Best Way to Get Art Paint Shipped to Your House
Introduction
I accept been in the gallery business concern since 1993. Though I now own Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, I started in the concern on the ground floor. My first chore was in the backroom, shipping artwork for a Western Art gallery in Scottsdale. The gallery had a high sales book, so I got a lot of experience packing, crating and shipping art of every shape and size. I shipped paintings and sculptures big and modest and learned what was important in making sure artwork arrived safely.
Over the years I certainly learned some lessons the hard way – non every piece arrived safely. Sometimes, despite my best efforts, artwork would be damaged by the delivery visitor, and sometimes, I would fail a modest particular, resulting in a shipping disaster. Eventually I became quite good at it, and fifty-fifty though I somewhen moved into a sales position and ultimately opened my own gallery, I continued to sneak into the shipping room from fourth dimension to time to keep in practice. To this solar day I volition sometimes pack and ship a piece myself – at that place'south something satisfying about the physical act of shipping a piece of artwork.
Shipping is both science and art, and I would like to share with you some of the lessons and techniques I've learned over the years.
While shipping is almost second nature to me, I know that information technology poses a perplexing challenge for many artists and gallerists. I know this first-hand: Some of the boxes I receive at the gallery are packed atrociously. From these boxes information technology is clear many artists either don't know how to ship their piece of work effectively. Or they know, but don't care very much. I promise I can make your life a little easier the next time you have to ship a painting.
While this document will focus on shipping two-dimensional art – paintings, prints, photographs – I hope to take a companion document on shipping sculpture in the side by side several months.
Disclaimer
While the advice I'm sharing with you comes from years of practice and feel, there are no guarantees in the arena of shipping fine art. Sometimes, despite your all-time efforts, artwork gets damaged in transit. I cannot guarantee every piece you lot ship using the techniques below will make it safely, just they will help you lot amend your odds.
Another important thing to remember is that each painting provides its own unique challenges. While these guidelines volition work in well-nigh cases, occasionally y'all will have to adjust them to run into the needs of your individual state of affairs.
My Goals When Shipping Art
When aircraft artwork, before I begin I take three key goals in mind. I have listed them here in descending lodge of importance.
Rubber
1 of the worst imaginable calls in the art business is from a client who has received a piece of artwork damaged in transit. No matter how bang-up a piece of work of fine art is, no thing how well you have served your collector, if the artwork arrives damaged your customer is going to be upset. After we'll hash out how to mitigate your customer'south frustration and plough the disaster into an opportunity to provide exceptional customer service, but far better to avoid the impairment in the first identify.
In my feel, most damage can be avoided with careful planning and packing, and this should be goal #1 when you are shipping fine art.
Professionalism
I accept often declared that artists and gallerists are every bit much in the functioning art business as the visual art business concern. We want to convey to the collector that the piece of work of art they but bought, or are because to buy, is a masterpiece. Everything we do in relationship to the physical piece of work of art should reinforce this message. When handling the fine art, we should do so respectfully and almost reverentially. This applies to how the art is shipped as well. When the art arrives on your client's doorstep, you want the packaging to expect like it is worthy of the artwork within, not something that savage off the recycling truck.
Efficiency / Economy / Ecology
Finally, I don't want my shipping expenses to consume then far into my profit margin that the sale becomes unprofitable. While safety and professionalism certainly come first, those concerns accept to exist balanced against your costs. Yep, you lot could lease a jet and hand-evangelize the artwork to your client to brand sure it arrives safely and professionally, but this approach would be neither economical nor efficient (probably not all that ecologically friendly either). Ultimately, I desire to ship the artwork for the least cost, while still maintaining safety and professionalism. These factors can be balanced, and I am going to give y'all advice that will salvage you coin.
We are also fortunate to alive during a "Green" revolution, when recycled materials and energy efficient transport is becoming more than easily accessible. I try to utilize recycled materials wherever possible, and many transportation companies will allow you to buy carbon offsets for your shipments inexpensively. With a niggling careful planning you lot tin can minimize the environmental impact of your art shipping action.
The Right Tools for the Job
My begetter-in-police force is an attorney by day and an avid woodworker by dark and weekend. He has an astonishing woodshop where he crafts fine furniture. I stand up in awe of the finely detailed and precise work he does in the store. His success is equal parts skill, practice, talent and inventiveness. He tin envision a piece of furniture, and then engineer and execute a design that allows him to manifest the furniture precisely to his vision.
