Works of art, whether they’re original or reproductions, make wonderful Christmas and birthday gifts. However, ensuring they reach the recipient intact and in good condition is paramount. While posters can be rolled, prints and framed prints must remain flat. This can be achieved by using tape, bubble wrap, and cardboard.
Packing Unframed Paintings
First of all, it is important that you try not to touch the artwork with your bare hands while packing. Oil and moisture from your fingers can damage and stain photos, fine art giclee printing, and paints. When handling the piece, always wear photography white cotton gloves or tissue paper.
To protect against moisture while wrapping, you will need to wrap the piece in acid-free tissue paper and plastic. This package will then need to be wrapped together with cardboard or foam core to keep it secure.
Fold four pieces of the acid-free paper into triangle shapes and place these over the four corners of the wrapped picture. These will help to keep the picture in place against the backing material.
Lay the wrapped picture on top of the cardboard or foam core board and, using only the paper corners, tape the plastic-wrapped corners diagonally to the backing. This is the securest way of wrapping a print and how it is done at places like fine art printing at River Studio.
If you’re traveling with the gift or sending it by post, you will need to make sure it can withstand all possible damage. This means sandwiching the backed print between several layers of cardboard to offer it the most robust protection.
Finally, take two pieces of strong, undamaged corrugated cardboard, place the package between them, and seal the edges with packaging tape. This should provide ample protection when traveling with your print and when sending smaller prints by post. However, for larger prints or more valuable gifts, a mirror box is recommended.
Packing Framed Pictures
When packing a framed print, the previous steps can be followed, but a mirror box or cardboard is almost always required. Select a box that allows three inches of space on each side of the frame. Once your framed print is inside, it is vital that all the surrounding space is filled by using bubble wrap and packed to ensure a snug and secure fit.