Tube or Flat Mailer

PeterDendrinos · Dec 19, 2005

When sending unmatted photographs, say 11x14, do you place them in a tube or put them in a 11x14 flat mailer?

The tube is very ridged, the flat mailer is quite able to be bent.

Pete

gr82bart · Dec 19, 2005

I send everything in a box mailer. Allows the print to be flat plus fights off dings and dents pretty well during handling, since the print is pretty loose inside - surrounded with soft crumped tissue paper for support.

An added factor is that the box packaging from USPS is free!

Art.

ann · Dec 19, 2005

i don't know how one could keep a print from damaged rolled up in a tube.

David Henderson · Dec 19, 2005

If I look at the habits of the labs I use, both routes are possible and both seem to get the print(s) to the buyer well enough provided they are well packed.

The thing that always goes through my mind when receiving a consignment however is this. After I've looked at the prints I'm going to want to put them back into their packaging until I need to deliver them to a buyer/framer. Its far easier to put them back into a flat package than to re-roll.

Above a certain size of course tubes are the only viable option.

Peter De Smidt · Dec 19, 2005

I've been an organizer of an international print club for a long time. As such, I've seen lots of mailing techniques. The one that I like best is as follows. Place the print in a plastic sleeve, one which won't harm the prints. Next, put the print into a Kraft paper photographic mailer of the appropriate size, such as those found here: http://www.packagingprice.com/forms...CategoryID=10022&desc=Stay+Flat+Mailers+Kraft Finally, sandwich the mailer between at least two sheets of high quality cardboard, such as found here: http://www.packagingprice.com/forms...egoryID=10128&desc=Corrugated+Pads+and+Sheets
For overseas shipments or big prints, I use more sheets of cardboard.

roteague · Dec 19, 2005

ann said:
i don't know how one could keep a print from damaged rolled up in a tube.

Take a cardboard tube and wrap the print around it, then cover the outside with bubble wrap, and put into a box. This is how West Coast Imaging sends 30x40 inch prints and bigger to me.

Travis Nunn · Dec 19, 2005

Flat has always worked for me. I take the print and seal it in a archival sleeve and sandwich it between two pieces of foam-core. For an 11x14 print, I would use a 12x16 size foam core, tape the sandwich securely and then place it in a sturdy envelope. Works pretty well.

David A. Goldfarb · Dec 19, 2005

West Coast Imaging does an excellent job of packaging. For smaller prints (I think 20x24" and smaller), they put an interleaving sheet on top of the print, put the whole thing in an archival plastic sleeve, tape it to a sheet of corrugated cardboard with a border around it, and package so that there are two sheets of corrugated cardboard on each side of the print, and the whole thing goes into another corrugated cardboard box. If there are negs, transparencies, or disks, they sleeve them and tape them between two of the other sheets of cardboard. The package is very sturdy.

For 11x14's (unmounted prints or smaller prints mounted to 11x14") I've found some nice sturdy mailing boxes they sell at Staples.

PeterDendrinos · Dec 19, 2005

Ok, thank you all very much! It looks like flat is the preferred method for this size.

I appreciate all the input.

Pete

Loose Gravel · Dec 19, 2005

If you think they are insured, read the fine print. They will take your money, but only Fedx gives any back for a claim, and then only $100.

JHannon · Dec 19, 2005

Flats/boxes are more easily scanned/read and transported by the processing equipment. Tubes tend to roll around in place on the conveyors (especially the inclines).

Tube or Flat Mailer

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency