EB Forum

I'm pretty new to buying prints and very new to properly storing/archiving them. So I've got two "beginners" questions, if anyone has any advice or suggestions

First, I recently made the mistake of buying several prints without the materials to properly store them. I bought a 28" x 28" Malleus and a Horkey Grails print, which is 24" x 38. I already bought one of the 24" x 36" presentation cases, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to store these two prints. I've seen some 30" x 40" backing boards and Mylar covers. My problem with those is that the websites want you to buy in bulk, and I don't plan on having a large collection of prints, especially these huge ones. So far, the best idea I have is getting a massive backing board from Aaron Brothers, and then begging the people at Bags Unlimited to sell me a massive mylar sleeve that I could fit the board into. Any other suggestions are welcome.

Second, I have a number of prints that have been sitting way too long--and by that I mean several years--in a poster tube. Is my best bet to get these straightened out just to lay them on a flat surface with books weighing down the edges of the prints for awhile? Is there any other way to do this?

Thanks for any advice.

I had one suggestion for Alvin archival sleeves. Any other advice/suggestions is appreciated.

If you're planning on getting them framed eventually...I would just keep them in the tubes...I've had prints in tubes for years, took them out to frame, they framed perfectly look beautiful and flush in the frames. Its not worth investing in stuff to flatten them all out yourself (in my opinion). If you want them flat for a portfolio or something, in order to view them that way, I would go ahead and get something to store them/flatten them.

mtarail wrote: I don't plan on having a large collection of prints, especially these huge ones.

thats how I started...its a slippery slope

Subtle wrote:If you're planning on getting them framed eventually...I would just keep them in the tubes...I've had prints in tubes for years, took them out to frame, they framed perfectly look beautiful and flush in the frames. Its not worth investing in stuff to flatten them all out yourself (in my opinion). If you want them flat for a portfolio or something, in order to view them that way, I would go ahead and get something to store them/flatten them.

youre either being facetious....or not. keeping prints in tubes longer for more than 2-3 months can potentially cause stress marking in the prints and/or cracking in the ink/paint. Plus theyre a son of a bitch to try and make flat the longer you keep em in the tubes and the framer will curse you and perhaps switch out your prints for something less savoury.

Get two pieces of foam board large enough for flattened print(s) - keeping items tubed is not a good idea.

Sammich prints in foamboard. If you're worried about them sliding cut the corners off some envelopes to make a large corner pocket and tape those to tne board.

Use large binder clips to secure foam core together.

Store flat, preferably. Put it under a bed, atop an unused counter or table - away from wandering children, pets, etc.

Enjoy.

evdisease wrote: youre either being facetious....or not. keeping prints in tubes longer for more than 2-3 months can potentially cause stress marking in the prints and/or cracking in the ink/paint. Plus theyre a son of a bitch to try and make flat the longer you keep em in the tubes and the framer will curse you and perhaps switch out your prints for something less savoury.

I agree. When I flatten my prints (I store everything flat), I insert them in one of those cheapo poster frames with the pull-off edges and put books across the entire face. Once they're flat I put them inside of a storage box. I don't store anything in tubes.

marshhouse wrote:Get two pieces of foam board large enough for flattened print(s) - keeping items tubed is not a good idea.

Sammich prints in foamboard. If you're worried about them sliding cut the corners off some envelopes to make a large corner pocket and tape those to tne board.

Use large binder clips to secure foam core together.

Store flat, preferably. Put it under a bed, atop an unused counter or table - away from wandering children, pets, etc.

Enjoy.

If I did this, do you need to put any sort of paper between the prints to make sure no ink transfers from the front of one print to the rear of another one?

mtarail wrote:

marshhouse wrote:Get two pieces of foam board large enough for flattened print(s) - keeping items tubed is not a good idea.

Sammich prints in foamboard. If you're worried about them sliding cut the corners off some envelopes to make a large corner pocket and tape those to tne board.

Use large binder clips to secure foam core together.

Store flat, preferably. Put it under a bed, atop an unused counter or table - away from wandering children, pets, etc.

Enjoy.

If I did this, do you need to put any sort of paper between the prints to make sure no ink transfers from the front of one print to the rear of another one?

Yes---I use glassine---but I'm not an expert. Just a novice.

I always flatten my prints slowly.

meaning I don't go tube > between foam boards.

I'll lay them out for a few days and let them unroll slightly on their own. Every few days I'll flip it over and repeat as necessary. I have some framer's corner weights that I use to help the process.

IMO you will get rolling waves if you right from the tube to a flat setting...I'd be EXTRA careful with those few that have been in tubes for a few years.

s_k_y wrote:you will get rolling waves if you right from the tube to a flat setting...I'd be EXTRA careful with those few that have been in tubes for a few years.

yup. you can get those rolls out, but it just takes even more time. its worth give the prints 2-7 days to slowly unroll before weighing em down

Yep, I always let the prints 'relax' out of the tube for a while before I try to flatten them. Length of time varies depending on type & thickness of paper and how long they've been tubed.

jerrysartarama sells packs of art bags in like tens, and carries big sizes. they're kinda like archival penny sleeves for baseball cards, but for posters. they're acid free and archival and uv protectant etc. it's what i have my prints in when i put them in the flat file...

Right now I have all my prints down the basement all laying on top of one another with 2 sheets of the brown paper in between each one. Honestly I do not see anything wrong with that. I know some people will say that is not a good way to keep them so I was thinking about trying to buy a portfolio that stores prints. Honestly some of prints I have owned for quite some time look the same as they did since I stored them down there, so not sure what people have against this type of storage.

Can anyone post links to some good portfolios where I can store my prints in? Also not looking to break the bank here, just some good storage for them.