Find out about how to weigh, measure, wrap, pack and label artwork which needs to be transported
This page covers:
  • SUMMARY TIPS: How to create a package for artwork
  • HOW TO label a package
  • HOW TO measure dimensions, volume and weight
  • HOW TO: wrap and pack framed and/or glazed works
  • ​HOW TO: package and ship giclee prints / drawings / works on paper
  • HOW TO: wrap and pack unframed and framed pastel paintings
  • HOW TO: package and ship 3D - sculpture and ceramics
Plus TIPS and recommendations based on practical experience of wrapping, packing and shipping from:
  • artists and photographers
  • museums and conservators
  • galleries and curators
  • art societies
  • art collectors
  • shippers
For more details about packaging materials for shipping art see the next webpage in this section
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Artwork being received for Stage 2 Judging of the John Moores Painting Competition | copyright Katherine Lloyd

​HOW TO: Create a package for artwork
​

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Robin Purcell's painting - shipping out to the California Art Club's 107th Gold Medal exhibit
  • ​Make sure you CHECK THE DIMENSIONS for fees payable to different carriers before you start. You could save yourself considerable sums by making sure packages are no bigger than they need to be

  • WRAP ALL PAINTINGS INDIVIDUALLY. Glassine is a good choice for all pastels and pencils works

  • USE GLASS SAFETY FILM on top of all glass to prevent it from shattering and cutting up the parcel and the artwork if it breaks

  • CUSHION YOUR ARTWORK in some way to protect it - and also to make sure it can't move within the package( use bubble wrap, cardboard, polystyrene packaging etc)

  • CORNER GUARDS are very useful for protecting those parts which stick out and are most likely to get dented. You can choose from a variety of options
​
  • Make sure artwork is contained within a WATERPROOF SEALED ENVELOPE. Mail in many areas leave parcels to be picked up in areas which are exposed to the elements - and your package may become vulnerable to rain or snow.
  • ​Make sure you FILL ANY & ALL VOIDS OR OPEN SPACES before sealing the package to avoid any excessive movement in transit(eg If an envelope is too big, try folding it over and taping it down)

  • Many galleries hate and detest STYROFOAM PEANUTS in packing - they are a complete nightmare when pictures are unpacked and will certainly not be reused if the artwork needs to be returned
 
  • USE STRONG, WIDE PACKING TAPE to seal the shipment and any vulnerable edges (envelopes and paper packages often come apart at the edge if they contain a weighty item which is moving around)
 
  • DO NOT USE BROWN PAPER AND STRING. Paper tears and string stretches. Use modern packaging materials - and make sure these are appropriate to the weight of the item being shipped
 
  • PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS - for how to unwrap it and how to wrap it up to return the art
 
  • LABEL CLEARLY on the outside (to and from) and make sure the same information is provided inside the package - labels can get detached or defaced
Art in Transit: Handbook for Packing and Transporting Paintings 
Editors: Mervin Richard, Marion F. Mecklenburg and Ross M. Merrill 
​"This handbook is intended to be a reference for anyone involved in the packing and shipping of painting"
Publisher: National Gallery of Art (June 1991)
Ring-bound edition
Read my review of Art in Transit: Handbook for Packing and Transporting Paintings. This is a very large and comprehensive handbook, written for art galleries and museums, which tells you what to do when packing and transporting valuable artwork. However it's also applicable to all those moving and arranging for the transport of artwork.

