Newbie...how to store prints

Information on shipping, storing and repairing your art, plus your reviews on products for art collecting, making, storing, etc..
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SurfingJeff
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Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:16 pm

Whiteboy wrote:I must get round to doing my collection, I hate knowing that most of them are still in the tubes and have been for over 2 years. Do you think they will ok?

Thanks for tips.
2 years in tubes is well into the danger zone. Even with months of flattening, you may not be able to get them flat - especially if they are in 3 inchers. Get them out ASAP. They may be so curly that you'll have to be very careful in flattening. Worst case, you may need to consult a conservator like Poster Mountain. Good luck.
Last edited by SurfingJeff on Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
T.H.C.
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misterwhisper
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Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:30 pm

c0rpe wrote: I was asking because I took out my foam core from behind the dresser today for the first time in about a month and a half. One of my screen prints was a little...hmmm...wobbly. Even though it's "flat", it appears to have some waviness to it.

Any idea what could cause that?
Could definitely be caused by the situation below -- too much time in tubes. If so, if continued flattening doesn't straighten them out, you may have to follow SurfingJeff's advice. Also, if the print was gripped or squeezed while rolled, or rolled to tightly, it may have been crimped. I've used Poster Mountain to flatten in that situation and they did a great job.
SurfingJeff wrote:
Whiteboy wrote:I must get round to doing my collection, I hate knowing that most of them are still in the tubes and have been for over 2 years. Do you think they will ok?

Thanks for tips.
2 years in tubes is well into the danger zone. Even with months of flattening, you may not be able to get them flat - especially if they were are in 3 inchers. Get them out ASAP. They may be so curly that you'll have to be very careful in flattening. Worst case, you may need to consult a conservator like Poster Mountain. Good luck.
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electrachrome
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Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:55 pm

misterwhisper wrote:
c0rpe wrote: I was asking because I took out my foam core from behind the dresser today for the first time in about a month and a half. One of my screen prints was a little...hmmm...wobbly. Even though it's "flat", it appears to have some waviness to it.

Any idea what could cause that?
Could definitely be caused by the situation below -- too much time in tubes. If so, if continued flattening doesn't straighten them out, you may have to follow SurfingJeff's advice. Also, if the print was gripped or squeezed while rolled, or rolled to tightly, it may have been crimped. I've used Poster Mountain to flatten in that situation and they did a great job.
waviness can also be a direct result of humidity & ink drying time during printing.
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SurfingJeff
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Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:39 pm

electrachrome wrote:
misterwhisper wrote:
c0rpe wrote: I was asking because I took out my foam core from behind the dresser today for the first time in about a month and a half. One of my screen prints was a little...hmmm...wobbly. Even though it's "flat", it appears to have some waviness to it.

Any idea what could cause that?
Could definitely be caused by the situation below -- too much time in tubes. If so, if continued flattening doesn't straighten them out, you may have to follow SurfingJeff's advice. Also, if the print was gripped or squeezed while rolled, or rolled to tightly, it may have been crimped. I've used Poster Mountain to flatten in that situation and they did a great job.
waviness can also be a direct result of humidity & ink drying time during printing.
I'm pretty sure that you can also get waviness after printing (like in your house) from humidity changes. I'm fortunate to live in pretty stable climate, so I don't usually have to deal with this. That said, during an especially dry stretch of days a few weeks back, the piece of foam core on top of my flat file warped badly and was sticking up like 2-3" on the corners while the middle sat flat. It made me very nervous about my prints being effected, but they seem to have come through unscathed.
T.H.C.
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acappa
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Sat Dec 01, 2012 5:52 pm

Question...

If I use presentation boards (tri-folds) to flatten as I saw suggested somewhere on the forum, would using acid-free sheets of tissue paper on both sides of the print make this a safe option?

It seems like the general consensus on flattening is to use acid-free foam core, but I can't find any large enough for my prints (24x36).

Suggestions?
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misterwhisper
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Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:54 pm

acappa wrote:Question...

