Mailing fine art prints
When I decided to sell my prints online, one of my first thoughts was ‘how am I going to send them?’ I spoke with artist friends about how they packaged their work, recalled prints that I had received through the post, and looked online at what other print-based artists do. I had two main goals: firstly, to ensure that the prints arrive undamaged and, secondly, to use packaging that is, at bare minimum, recyclable, and preferably compostable.
As a general rule, most of the people I spoke with and surveyed send small prints flat, and larger prints rolled and then posted in tubes. I’m not a fan of tubes because it is difficult to roll a print and also because they curl up when taken from the tube and then need flattening. More an urgh-factor when you receive a print than a wow-factor. So no tubes.
And then there’s rain. Sending parcels ‘signed for’ is one way around that, but in Wales if not elsewhere, there’s no accounting for what a heavy shower will do between van and door. So, plastic envelopes maybe? They keep things dry, but they’re a no-no environmentally—so, no.
I wrap my prints in glassine paper for storage as glassine is acid-free and won’t eat into the print. Whilst not completely waterproof, glassine also protects from moisture and grease and that makes it preferable to tissue paper. A glassine envelope would be great and Eco-craft make these, but unfortunately they’re too small for my prints. They also sell cellophane envelopes which are made from plant-based material and are fully compostable (you can put them in your food recycling bin or in your compost bin if you have one). So, the print gets wrapped in glassine and then placed inside a cellophane envelope. They look good. Fit to sell from a store or stall.
How then to make sure the prints doesn’t get bent or creased when it’s mailed? Having decided to mail flat, I tried card-backed envelopes (not rigid enough and not deep enough to take additional card) and a range of carboard mailers. Most of the mailers I tried struck me as flimsy, though they could be stiffened with carboard that is cut to size. And then I stumbled on ParcelMax Mailers. These are stout as it is and can be lined with pre-cut envelope stiffeners for extra strength. They also come sized to ensure that they can be posted as small parcels and don’t therefore incur steep postage costs. Perfect. The result is this recipe (which I’ve tried).
The recipe
Take one print, wrap carefully in a sheet of glassine paper, place in a cellophane envelope, lay on a cardboard enevelope stiffener (pre-cut to fit the size of the mailer), place another cardboard stiffener on top, tape the stiffeners together to ensure the print doesn’t slip (use a paper-based recyclable packing tape such as sold by Eco-craft), place on the mailer and then fold over the sides and top, seal all around with packing tape. Post with your preferred handler.