It's ridiculously expensive for the ordinary artist BUT
This book is also available for free from the Smithsonian Institute (see link BELOW). Which is nice, because copies are now difficult to get hold of and astronomically expensive - however if you want your very own copy.....
​Smithsonian Digital Repository: Art in Transit: Handbook for Packing and Transporting Paintings (6.1 MB PDF FILE)
Title: Art in Transit: Handbook for Packing and Transporting Paintings
Editors: Mervin Richard, Marion F. Mecklenburg AND Ross M. Merrill 
Publisher: National Gallery of Art (1991)
​

HOW TO: Label a Package
​

Big Clear Address Labels

Multiple Labels
ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING you ship needs a BIG CLEAR LABEL which is difficult to miss.
  • Otherwise your shipment may not arrive as quickly as it should - or at all.
  • WHITE LABELS are best - particularly if your package is not white
  • If your shipment has got a tracking service do NOT forget to include the TRACKING LABEL
  • USE BLOCK CAPITALS AND WRITE CLEARLY
Tip - Don't Let Your Parcel Get Lost
Don't forget to use a waterproof marker or pen to include your address on the reverse side of the package.
Just in case anything should go wrong......
  • ​Check the address you are sending to - and check again after you've created the label
  • Remove all old labels from the external shipping package (or make sure they are completely deleted)
  • Place the label in a prominent position. Do not place it over a seam or at the place where you close the package
  • Place an additional label on the inside of the package - just in case the external package gets damaged or the label becomes detached.
  • To be extra safe, create a second label and put it on the other side of the package.
  • Make sure that a return address label is created and inserted inside the package in case the item needs to be returned.
  • If you are shipping internationally, make sure the 'TO' and 'FROM' addresses are clearly marked but make sure 'TO' is much more prominent.
For waterproof labelling materials see Packaging Supplies

HOW TO: Measure Dimensions, Volume and Weight
​

​It's vital to check out dimensions when packaging and sending artwork - many services now price on dimensions as well as or instead of weight.  

​When comparing shipping rates make sure you know BOTH
  • the weight and
  • the dimensions of your package.
Make sure you weigh very carefully if you are close to a weight limit used by your carrier.
​
DIMENSIONS

It's a really good idea to check the dimensions:
  • BEFORE YOU PACK against the allowances of the shipper you intend to use
  • AFTER YOU PACK - to make sure you haven't made a mistake
If dimensions are relevant to pricing make sure you write the dimensions on the outside of the pack .

You may be required to do a bit of maths and work out the cubic volume that your parcel occupies.
WEIGHT

Your biggest challenge may be about finding something which helps you weight your artwork!

Robust kitchen scales are fine for small packets and parcels if they have a suitable upper weight limit.

For heavy parcels you need something with an upper weight limit which exceeds the likely weight. Heavy parcels are often weighed on flat scales with a remote digital reader for the actual weight (on the basis you can't see the surface the parcel is sat on!

One simple remedy for large artwork artwork you can hold in your hand is to use the bathroom scales. Pop on and weigh yourself and then add the packaged artwork while standing on the scales and weigh again. Typically you need two people - one to hold the artwork and the other to take the reading. This strategy is less useful if you're a bit heavy to start with and close to the limit on weight measured by your scales.

VIDEO: How to pack your paintings for shipping

This video by Lori McNee is a taster for what this page gets into in some depth - it's also a jolly helpful and informative video!

What happens when things go horribly wrong.....
​

In 2005, a quarter of all claims received by AXA (USA - which focuses on art insurance) involved works of art damaged in transit, versus 15 percent for theft or on-site burglary.

Learn the lessons of what happens when a shipper uses a commercial courier rather than a specialist art carrier.
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Screenshot of one slide in the presentation on "Horror Stories about packing and shipping" below
A couple of VIDEOS by way of an incentive
to get the packing right; and what to do when things go wrong...

From SNAG 2012 Professional Development Seminar

Leila Hamdam, an artist, collector, curator who worked at a museum as the Registrar and Collection Manager and was responsible for all arrivals, packing and departure of artwork. Her presentation and video:
  • demonstrates some packing and shipping casualties and horror stories and
  • offers shipping advice to artists and makers by way of a formal presentation at a seminar.
This video lasts 20 MINUTES

She recommends Estelle Berman's Condition Report
BELOW Brigitte Martin shares her experience with a shipping disaster and how she documents the damage
This video is ​​10 MINUTES long.