If I use presentation boards (tri-folds) to flatten as I saw suggested somewhere on the forum, would using acid-free sheets of tissue paper on both sides of the print make this a safe option?

It seems like the general consensus on flattening is to use acid-free foam core, but I can't find any large enough for my prints (24x36).

Suggestions?
Not according to FramerDave, who really knows what he's talking about:
FramerDave wrote: Matboard is quite porous; if you were to look at it under a microscope it would look like a sponge. Any acidic products will still leach through it and affect the art, it will just take a while longer.
If acidic products can leach though matboard, I imagine they'd leach through tissue paper even faster.

Acid-free foamcore in that size shouldn't be hard to find at all; chain stores like Michael's and Aaron bros. stock it regularly in 32x40 (I just bought some at Aaron Bros for $4/sheet). Make sure to ask for acid free and make sure to check the surface, acid-free board should have a toothy, matte finish and not a smooth, glossy finish. If you can't find it locally at all, you can always order it from American Frame or Frame Destination.
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pagodafitz
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Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:41 am

I recently purchased some tissue paper to put in between the mylar and the print. I have noticed that there is a side of the tissue that has a sheen to it while the other side seems to have a bit more pilling happening on it.

Anyone know if it matters what side of the tissue I put against the print?
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dmm8878
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Fri Dec 07, 2012 2:31 pm

I found 40x30 acid-free foam core board at Pearl at a good price, but where can I find larger foam core that doesn't come in a 10-pack or 25-pack? I just need four sheets at around 48x30. any help?
ottomatik71 wrote:Your punk ass attitude isn't going to help you get this print.
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pagodafitz
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Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:21 am

dmm8878 wrote:I found 40x30 acid-free foam core board at Pearl at a good price, but where can I find larger foam core that doesn't come in a 10-pack or 25-pack? I just need four sheets at around 48x30. any help?

If there is a Michael's by you, the frame shop will have acidfree 60x40 pieces for individual sale. They will also cut it to whatever dimensions you want.
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Deadareus
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Sat Dec 08, 2012 12:59 am

For the life of me I cannot seem to get my 24x36 posters into my Picturesque Portfolio without softening the corners on most posters. Excruciatingly frustrating. I have no intention on selling any of my posters so I'm not too concerned.. but still. I need a better system for storing my larger prints.
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fitz
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Sat Dec 08, 2012 7:28 am

I recently bought a really big (39" x 27") clip frame for about £12 and I just keep bigger posters in that with acid free tissue in between them. you can easily get 4 or so posters in it without them seeming to be packed in.
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dmm8878
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Sat Dec 08, 2012 10:02 am

pagodafitz wrote:
dmm8878 wrote:I found 40x30 acid-free foam core board at Pearl at a good price, but where can I find larger foam core that doesn't come in a 10-pack or 25-pack? I just need four sheets at around 48x30. any help?

If there is a Michael's by you, the frame shop will have acidfree 60x40 pieces for individual sale. They will also cut it to whatever dimensions you want.
thanks! i can walk to a Michael's.
ottomatik71 wrote:Your punk ass attitude isn't going to help you get this print.
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pagodafitz
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Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:11 pm

^^^
They have a couple different thicknesses. I guess best just to talk with the person working in custom framing. They cost me around $13 each. Hope it works out for you. While I am waiting for a flatfile, I purchased these and had them cut to put at the bottom of archival storage boxes. It gave them a little bit stronger base and no need to worry about prints sagging in the middle of the box. :pint:
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acappa
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Wed Dec 12, 2012 1:37 am

I grabbed these:

http://www.amazon.com/Viewpoint-Acid-Fr ... +free+foam

About $32 shipped for 5, 30x40.

Couldn't find any that size in a store near me, so this seemed like a decent option.
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Kerrick
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Sat Dec 15, 2012 1:25 pm

Still kinda new to this whole storing issue so hopefully this is not a silly question.
I can't find acid free foam board where I live, only the regular ones.
What I did find though was acid free white paper. Would it be enough of a storage solution to put them on both sides of the print? Like Paper, print, paper, print... and then put them under my bed to serve as weightening?
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