While his talent, skill and creativity are vital to execute his work, none of it would exist possible without the vast array of tools he has assembled over a lifetime of woodworking.
Fortunately shipping is far less exacting than fine article of furniture making, but the importance of having and using the right tools is analogous. Your shipping will be simpler and safer if you have the right tools.
For nearly $100 you can assemble a bones shipping toolkit. I have five favorite tools I use consistently when shipping. While at that place may be a few boosted tools that will come in handy from time to time, these tools are a skilful identify to beginning.
Don't skimp on these tools. You may pay a little more to get high quality tools, only this investment volition chop-chop pay off in increased productivity and professionalism. A good tool volition final years; you lot'll want to rid yourself of a poor 1 every bit quickly as possible. In other words, you'll actually spend less in the long run by buying and maintaining practiced quality tools.
My Shipping Toolkit Contains the Following:
Knife (Box Cutter)
A loftier quality, heavy-duty box cutter with lots of blades is one of your well-nigh-important, most used tools. Once you start shipping seriously, you lot are going to be cutting cardboard like crazy. If your pocketknife isn't sturdy and abrupt, your cuts are going to be messy. A dull, or rickety knife will cause the cardboard to crumple and buckle rather than cut.
I change the razor blades in my knife after every five packages – more than frequently if necessary. Blades are inexpensive, peculiarly if yous buy them in majority.
Record Gun
For my tape gun, I prefer one with a handle that holds 2" packing tape. Detect one that provides a mode to suit the gun'due south resistance, usually through a knob or screw on the tape roller. Y'all'll come across why this is important later on when I prove you how to most effectively apply the gun.
T-Square
A good T-Square volition assist y'all brand straight, even cuts when modifying your boxes. The T-square is primarily used by builders who are installing drywall, which is typically 48" wide. I am going to recommend you lot purchase your cardboard in 48" widths, which makes this the perfect tool for measuring your cuts.
Sharpie
Nothing beats a Sharpie for marker your paper-thin for cutting. A pencil works also, and some might argue that an errant pencil marker is easier to muffle or erase, only I like to go my score marks downwardly speedily and boldly so there is no room for uncertainty. A marker line is hard to miss or confuse, and is therefore ideal for marking up your packing materials.
I buy the versatile Sharpie markers past the dozens and so I never have to worry most running brusk.
Box Sizer
All of the other tools in this listing take been fairly mutual, and are easy to find at your local hardware store. The last tool in my toolkit, the box sizer, is a tad more specialized, and may need to exist ordered online. But it is indispensible once you go the hang of using it. In essence, it is an adjustable tool that allows you to create fifty-fifty and smooth scores on cardboard. These scores then allow you lot to fold the paper-thin wherever you need. With a box sizer you can modify boxes to fit your exact needs, or even create boxes from raw cardboard. I actually utilise this tool far more than often when packing sculpture, merely information technology also often comes in handy when boxing up paintings.
Supplies
Just every bit having the right tools on hand makes information technology easier to pack your art professionally, having the right supplies on hand will simplify your shipping life and save you a lot of running effectually when you lot make a sale.
While packaging suppliers offer an overwhelming diverseness of supplies – boxes in every shape and size, tapes in every width, large bubbles, small bubbling, peanuts – you can meet most of your packing needs with simply a small armory.
Again, the goal is to exist able to do the nearly with the least.
Hither are the supplies I try to accept in my inventory at all times. While I occasionally have to special order a box for a particular work of art, nine times out of 10 I can pack any two-dimensional artwork that comes my fashion using just these supplies:
Boxes
For my painting shipments I have 3 master picture box sizes that I employ.
28" 10 4" x 24"
37" 10 4 3/eight" x 30"
36" x half dozen" x 42"
Your supplier's sizes may vary slightly, but almost will have boxes very close to these dimensions.
The two larger sizes are both telescoping boxes. Telescoping moving-picture show boxes are terrific because y'all can use just one if the artwork fits, or, if the piece of work is larger than a single box, y'all can slide two boxes together to make a larger box. With a footling surgery you tin can even slide 4 boxes together to accommodate still larger pieces.
The boxes are relatively inexpensive, and, when used properly, provide sufficient protection to keep your art safe in transit.