HOW TO: Wrap and pack framed and/or glazed works
​

Personally I think it's a huge and expensive mistake to ship framed works. ​
Only frame shops make money from frames. Plus the shipping becomes very complex and you're probably shipping a frame which your client may want to change anyway! 

SOME OF THE REASONS WHY IT'S A MISTAKE TO SHIP FRAMED WORKS
  • One of my framers says most of his business comes from people who are having frames replaced!
  • Never ever assume that people packing your work to send it back again will take the same care as you do.
  • The money customers save on having the frame shipped could be spent on a much nicer frame at their end

Do you need any more reasons? 
​Take away the anxiety by providing them with the materials which make it easy for them to do a good job.

IF YOU MUST SHIP FRAMED/GLAZED WORKS...........

You will need STRONG EXTERNAL PACKAGING:

  • keep all the strong boxes sent to you which used to house art materials and other stuff. You will need them if you are going to construct your own box.
  • Plywood is an engineered wood that is very suitable for making crates for shipping. Sheets of wood fibre sheets are glued in alternating directions (crossgraining) and this makes plywood very strong. In particular it reduces the tendency to split when nailed (or when nails are removed). Plywood also exhibits consistent performance and better stability (less likely to warp) in every direction.
  • Airfloat Strongbox is used by a lot of people in the USA. I think it's often a preferred solution by many who ship work to exhibitions/competitions when they know it may well need to come back again - but be packed by somebody else. It has the advantage of being capable of reuse. Opinions differ as to whether or not they consider them expensive - and I guess this probably relates to your perspective on how many times each one gets used.
INTERNAL PACKAGING must be effective
  • Glass Skin - if you must ship glazed work then you must also to take extra precautions. I've witnessed the unpacking of a work where the box had been wrecked. The frame had some mild damage but the real damage came from the glazing having broken and the glass then rattled around next to the surface of the picture - and damaged it. It's preferable to use perspex - and many competitive exhibitions refuse to accept works glazed in glass.
  • Foamcore is a very useful material for creating the outer layers of a sandwich around artwork. It is lightweight, promotes stability and resistance to bending and also provides a useful between artwork and a harder surface.
  • Air cushions - you may have received goods sent with air cushions but my check round indicates that these are only going to be available to those companies handling lots of packages who can invest in the machinery and supplies. Looks nice - but there are alternatives.
  • edge guards and corner protectors are very useful for frames which must be stored stacked prior to an exhibition. However not all galleries will allow you to keep them on - they take up space!
  • wrap the frame in cling film: my framer always wraps the frames of my works for competition submission in cling film - using one of these (see below)
REFERENCE (Large Paintings / Framed Works)

Alan Woollett plywood crate for international sipping
Alan Woollett is a UK Coloured Pencil Artist who exhibits his drawings of birds internationally. This is the plywood packing crate that he made to send a drawing to a museum in the USA. Note how the perspex glazed drawing is wrapped in brown paper. It fits precisely inside the plywood crate which is lined with foamcore.

VIDEO: How to Ship A Painting - an excellent presentation by Xanadu Gallery
​

How to Ship A Painting - YouTube - Learn how to ship your art (paintings) in this free 50 minute video from Xanadu Gallery. Learn:
  • what shipping tools and supplies you will need,
  • how to package and pad the artwork correctly, and
  • which carriers are the best for getting your artwork safe

VIDEO: Best Way to Pack Paintings for Shipping - without a box! - what to do when you don't have boxes!
​

This is an EXCELLENT video by a man who demonstrates a very good way to ship paintings for those who don't have any boxes to pack the paintings in.
​
I cannot emphasise too much how right he is about:
  • address the package inside the outer wrapping - in case something happens to it
  • use lots and lots of tape - it's what stops paintings getting out of packages​
I recommend you watch this video with the sound turned off. The soundtrack is a little intrusive so I suggest you turn your volume down - and keep watching. All the instructions are written on screen. Content - with annotations is great but sound is AWFUL!

