The Framers Forum

Hi again guys, does anyone regularly send framed pieces out using a courier company or by Royal Mail? Any recomendations on courier services. Also packaging...I've seen the telescopic boxes, anyone use these in combo with bubble wrap or any other stuff!?! Cheers guys, DJ.

I send out all my frames by courier - I don't do local! APC couriers are the carrier of choice because they have a reputation of carrying the goods more carefully than most. £11.50 gets me overnight to anywhere in the UK (except N.Ireland and remote Scotland).
For very big frames, then a used bicycle box is good. Your local cycle shop is glad to get rid. Use that blue film that painters use to mask windows, to protect the glazing. Otherwise buy a pack of double thickness corrugated cardboard sheets and make your own cartons. These can be surprisingly strong.

Thanks VF that's very reasuring as I started an account with APC although havent used them yet, The Alternative Parcel Company, I believe they carry goods containing glass around the conveyer belt systems in cages, excellent! Regarding the blue film do you mean to keep the glass together in case it breaks??
Bicycle boxes, excellent idea, I'm thinking good for big mirrors. Thanks for your input.

Yes, I mean this stuff -
https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painti ... ion/p20527

Lovely, thanks for the advise.

Can I ask what happens if the glass breaks? Do you have to get the picture back to replace the glass and then re-send it? And is it covered by insurance?

When I first enquired with APC I think they said they dont insure though that may have changed, I think some do. I will do a personal repair guarantee.

If the glass breaks, then I have to replace it. I can ask for a reverse collection by the courier to have it brought back for repair. All a bit of a pain but always part of the service. Best way is to prevent it happening - fronting the frame with MDF and double walled corrugated cardboard.
It's all down to cost and risk. If I insure then with the extra cost it might be better to hand the delivery over to Fragilistics. I could also save on the time taken to package up the delivery.
Having said all that, I've never had a broken frame with this company.

Thanks for the info

The gallery were I first worked as a picture framer used APC for deliveries and usually everything arrived safely, but there was this one framed limited edition which got wrecked twice and then there was only one more print available and we packed that one between two 2" slabs of expanded polystyrene, wrapped with bubble wrap, corrogated paper and 6mm MDF. That one survived! One of the two that were wrecked had tyre tracks across the package and even frame was destroyed.

Packaging can be lots of trouble, not all of us have much space for doing the packaging and for storing the materials, so it takes a lot of thinking about. Prior to this job that got wrecked twice, the normal routine was to tape the glass with a criss cross pattern of vinyl tape, wrap the frame in large bubble bubble wrap, protect both sides with 2.5mm MDF and finally wrap with a double layer of corrogated paper. I don't think that there is a completely foolproof way of packing anything so that it can't be damaged, if someone does something stupid. You just have to pack things sensibly and hope for the best.

When I first started framing, we had the same problem as Mark (above post) with some pictures we were sending out, that stopped when a courier drive gave me some advice, put a sticker on the parcel with THIS WAY UP with an arrow, so the package had to stand and not laid down, and it worked, our damage ratio went down, the reason was according to this driver was , if you don't have the sticker on, then the package will be laid down on the bottom of the cage/trolleys and everything else is piled on top, even 45 gallon oil drums
Also don't write FRAGILE on the package as they are the ones that get thrown about

Cheers guys, the postal enquiry is for music related photos in basic black frames nothing of value completely replaceable so no stress although obviously I wanna avoid breakages, Thanks for your input very helpful.

Good advice given here. I'm just considering whether to sell art online as I've got some pretty rare pieces that I've kept hidden away for 10 years while I was working abroad and was worried about the delivery issues. Is using styrene a viable alternative for limited edition prints that are to be delivered? Does it detract from their value?

whitbyframer wrote
" Is using styrene a viable alternative for limited edition prints that are to be delivered? Does it detract from their value?"

Not as much as damage done by broken glass, you could always use UV acrylic such as https://www.wessexpictures.com/Acrylic_ ... Glass.html

Well considering art galleries use acrylic in front of their paintings, I don't think you will have an issue with devaluing it. AsSteve says far better than the damage done if the glass breaks. We always sent out our pics with acrylic. Even so, most couriers (and Royal Mail) wouldn't insure pictures

Thanks Steve N and DIYframer, you've confirmed what I was thinking.