Palette Tape & Wrap (4" wide & 24" wide)
This versatile plastic wrap is perfect for giving your art a protective peel earlier boxing. It is very similar to the plastic wrap you use in the kitchen to cover casseroles and other food you lot want to keep fresh in the refrigerator. As the name implies, its principal office is to wrap boxes on shipping palettes, simply I will bear witness you below how you tin use the wrap as a protective coating around your fine art to protect against scratches and scuffs.
48" x 96" Cardboard Pads (single & double wall)
These are large, flat sheets of cardboard that can be used anytime you need extra padding or wrapping. You'll see that I apply these pads to provide an extra layer of paper-thin between your fine art and the world, but you can also apply them when yous are customizing a box and end up with a gap, or when yous need extra padding on a corner.
Bubble Wrap
Your kids (or grandkids (or you!)) love stomping on bubble wrap to create the satisfying little "pop." It might be a little hard to believe that something that pops so easily has incredible ability to protect your precious paintings. While any individual bubble is easy to pop, a canvas of the bubbling, working in concert, draws a surprising amount of force by distributing pressure and impact across a broad area.
Chimera wrap both cushions the art and fills space, preventing unwanted movement within your packaging. When shipping paintings, bubble wrap should be your filler of option – never use styrofoam peanuts when shipping paintings (more than on this later).
I order two to 4 rolls at a time and so that I always have plenty on hand. I exercise occasionally use the small chimera multifariousness, only the vast majority of my shipments require me to use the larger, i" chimera rolls.
I used to order both 36" and 24" broad rolls, simply I plant that I used far more than of the 24", and in the interest of space, decided to social club only the 24" width, figuring that I can ever use more sheets for those occasions when I demand more width.
I too always society bubble wrap that is already perforated at 12" intervals. The perforations brand measuring and cutting much easier and cleaner, and it costs the aforementioned equally the non-perforated rolls.
We suspend the rolls on wires from the ceiling in our supply room and so that the ringlet is out of the way and yet piece of cake to access and unroll.
Packing Tape
I'm only going to say this once, but I'1000 going to say it emphatically:
Buy the very all-time packing tape you can afford!
I know we're all on budgets, and we accept to stretch to brand those budgets meet our ever-increasing needs. While I empathize that every penny counts, packing tape is non an surface area where you should exist pinching those pennies.
I have received packages before where the art was literally falling out of the box because the record had failed to concur. Cheap tape is harder to use, harder to cut, and doesn't stick. Yous will finish up having to employ two to 3 times as much tape to secure your boxes, and even then you risk it not working effectively.
Inexpensive packing tape may actually end up costing yous more, not to mention a client, especially if your artwork is damaged because the tape fails.
I always utilize 3.five mil (that's three.v thousandths of an inch) thick tape in two" wide rolls. This will usually be the heaviest duty option available, but, when in dubiety, ask your supplier what their best tape is, or only buy their nigh expensive option.
"Fragile" Stickers
I can't remember where I heard it, simply someone once said, "Plastering 'fragile' labels all over a package only ensures that the delivery company will toss the package under-hand instead of throwing it over-hand."
This is probably true. I imagine that commitment company employees get pretty allowed to those stickers afterward a while.
Even so, I utilise large fragile stickers on every shipment. The freight company might not pay much attention to them, just they make me feel improve, and they let my clients know I care.
Packaging Procedures
Now that we take our tools and supplies together, we're ready to begin boxing our first piece of art. Ideally, you would have a dedicated shipping surface area in your studio where you keep all of your supplies and tools and accept a large tabular array to work from. If this isn't the example, articulate the largest flat surface you can notice – your dining room tabular array is probably the side by side best candidate as it'southward better to work at table height than on the floor.
Sizing
The start step in packing a painting is determining which boxes and materials yous are going to use, and then planning how to utilise them optimally. This process begins past measuring your artwork.
I start by determining which outer box I am going to utilize. My general rule of pollex is that I want to find a box that gives me a minimum clearance of about ii" all the mode around the artwork.
As an illustration, let'south say we accept an 18" 10 18" painting that is 1.5" deep. We will therefore need an outer box that is at least 22" x 22" and about 5.5" thick.