VIDEO: How to pack a painting - advice from a gallery

This is somebody who packs paintings on a regular basis hence has got the technique down to a fine art (or does he?)!  
He demonstrates using peanuts for packing and neatly illustrates why they are a mistake!  Peanuts everywhere!
He also hasn't removed the labels from the box BEFORE he started.
ADVERTS

​HOW TO: Package and Ship giclee prints / drawings / works on paper
​

I've personally received these tips from some of the best. I also find it very interesting to see how others package their work when I buy artwork online! ;)
Some ship flat and some ship rolled. On the whole it seems to be the size and shape and whether or not they are matted which seems to determine whether they are flat or rolled.

You need to create an interior and an exterior package. Labels and paperwork are attached to the exterior package. The interior package prevents damage from the environment and exterior packing materials.

TO MAT OR NOT TO MAT
  • Larger/odd shapes seem to come rolled and without mats.
  • All prints seem to come without mats.

CREATE AN ARCHIVAL & WATERPROOF BARRIER
  • Use archival Clearbags or similar to provide a smart clear package inside which the work can be sealed.  This is a particularly useful option when packing prints for sale at exhibitions. 
  • Alternatively wrap and tape a sheet of archival material (eg acid-free, archival tissue paper or glassine) around a drawing so it does not move inside the archival interior package.
  • Works wrapped in glassine next need to be wrapped inside a plastic bag or polythene

A BOARD PREVENTS BENDING
  • Tape the wrapped artwork to a sheet of thin foam core
  • For large works create a foam core sandwich
  • For small works you can ignore this stage if despatching inside an envelope which has a stiffened card built in
CHOOSE A SUITABLE ENVELOPE

I prefer
  • EITHER padded with bubble wrap lining 
  • OR a waterproof envelope for larger works 
  • OR the manilla with board envelopes for smaller drawings

VERY IMPORTANT: 
  • Movement is what damages corners and leads to packages coming apart and artworks beings damaged!
  • Make sure you fill/seal the envelope so that the inner package cannot move around.  
  • You can always fold and tape down an envelope that is too big
​
HOW TO AVOID MOVEMENT INSIDE A PACKAGE

If shipping flat then my practice is as follows:
  • Use a robust but lightweight form of support to avoid bending and/or postman who can't or won't read 'Do not bend' stickers (they don't and never assume they do - you MUST pack on the basis that they won't). I tend to use two lightweight sheets of foamcore either side - but these must be taped together to create and seal a secure interior package. Sheets of corrugated card can also work well.
  • Slip the package inside a plastic bag (helps to make it waterproof). I save my plastic bags from museums and art galleries in London for this stage!
You should now have a rigid waterproof pack to go inside the outer packaging!
REFERENCE: Packing Prints and Works on Paper

SLIDESHOW: How to pack a poster or print for shipping - using a tube
​

Shipping art on paper can be tricky. This VIDEO is a slideshow which highlights what you should be thinking about if you use a tube.

REFERENCE: Unstretched Paintings

HOW TO: Package and ship 3D - sculpture and ceramics
​

Sculptures and ceramics present very particular problems
  • they can be odd shapes - few sculptures are naturally box-shaped
  • they can be fragile (eg ceramics)
  • they can be very heavy (eg bronzes)
  • they have more surface area which could be scratched
  • they have a lot of potential to shift within the box if it is tilted
  • the may require assembly

As a result when shipping artwork in three dimensions:
  • packing materials used are critical - nothing must move!
  • the exterior packing case must be very robust and be 2-3" larger than the exterior dimensions of the 3D item
REFERENCE: Shipping Sculpture and ceramics

Custom Shipping Box /Design Your Work for Shipping by Harriete Estel Berman

Estelle Berman takes the view that sculptors and makers should design their work for shipping.
Otherwise it's not going anywhere in one piece!

SHIPPING ART: TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Below you can find TIPS and recommendations based on practical experience of wrapping, packing and shipping from:
  • artists and photographers
  • museums and conservators
  • galleries and curators
  • art societies
  • art collectors
  • shippers

Tips from artists and photographers
​

So what practical tips do artists have to offer about shipping and consigning artwork to galleries and other places where exhibitions are held?

