transporting 11x14 prints

I need to transport about half a dozen prints, not through the mail, but carried in a car for a 3 hour drive away. They are carbon ink prints on 13x19 220 gm/m2 (that's grams per metersquare) paper, sprayed with a fixative. They'll be trimmed to about 13x16.

 

What should I put between them? Once that is done I plan to put them in the stiff cardboard box the paper came in. Then I'll put the box in, I don't know what it's called, one of those flexible brownish portfolio cases with a handle.

 

Any advice? suggestions? a better way?

 

Thanks all,

 

Paul

An arts and crafts store like Hobby Lobby have portfolios and hard cases for large prints in several sizes, or you can go on line. The same stores have tissue paper, which can be used to separate prints without scuffing them.

 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_8?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=art+portfolio+case+24+x+36&sprefix=art+port,aps,203&crid=HFF5XF0ZB7ZC

Press man, not an inkjet output delivery guy here. I have no clue about the fixative's you used character.

In general it is not good to give a backside of another print a chance to grind your ink or clearcoat's surface. Are your prints the same size now? If so, I would put some hard stop at their loose end inside the box and carry it as if it held pizza, i.e. flat, not upright in a brief case.

To avoid wet prints smearing the backsides of others upon them you usually dust them with starch based print dusting powder, in your case the bigger size.

+1 for tissue to separate prints. Do you have any empty paper boxes that size? With the tissue to separate the prints (if they are thoroughly dry) that should be adequate to protect your prints on a drive. If you were shipping them that would be a different story...

Thanks to all of you. I won't take the time to personalize my thanks, but as they say "you know who you are" !

 

I have confidence in the fixative I'm using, it's called Premier Art Printshield and earns good marks from Epson and Wilhelm Imaging. As for Hobby Lobby, I'll head over there tomorrow (closed Sundays) and get a portfolio. I'll check them out for tissue separation sheets, but we have some here at home,.My wife has stored some quite large watercolors stored with tissue between them. She has graciously offered these. BTW. these photos I'm delivering are carbon ink prints and quite dry by now.

 

Again, thanks to all.

 

Paul

The fixative is usually a clear acrylic spray, either matte or glossy. My Canon Pro-10 has a clear coat it applies over the ink.

I know acid-free tissue is the traditional way to cover and separate prints, but it's not proof against sticking to mounting spray or to slightly undried ink.

 

Unconventional, but could I suggest polythene sheeting? This won't stick to anything, and can be got thick enough to provide good protection against impact. Its smooth surface won't give any rubbing or friction damage either. AFAIK it doesn't outgas any nasties that could interact with dyes or pigments.

 

Bromide paper used to be supplied in thick black polythene bags. I've kept a number of finished prints in such bags for years with no ill-effect on the prints.

Edited November 12, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

Photo tissue separators work good. Can probably get them from any of the big online or even a local store. Paper boxes work fine.

Thanks for those recent suggestions, everyone. I did go to Hobby Lobby as I mentioned a few posts back. They had some transparent "bags" (more like envelopes) named Crystal Clear. These claim to be archival and meet standards for photos. They make many different sizes and here's where I got lucky. My prints are on 13x19 paper and that was the only size the store had in stock! Reasonably priced, too, $10.99 for 25 bags.

Sheets of velum cut to the size of the box they will be stacked in.

Thanks, Ed. Where would one obtain velum? We have a Michael's here, I could try them.

Michael's will have either velum or some other plastic, inert, material . . . I can't remember what the other is called.

As the responses above pretty much show, the problem of photos and other forms of graphic art are essentially the same.

 

Just off the top of the Google as an example: Care of Art Prints - artelino

Paul, sounds like you have found what your looking for. I don't know what I would do without Michaels or Hobby Lobby. The typical paper I have used for interleaving is glassine. There may be glassine sleeves available as well. You can buy a roll of it at B&H and cut it to fit your prints. For presentation I like acid free archival boxes, but you have to lay them flat for transport. They are not cheap and can be had at B&H. I save my original Canson, Ilford and Red a River print paper boxes for general use but like the black Print File and Lineco brand boxes for presentation purposes because they are less expensive but just as elegant. The Print File boxes are harder to open. I think presentation boxes are always a good idea if your trying to make a good impression and or want the individuals your working with understand that you know what your doing. Good hunting.

My negatives are stored in glassine sleeves... and I've saved all the boxes my paper came in. And I've checked out Print File boxes. I agree with you on the importance of presentation. Thank you!