Helpful Tips for Using Shrink Wrap To Ship and Store Artwork

Protecting your art is essential when transporting it to a customer or leaving it in storage. Using shrink wrap to ship and store artwork is a great way to keep a delicate work of art in pristine condition. Ensure you’re applying this material correctly by using the following tips.

Why Use Shrink Wrap To Protect Art?

There are three main reasons why you would want to use shrink wrap to protect artwork—preservation, efficiency, and presentation. When you’re shipping a piece, damages can occur if there is no protective packaging around the product. Furthermore, shrink wrap is an efficient product with multiple uses; packaging your art with it will show the customer that you place value on the product and will take extra precautions to protect it during transport.

Double Check the Art Medium

You must be wary of the type of art you’re covering with a heat shrink wrap roll. When heat is applied to secure the material, you could risk ruining or damaging the piece due to the art medium having a chemical reaction. Art that uses paper and pigments could be flammable or melt once the heat is applied to the wrap, so double-check the mediums used in the art to prevent damage before you ship it.

Leave a Six-Inch Overlap of Material

It is always best to have more material than needed. When you’re using shrink wrap to ship and store artwork, measure the artwork’s dimensions and leave a six-inch overlap to guarantee the film will completely cover the art.

Place the Art Facedown

When you begin the process of wrapping artwork, if the piece is flat, lay it with the art facing down on the plastic. This is the best technique because the seams and edges you seal afterward will be on the back of the art. Where you seal the wrap is more susceptible to moisture, dirt, and scratches, so strategically placing these seams away from the actual artwork will provide better protection.

The techniques you use to apply the shrink wrap to art can make a difference in protecting the product. Consider purchasing a roll of heat shrink wrap to preserve your artwork next time you need to leave it in storage or ship it to a customer.