In this instance, I would utilize my 28" x four" ten 24" box. This is a footling bigger than we need, but because this package isn't big plenty to incur dimensional weight (encounter department on Dimensional Weight beneath) we are going to be charged by the weight of the box, not the size. And then this box will work but fine.
You lot'll notice that the box depth isn't going to give me a total 2" clearance front and back, merely I'll have over an inch. If the piece isn't extremely frail, this is okay. Depth isn't equally big of an issue as superlative and width because the edges and corners are the virtually harm-prone areas of the artwork. We are also going to be double-battle our artwork, which gives usa an added layer of protection.
The ultimate goal of sizing is to requite ourselves enough room to buffer the artwork from the outside earth, and to see our freight company's padding requirements. Most of the freight companies will but cover impairment in packaging that gives you this ii" buffer. Be sure and read your freight company's damage and packaging policy to confirm you are meeting their requirements.
Dimensional Weight
Another consideration when planning packaging is your freight company'due south dimensional weight policy. If your delivery visitor e'er charged you shipping fees based purely on the weight of your package, computing and minimizing your aircraft costs would be pretty easy. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Considering the size of a package impacts the number of packages a freight company can move but as much as the weight does, the companies accept come upward with a way to account for both dimensions by calculating the "dimensional weight" of a parcel. If a packet exceeds a sure size threshold, the carrier volition charge you based on the size or the actual weight; whichever is greater.
Though this sounds complicated, information technology's really pretty easy to figure out. Only contact your delivery visitor and ask them how they summate dimensional weight and what their size thresholds are. Many of the companies will list this info on their websites. The formula typically looks something similar this:
L x W x H
166
and the company might say that any package that has a total book over five,184 cubic inches has to apply the dimensional weight formula or the actual weight; whichever is greater.
This happens to exist UPS's current dimensional weight policy, which is why I'thousand using information technology here, but these formulas can change from time to time, and so brand sure you are using up-to-date information.
In our example then, we would first figure out the volume of our box. Since nosotros are using a 28" x iv" x 24" box, we multiply those three dimensions to summate our volume, which happens to measure to ii,688 cubic inches. Since we are well under their v,184 cubic inch threshold, nosotros don't take to worry about a large charge for dimensional weight.
When shipping larger artwork, you tin often run head first into this issue. Permit'south say nosotros had a painting that required a bigger box. If nosotros used our 37" x 4 3/8" ten 30" box, we would find that our book comes to 5,550 cubic inches. Since nosotros've passed their threshold of v,184 cubic inches, we accept to factor in the dimensional weight (5,550/166), which comes to a total of 33 lbs. Then, even if the painting only weighs 10 lbs, we're going to be charged for 33lbs, since the size takes up so much space in their shipping van. Call back of this actress 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 employ a smaller box, or to cut it down with the box sizer then that we avoid the dimensional weight accuse. In this case if we took just 3" of the length or height of the box, nosotros would be at 5,100 cubic inches and would just be charged for our actual weight.
It still might non be worth the hassle to cut the box down or get another box, but at the very least y'all should be aware of the impact that size has on your shipping costs.
Size Restrictions
You should besides be enlightened that many of the mutual carriers, including UPS, FedEx, and the U.s. Postal Service have unique size restrictions. Check with them to find out what those restrictions are. Exceeding these size restrictions will cause y'all to incur additional fees and force y'all to seek out another commitment option.
The size of the artwork dictates the size of the final package, and in that location are going to be times when y'all simply accept to go over the threshold for dimensional weight and behave the additional costs. This is non 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. Once more, damaged artwork costs you lot far more than slightly college shipping fees.
I will talk over how to ship larger artwork in more depth below.
A Protective Skin of Plastic
I mentioned above that ane of my essential supplies is palette wrap. I use the plastic wrap to protect paintings and frames from scratches and scuffs. There'southward aught complicated most applying the wrap, but the surreptitious is to pull the wrap tightly effectually the artwork, applying pressure the entire time you are wrapping the painting so the wrap doesn't become bunched or tangled. With our example painting at eighteen" x xviii" nosotros only need to get around the art once to cover the entire surface. Yet, with larger pieces y'all should pass the wrap over the surface multiple times to embrace all of the artwork.