What advice do they have about shipping to clients who have paid for their artwork?

TIPS FROM ARTISTS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS
  • ALWAYS make sure an oil painting is dry before you start to pack it
  • NEVER EVER use bubble wrap with wet varnish or oils which have not dried
  • ALWAYS remove old shipping labels before reusing packaging to send to a new destination
  • ALWAYS include a sheet of packaging instructions if you want people to return the artwork to you
  • ALWAYS document everything you do when shipping - and document everything that goes wrong if and when it does

Next you can read original blog posts and articles by various artists and photographers about what they think about when packaging their work - and lessons learned along the way

HOW TO WRAP AND PACK......

Detailed advice about
  • how to wrap specific types of parcels 
  • what sort of packaging to use
  • what sort of packaging to avoid 
can be found below
REFERENCE - General Advice on Packing

The interesting thing about packing is that the same questions get asked and the same answers are relevant year after year. 

Tips from Museums and Conservators
​

Tips and recommendations from Conservators and those packing for art museums
  • one of the most quoted publications on the transport of art - Art in Transit: Handbook for Packing and Transporting Paintings (6.1 MB PDF FILE) FREE TO DOWNLOAD from the Smithsonian Digital Repository. Editors: Richard, M., Mecklenburg, Marion F. and Merrill, Ross Issue Date: 1991 Publisher: National Gallery of Art
  • Marvelseal - to resist transmission of water vapour and atmospheric gases
  • using corner protectors - because of the amount of stacking which can be involved in transit of large numbers of paintings
  • conditioned silica gel - for control of relative humiidity
​​REFERENCE - Tips from Museums and Conservators

Tips from Galleries and Curators
​

Did you know the main risk to artwork shipped to and from galleries is DAMAGE rather than loss or theft?
  • The reason is people do not always take PROPER PRECAUTIONS when packing works of art.
  • However galleries ship art all the time.
  • So what do galleries think about the way artists package their work when sending it in?
  • How do they package artwork?

​REFERENCE: Tips from Galleries and Curators
 REFERENCE: Tips by Saatchi Art Online - Seller's Guide
  • How to Package Artwork - There are two packaging methods that keep paintings well protected: using bubble wrap and cardboard, or using custom-built wooden crates.
  • How do I package flat artworks like drawings, collages etc - Below are instructions for how to package: Flat artworks under 48"x48" Flat artworks larger than 48"x48" Framed flat artwork and Rolled paper artwork
  • How do I package a painting? - Below are instructions for how to package: Paintings smaller than 48"x48" Paintings larger than 48"x48" Framed paintings Rolled canvas paintings
  • How do I pack work in a crate? - Use a custom crate for artworks such as sculpture, large flat artworks, paintings larger than 48"x48", and fragile items.​
  • How do I package a sculpture? - Since sculptures vary widely in terms of size, weight, delicacy, etc., it's impossible to provide a set of directions that will work for all. Please use these directions as general guidelines

Tips from Art Societies
​

Art Societies will not be using professional handlers, often do not have proper storage and knowledge of how to ship art can sometimes be very limited.
​
They're often in need of as much advice as artists. Fortunately some share what they know
REFERENCE: Tips from Art Societies

Tips from Art Collectors
​

​Art Collectors are often responsible for shipping their newly purchased art - however not all art collectors are experts at shipping art.
​
Tips which apply to artists, museums and curators apply equally to art collectors.

However the REFERENCE section has articles directed specifically for collectors
REFERENCE Tips from Art Collectors

Tips from Shippers

If shipping Internationally you also need to read carefully the the specific requirements of different shippers
- see the section on INTERNATIONAL POST AND SHIPPING SERVICES

​When getting shipping quotes, it always pays to ensure you know exactly what level of packaging your irreplaceable item is getting.

​You'll also find links to some of the packing materials mentioned below.
​​REFERENCE Tips from Art Shippers