How to pack artwork and framed prints for posting

Framed and glazed work, step by step

• Interleave the face with acid-free tissue or glassine so nothing touches the artwork directly.
• Apply a low-tack cross of tape over glass or acrylic glazing so a break is contained rather than travelling across the surface.
• Add a rigid board front and back, either 2 mm greyboard or a double wall pad, to stop the frame flexing.
• Fit foam or corrugated corner protectors on all four corners. Corners take the hit in transit, and that is where most damage starts.
• Wrap the whole piece in small bubble or 3 mm foam, bubbles facing inward.
• Pack into a fitted 0409 book wrap or a telescopic box with 25 to 50 mm of void fill on every face, so the piece cannot move.
• Seal with the H-method (centre seam plus both edge seams) and mark the outer FRAGILE / GLASS / THIS WAY UP on both large faces.

Rolled prints, posters and unstretched canvas

Roll prints face out around a tube rather than tightly inward, because rolling face in puts the ink surface under compression and can crack it. Use a wider diameter tube than feels necessary (100 mm minimum for anything above A2), interleave with acid-free tissue, cap both ends, and tape the caps rather than relying on friction. Tubes are easy to crush end-on, so a triangular postal tube or a corrugated sleeve around the tube survives conveyor handling better.

Stretched canvases

Never let anything press on the canvas face. Fit corner blocks so the pack contacts the stretcher bars only, add a rigid board across the front held off the surface, and use a box deep enough that the canvas sits clear of both walls. For high-value pieces a double-boxed pack (inner fitted box, outer box with 50 mm of void fill) is the standard the fine art couriers expect.

Choosing board and box style

Courier size limits worth knowing

Most UK parcel networks stop at around 1.2 m on the longest side and 2.5 m in length plus girth, and many surcharge or refuse declared glass. Anything longer usually moves on a pallet or with a specialist art carrier. Check your carrier's limits before you design the pack: it is cheaper to change the box than to have a piece refused at depot.

Insurance and declared value

Standard parcel cover almost always excludes glass, ceramics and works of art. If a piece is valuable, either remove the glazing and ship it separately, replace it with acrylic, or use a carrier that will underwrite fine art. Photograph the packed item at each stage, because it is the evidence that settles a claim.

Common mistakes we see

• Bubble wrap straight onto a varnished or oil surface in warm weather, which can mark the finish.
• An oversized box with loose paper, letting the frame slide and hit a corner.
• Glazing shipped untaped, so a small break shatters across the artwork.
• Newspaper or printed void fill against the face, transferring ink.
• Tubes with push-fit caps that pop off on a conveyor.

When you need something bigger

We make large-format and long-length corrugated boxes in-house in Letchworth, up to 2.8 m, so oversized pieces do not need a timber crate. For frames and mirrors specifically, see our picture frame boxes page for sizes, board grades and corner protection. Galleries, framers and print studios we supply typically hold two or three stock sizes plus a bespoke size for their largest recurring format. Send us the dimensions of the work and we will design a box around it and make a sample first.