This adjacent tip is hard to explain on newspaper, but as y'all wrap a larger slice you lot'll come across exactly what I mean:
Start wrapping on the back 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 bending all the fashion around once, you can then pull the wrap diagonally downwardly the back side of the artwork to showtime your adjacent row of wrap. By having your diagonals on the back, the front of the artwork is covered with polish, straight rows of plastic, which non only protects the art itself, just also looks attractive to the client upon opening. It's a small thing, simply it will make the wrapping job look more than professional.
Finally, and I'yard not sure if this is superstition or scientific discipline: Carefully cut modest slits in the back of the plastic then that the art tin breathe. I can't imagine breathability being a huge issue for the brief fourth dimension about artwork spends in transit, but one could imagine a piece of artwork wrapped for too long having problems with trapped moisture or cracking. I don't know if this has been proven scientifically, but I can't see whatsoever harm in giving the fine art some air, so I exercise it.
Cardboard Padding
Now that we have given the artwork a skin of tightly wrapped plastic, we're ready to add a thicker, stiffer layer of protective cardboard. This inner layer of cardboard is going to create a kind of second box that volition profoundly diminish the possibility of having a strange object pierce or scuff your artwork. This box volition besides help absorb shock if the bundle is dropped. Most shipping companies crave that freight exist double-boxed before roofing it for damage, and in my experience, this layer of cardboard has always satisfied the requirement for a second box.
As mentioned earlier, I always have 48" x 96" sheets of cardboard in inventory. I go along both single-wall and double-wall sheets on hand, merely I nigh always use the unmarried-wall. It's much, much easier to cut and fold, and in most cases information technology is more sufficient protection. I only use double-wall cardboard when I am dealing with extremely heavy or delicate art.
Yous will notice that the cardboard has a grain that runs the 48" length. This makes the board easier to fold parallel to the 48" side. I endeavor to plan my folds so that they are on this axis. Typically, the best and most efficient way to reach this is to have the longest side of the painting as well parallel to this 48" side. You lot can then measure out the width of the painting and double information technology, measure the depth of the painting and double that, then add a few inches for good measure and marker the cardboard using your T-square and Sharpie. Use your box cutter to brand your cut. At present measure the length of the painting, add together 4 inches and cutting the cardboard to the proper length (this cut will be perpendicular to your original 48" side, and therefore is confronting the grain of the cardboard).
Now, lay the cardboard apartment, place the artwork roughly in the centre, and fold the ends over. Tape the overlap to seal the cardboard airtight. The cardboard will naturally fold over the corners of your artwork if you've followed my instructions about following the grain.
The ends of the inner-box volition be open up, and considering we allowed four extra inches at the end, you should accept about ii inches of empty space at either end. Instead of cutting and folding this extra space, simply squeeze the sides together to class a kind of triangle and record information technology closed. Past taping the ends in this way, y'all are creating an additional buffer at the end of the artwork that will deed as a great shock cushion. I mentioned before that the edges of the artwork or frame are the most prone areas for impairment, and past giving yourself this extra cushion, you have given the 2 ends of your artwork an almost impenetrable barrier.
Bubble Wrapping
Our final inner layer is bubble wrap. Just like we did when we were wrapping the plastic around the art, we want to go on some tension on the bubble wrap as we are applying information technology to the artwork. Keeping the wrap tight will allow u.s.a. to maintain clean edges and foreclose bunching. I usually apply just one layer of wrap to the large flat sides of the art – the chimera wrap isn't doing much in the way of protection here anyway. Side by side, I virtually always apply a second layer of bubble wrap around the edges of the artwork. I do this by measuring enough bubble to completely circumvolve the edges of the artwork. I fold the chimera in half lengthwise and then tape it to the edges of the painting. For our example artwork, we would need virtually 72" (18" 10 4"), but I would add an extra foot or two to accommodate the layer of cardboard we added and to accept into account the fact that the corners will steal several inches from us due to the volume of the bubbles.
The Outer Box
Now we are ready to slide this whole, great parcel into the cardboard box. We want to fill this outer box as completely as possible. The number i cause of harm to frames and corners of the artwork is movement allowed by actress 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 (equally mentioned above in the section on sizing), or you lot can fill up any voids with bubble wrap. Either pick is acceptable if you lot don't have a lot of actress infinite. I usually choose the bubble wrap considering information technology takes less fourth dimension than performing surgery on the box. Just keep the guidelines on carrier size restrictions in mind when making this conclusion.
If you lot practice end up cut the box down, I suggest yous use your T-foursquare and Sharpie to create directly cuts. Your box will wait much meliorate if all of your cuts are straight.
I won't get into a lot of detail about modifying the boxes, because every surgical operation is going to exist different depending on the size and shape of your art. It will be easier to get expert results if you tape ane 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 i continuous cut all the fashion around the box), yous can telescope the parts of the box together to eliminate your extra space. Telescoping is peachy because information technology reduces waste and adds an extra layer of cardboard wherever the boxes overlap.
Taping
I consider sloppy taping a cardinal sin and I want to devote an entire section of this certificate to the field of study of taping.
The outset step to practiced taping is to use skillful tape. I said it above, merely information technology bears repeating: Use the highest quality tape you can find. Not merely does practiced tape adhere improve, information technology'southward easier to apply.
The next secret to good taping is tension. Nigh every packing tape gun allows you to control tension with a knob on the record wheel. I suspect that many beginning shippers (and perhaps even some experienced ones) don't pay much attending to the tension, or they mistakenly think that the tension should be minimized so the tape rolls off more hands. Depression tension will cause your tape to bunch and fold as you are sealing your box, and it will also brand information technology nearly impossible to cutting the tape.
To become the right tension, I showtime gear up it to where information technology is and then tight that I can't pull the tape off the roll without straining, then I loosen it just a little so that I no longer accept to tug to get the tape off. In other words, you desire the tension just before it becomes "impossible to manipulate."
Applying the tape is a two-handed performance. When starting on a new seam, I concord the tape gun in my correct hand and use my left hand to concord the tape down at its starting point on the box. I pull the record gun back to unroll enough tape to cover the seam, but I exercise this several inches above the surface of the box. One time I have enough tape, I proceed it tight, line it up with the seam, so lower information technology onto the box – keeping tension on the tape by pulling the gun.
Cutting the tape is an art. If you lot've tried it unsuccessfully, you know what I mean. I once saw someone pull out a pair of scissors every time the tape needed to be cut considering she hadn't mastered the art of using the tape gun's built-in bract.
A video, or fifty-fifty better, an in-person tutorial would work best here, simply since I can't practice that, I'm going to do my best to describe the cutting procedure.
I want to maintain this tension on the tape, so I'm going to go on pulling the tape gun toward me. Of form, pulling on the record gun causes it to dispense more record, and we don't want that to happen right now. I utilise my correct thumb every bit a restriction, holding the ringlet in identify. I now have a couple of taut inches of tape extending from the box to the gun. The residue is in the wrist. I want the saw-blade knife on the gun to start cutting on one side of the tape. I'm not trying to cut the whole width at once. 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 property the record roll while I pull on the gun, and twisting my wrist and so the blade can seize with teeth through the tape.
Piece of cake!
I encourage yous 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 e'er apply tape all the way around the length and width of the parcel to tighten everything up.
Dealing with Glass
For those of y'all who are aircraft watercolors, photography, prints, or anything else behind a console of glass, permit me first say, "I'thousand sorry." Shipping artwork behind glass is nigh infinitely more difficult than shipping annihilation else. Drinking glass is so susceptible to cracking in transit that some carriers refuse to insure annihilation that involves it.
Because the slightest jolt or tension tin cause your glass to shatter, it is even more important that you provide aplenty padding and eliminate all possible motility.
Every bit important as breakage prevention is, I experience information technology'southward even more important to think about impairment control. Basically, if the glass does interruption, you want to apply added protection then it doesn't scratch, slash, or otherwise mangle your artwork. When I ship anything out with glass in information technology, I simply presume information technology's going to break, and so focus on making certain the shards don't destroy my artwork.
Many shipping supply companies sell 8-12" wide masking tape that is specially created for drinking glass coverage (it doesn't leave a sticky gum residual on the glass when you remove it). You tin apply this tape to the unabridged 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. 3M besides makes a articulate film that does the aforementioned affair.
Some other approach is to get out of the glass shipping business organization altogether. I know of an creative person who does pastels, which are, of form, displayed behind glass. When a piece is sold, the creative person takes the artwork to his framer, has the framer remove the glass and replace information technology with a sheet of clear plastic. He ships the piece to the client's local framer where he covers the price of new glass. The artist has built the cost of doing this into his pricing. I'm not sure this would work for everyone, simply it'south certainly an choice to keep in listen.
