shipping. Clearly mark as fragile. Provide any necessary unpacking instructions for the buyer and consider providing re-wrapping instructions in case of return.