Packing Paintings   part 3 the outer pack

Fragile and valuable: Gilt-Framed Impressionist Oil on Canvas

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"There are some things you can throw in any old box, and some things you can't." - anon.

 design the container

When everything is nice and snug, start PackMeister Pro and go to the design console.


Set the L, W, & D controls to the dimensions of the inner bundle and increment the fill thickness controls to your desired cusioning thickness.

There are six possible ways to lay out the design.
Review the choices and choose the most economical cardboard layout available.

The amount of fill can be set independently for each "side".

Heavy, ornately framed, larger pictures will require more, especially at the corners and edges. Smaller more stable works, less. We tend to use only around 1-1/2" to 1-3/4" of infill at the front and back of most small to medium sized paintings with a strong inner package - but a minimum of 2" to 2-1/2" at the edges all round.

For larger works or particularly gingerbread frames increase these amounts considerably.

Deciding on fill layer thickness is a tricky matter - if you're in doubt, always use a bit more rather than a bit less. The figures above are for average paintings shipped overnight or next day air courier; packages that would only be in transit for a few hours or a day or two at the most. The more handling, the greater need for protection.

 how will you ship?

If you use shipping methods that require a lot of ground handling and warehousing, plan on building enough insulation into the package to withstand the multiple transfers from place to place, stack to stack and truck to truck. If in doubt, use more insulating filler. If you have an irreplaceable treasure to ship or if you just don't sleep well until the parcel arrives at it's destination, you can also add piercing protection.

 unexpected hazards

There's a story in the trade about a valuable picture that got impaled by a runaway fork-lift fork....
If you live in fear of such things you could use masonite or hardboard in the inner package either side of the painting itself. It'll add quite a bit to the weight, but it's really tough stuff.

next topic....suspending and isolating the inner package in the outer box.