Shipping
Now that we have the artwork professionally boxed upward, we're ready to get it on its mode. In that location are a number of options available when it comes to choosing a commitment company, and I don't desire to endorse any one in particular. Anybody seems to develop their favorites, and if you've found 1 that works for y'all, stick with information technology. If you are dissatisfied, keep trying different companies until you lot notice one that makes y'all comfortable.
There are two general classes of delivery companies: the common carriers such, as FedEx and UPS, that primarily handle modest to moderately sized packages, and the larger freight companies and freight forwarders that deal with larger shipments.
Generally, nosotros volition transport annihilation that is thirty" x 40" or smaller using ane of the common carriers. Anything larger volition send via a freight visitor or truck line.
If yous are shipping infrequently, you tin can simply drop the package off at one of the carrier'southward retail locations, give them the delivery address and let them practice the balance. You will be paying retail, but you'll likewise exist saving yourself time and effort.
If you plan to transport in any kind of volume, yet, you should set upwards an account with the carrier and ship using their online service. This will save you coin, and often y'all tin schedule a delivery commuter to option up the package from your studio, saving you a drive as well.
If you kickoff shipping in even college volume, say an average of 10 pieces or more per month, you should talk to a sales representative for the company and ask if whatsoever book discounts are available, and if they would use to your state of affairs. Depending on your book, the savings could be meaning.
Most of these companies offer a diversity of options for delivery fourth dimension. Basis shipments can take anywhere from a couple of days to over a calendar week, depending on the distance and accessibility of your client. You tin also utilise their 3-solar day, 2-day and overnight express services.
In theory, these expedited services are both faster and safer (the less time a parcel is in the delivery company's easily, the fewer opportunities they will have to harm it!), but the costs are so prohibitive, especially for larger packages, that in most cases ground service is the only practical option.
For larger pieces you can use one of the trucking lines like Conway, or freight forwarders similar 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 volition only choice upward from a commercial address (rather than from a private address), and may be unwilling to come to your studio no matter how hard you effort to convince them it is a concern.
For more on shipping big work, meet the section below on dealing with large paintings.
Some Things to Avert
Up to at present nosotros've discussed what you should do to ship your fine art safely and effectively. At present I would like to talk over some practices you lot should avoid.
Don't Allow Chimera Wrap to Come up in Direct Contact with Your Art
Recently nosotros received a painting the artist wrapped using just bubble wrap. Every bit I mentioned above, bubble wrap is dandy for padding your art in transit, just it should not come in direct contact with the art.
When we unwrapped the painting we could encounter that the chimera had stuck to the varnish. Removing it left an banner 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 earlier nosotros could present it to a customer who had already purchased it.
Sometimes when delivering a piece of artwork straight to a customer, I volition wrap the painting with merely chimera wrap, but when I do this I make certain the bubbles are facing out so the flat side of the bubble wrap is turned toward the painting.
Don't Reuse Ugly Boxes
Recycling is both environmentally conscious and economic, but every cardboard box has a lifespan. Avert pressing a box into service beyond that lifespan, especially if you lot are shipping to a customer.
Even a new box is going to show signs of wear and tear when information technology arrives at your client'southward doorstep. Using an quondam box is inviting trouble. As an artist, you want your client to feel that they are buying one of your masterpieces. You are sending the client exactly the opposite bulletin if yous bear witness them you experience the artwork isn't even worth the cost of a new box.
Don't apply Styrofoam Peanuts when Shipping Paintings
As I stated in the shipping procedures section, chimera wrap is the correct material for filling voids in your boxes. Never employ peanuts for this purpose.
There are two main reasons for this. The first, and I'll admit it's a personal pet peeve, is that peanuts make a huge mess. This is especially true when y'all are shipping ii-dimensional artwork. There is but no way to get a painting, photograph or impress out of a box filled with peanuts without disgorging them all over the unpacking expanse. Peanuts are very difficult to clean upward – they scatter before the broom, and often, if they've picked up a static charge, volition literally jump out of the garbage can.
Second, and this is more than important, peanuts don't work in a painting box and tin can actually cause damage. Peanuts volition 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.
Peanuts are great for packing sculptures – they have no place in a painting box.
