I need some advice re packaging art prints

Shop Talk
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I’ve just listed some textile art prints in my shop (I thought I’d give them a try!) and I’m now wondering how I’m going to package them should any of them sell. They are mounted prints, and are a bit bigger than any of the board envelopes I have, and I want to ensure they don’t get bent or damaged in the post.

I’d really appreciate some advice from artists on here about the best way to send them.

Thanks.

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When I send mounted artwork I generally start with tissue, bubble wrap, cardboard back and front, add a bit of tape to keep them together, wrap in plain paper or large envelope, I then like to use the plastic mail bags, I get mine from the likes of Wilco but you can get them from the PO (they’re cheaper in Wilco), If I don’t have the large bags I have been known to use garden bin bags, they are thicker and a lot stronger than regular bin bags (mine are blue) :slight_smile: I tape up with packing tape. I like the plastic outer covering because I think it’s stronger than paper and if it gets dropped in the rain it won’t soak through.
A quick note on the card although you probably know… If I use corrugated card I put the top and bottom the opposite way, so the ‘lines’ are not running the same way, if I think it needs it I will use a second layer of card.
I usually re-purpose card that i collect from all manner of shops, homebase, b&q etc as well as supermarkets are great places to get clean strong boxes.
Ooops I didn’t mean this to turn into novella, but you did ask, and I’m in a chatty mood tonight… BTW your art prints are lovely :slight_smile:

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I gave up on board backed envelopes when a postie managed to bend one of my prints packaged with an extra layer of mount board in a board backed envelope to get it through a letter box - fortunately it was going to a friend and even more fortunately the print wasn’t damaged. But honestly!

Since then I’ve used PIP boxes to send my prints but I think yours are just a bit bigger than the maximum allowable size. In which case I’d head over to ebay and see what the cheapest boxes that will fit the prints are. They’re not too big to go as a small parcel are they? Or are they?

ETA No, they’re not, I checked, phew! You could try these, from the people I get my PIP boxes from
http://www.defendapack.com/pip_Royal_mail_small_parcel_boxes_medium_size_parcel_boxes_packets/Royal_mail_small_parcel_boxes_medium_size_parcel_boxes/Parcel_max_parcelmax_Mailers

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Thank you Jan @HandcraftedbyPicto, that’s so helpful. I’ve probably got some cardboard boxes up in the loft I can re-purpose, and I always use the plastic mailbags for my bags etc, so have plenty of those.

Thanks Helen @HelenSmith, I hadn’t thought to check whether they were too big for small parcel rates! I’ll check out the boxes right now…:smile:

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Thanks for this Helen. I’d never heard of these kind of boxes - very useful to know :slight_smile: That’s what’s so great about these forums - lots of helpful people with all sorts of good advice :slight_smile:

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