Shipping art prints in a tube?

[Toasty the Baker]

Hi all! This summer I will be selling off a lot of my collection, including selling off a lot of art prints. The are all mostly 18" x 24", so I will be rolling them in tubes.

My question is, how do you guys ship your art prints in tubes? My method is rolling the print and placing it in the middle of the tube so the open space on each end is equal. I then put wads of bubble wrap in the open space on either end to prevent the print from moving. This is my main concern, the print sliding around and banging up against the plastic end caps. Will bubble wrap wads on either end adequately prevent this? I packaged one for practice and shook the tube around a whole lot and it seemed that the print still crept up a little to the end cap. It didn't come all the way during my experiment, but I imagine it could during transit.

What advice do you guys have? Thank you!

[Funnnkyyy]

Originally Posted by Toasty the Baker

Hi all! This summer I will be selling off a lot of my collection, including selling off a lot of art prints. The are all mostly 18" x 24", so I will be rolling them in tubes.

My question is, how do you guys ship your art prints in tubes? My method is rolling the print and placing it in the middle of the tube so the open space on each end is equal. I then put wads of bubble wrap in the open space on either end to prevent the print from moving. This is my main concern, the print sliding around and banging up against the plastic end caps. Will bubble wrap wads on either end adequately prevent this? I packaged one for practice and shook the tube around a whole lot and it seemed that the print still crept up a little to the end cap. It didn't come all the way during my experiment, but I imagine it could during transit.

What advice do you guys have? Thank you!

Whenever I have received art prints in a tube they have always had paper (similar to grease proof paper) at either end. The print is generally rolled up in it as well. Art print has never made it to the plastic cap at the end

However, I do prefer when they are shipped flat packed

[ingmar1988]

I think a tube is definitely the way to go. Flat packed has a much greater risk of damage due to the large flat surface. If another (heavy) package gets on top of it, or it sticks out of a container it can get easily crushed.

[amb6883]

Tube. Roll it in kraft paper with glassine or tissue paper over the image about 1/2 inch smaller than the diameter of the tube and tape the roll closed with masking/painters tape in the middle and near both ends. If the tube gets dented less chance of the print being damaged.

[Toasty the Baker]

I've been trying to fine a method without wrapping the print in paper. I roll them and place them in the middle of a 24" tube with a 3" diameter, stuff the ends with bubble wrap, then place a 5" x 5" square of bubble wrap over each opening at the end, and push the lid on, then tape the lids down. So far I have shipped a few prints with no problems.

[amb6883]

Don't ship without wrapping the print, unless you're extremely extremely luckly, the print is going to get damaged. Kraft paper is cheap and trying to find a way around wrapping the print in at least something is not a good move.

[Pop Alexandra]

Originally Posted by amb6883

Don't ship without wrapping the print, unless you're extremely extremely luckly, the print is going to get damaged. Kraft paper is cheap and trying to find a way around wrapping the print in at least something is not a good move.

That's a good tip. Most art shippers do that by default, so it has to make a difference.