Insurance
In spite of your best efforts in padding and protecting your artwork, damage is inevitable. Once your artwork leaves your easily, it is passing into a vast and complicated shipping network with lots of moving parts. There is no fashion to completely eliminate the possibility of harm, so you should plan for its eventuality and consider purchasing insurance to protect against loss.
You can insure yourself against loss in several ways. First, you tin buy the carrier's insurance each time y'all ship a package. The commitment companies commonly offer some minimal coverage by default, but this is usually simply a few hundred dollars. For an additional accuse yous can add together more coverage. Y'all should be aware, even so, that some of the companies limit their liability to $500 for fine art. Again these policies are always changing, and then it's worth visiting your shipping company's website or calling them to confirm their limits for art.
If you are only occasionally aircraft, carrier insurance is probably the simplest and most efficient fashion to insure the work with the least hassle. If you transport regularly however, it makes sense to have a concern insurance policy that covers your art not but while it is in transit, but at all times. Y'all'll pay far less in the long run for this kind of insurance than y'all will for the carrier coverage.
Talk to a concern insurance agent and they will be able to get you a quote. We take a business policy with a fine arts "floater," too as an inland marine policy that gives us boosted coverage for artwork. I'll be honest, I don't know what "floater" means, or how something called "inland marine" protects fine art, only we worked closely with our agent to get the correct coverage and we have e'er been protected on the rare occasions our art has suffered damage.
At that place is, of course, another choice: You lot can insure yourself. If y'all feel that the likelihood of harm is small enough, or that the toll of insurance is as well high, you tin simply cover the toll of any damage yourself.
I suspect nearly artists follow this course, and I can't fault those who practise; there are only and then many dollars to get around, and insurance can't ever be a top priority. Often, damage is repairable, and since you made the art you probably have the perfect skill-set up to repair it!
Dealing with Damage
On the rare occasion that impairment occurs, the manner in which you lot react will touch on your relationship with your customer and the likelihood that y'all will recover damages from your shipping company or insurance policy.
First and foremost, it's important that you follow the procedures laid out before to ship the artwork safely. You are in a far better position if your client feels that you did everything in your ability to protect the artwork. Yous are also far more likely to file a successful claim with the shipping or insurance company if yous take met their shipping requirements.
Reassure your client that your are doing everything in your power to rectify the situation. At that place have been times where we have provided an immediate refund for their buy, so worked to become a replacement piece from the artist.
Typically, when impairment occurs, the shipping company will return the artwork to y'all. When the piece arrives, talk to both the shipping company and your insurance adjuster to find out how they would similar you to go along. Document the impairment to the packaging and to the artwork per their instructions. You can never have besides many photos or too much documentation.
Provide the shipping company or insurance bureau all of the data they need in a timely mode.
Shipping Larger Works
As I mentioned in the introduction, I savour aircraft artwork from time to fourth dimension. When I first opened my gallery, I would ship everything from the smallest sculpture to the largest painting.
The techniques I've shared here work great for paintings up to about 48" x 48". Any artwork larger than this almost always requires a wooden crate for shipment. In the early on days of my gallery I had access to a great woodshop and I would build the crates myself.
I felt I non but enjoyed shipping, simply was certainly saving money by doing all of the work myself. Imagine my surprise when, several years afterward opening the gallery, I had a local fine art crater ship a large painting and discovered that the full charges for his crating and aircraft services came to less than what it would have cost me to ship the piece myself.
Because the shipper did such a big book of shipping, he was able to achieve economies of scale with his materials, and got a huge volume discount in his freight charges. Information technology was actually costing me more to transport the art myself, particularly if I factored in the fourth dimension.
You will probably find this to be the case for you lot as well. When shipping large artwork, it will probably ultimately salvage you money to detect someone locally to ship the work for you. Talk to other artists in your area and enquire if they've found someone who does a adept job at a reasonable price. Unless you already have the tools and woodworking experience, it simply isn't worth the effort to send larger pieces yourself.
Decision
Shipping artwork tin can be a challenge and frustration, but it has really 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 past aircraft your artwork? Practice y'all have any tips or advice that might assistance other artists? Just want to share feedback on this article? Leave your comments below.
Source: https://reddotblog.com/how-to-ship-paintings-a-step-by-step-guide-for-artists-and-galleries/
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