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Author Topic: shrink wrapping prints for showing  (Read 11280 times)

Justan

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shrink wrapping prints for showing
« on: January 15, 2012, 12:23:10 pm »

I've been using clear plastic bags to wrap my mat board mounted prints. The selection offered by clearbags.com is fairly limited and their products are pricy.

I started to look into shrink wrapping equipment just a day ago and found that while it’s readily available, some say that PVC based shrink wrap poses a risk due to the fumes.

Does anyone use shrink wrap? What do you use? What needs are there for ventilation? Does the shrink wrap pose any risk to the prints? How is it for being suitable for use on bigger works?

Thanks!

neile

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2012, 01:56:12 pm »

This thread is a first for me :) I've never heard anyone describe clearbags.com as having limited selection! I'm curious, what sizes are you doing where they don't have appropriate bags?

You can try www.uline.com, they have a ton of shrink wrapping options available with all the fancy equipment.

Neil
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Justan

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2012, 02:21:59 pm »

Thanks for the reply.

I make a lot of panoramic photos and clearbags.com doesn't offer a lot sizes that closley fit the aspect ratios i typically use.

Thanks for suggesting Uline for shrink wrap materials! As it worked out, Uline is where i started to look for that stuff but I'm also interested in the proper environment for working with the shrink wrap materials.

Alan Goldhammer

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2012, 03:11:32 pm »

I'm not sure that shrink wrap plastics are archival and you need to make sure about what type of polymer it is made from.  Anything PVC-based would not be desirable for fear of trace amounts of contaminants affecting your print.
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davidh202

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2012, 06:02:52 pm »

 I gave up on 'shrink wrap' a long time ago in the gallery. Apain in the butt since bags were introduced!
I have been purchasing my bags from  
  
http://www.presentationsystems.com/details.php?pid=75&cat=4&$subcat=

For odd sizes, I pick the closest length or width bag, then trim only one side of the excess of the bag off while leaving a flap to wrap around to the other and apply ATG tape to seal the new 'flap' on the back side( you could also use clear tape for a clean look .

Most panos that come into my store are 40'' x 10 to13" and you could split the 30x 40s down the middle creating 2 from 1 that way and still have enough to trim and fold a flap over ;-)

David
« Last Edit: January 18, 2012, 09:04:05 pm by davidh202 »
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azmike

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #5 on: January 15, 2012, 09:47:58 pm »

As Justan said, ClearBags don't have sizes useful for large landscape prints.  My most popular prints are 17x46, 24x48 and 24x65.  For these sizes I can buy smaller bags and cut and patch them together which is a pretty unprofessional (i.e. ugly) approach.  So what are those of you with these sizes/ratios using??

Mike Coffey
Prescott, AZ
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Wayne Fox

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2012, 12:52:39 am »

As Justan said, ClearBags don't have sizes useful for large landscape prints.  My most popular prints are 17x46, 24x48 and 24x65.  For these sizes I can buy smaller bags and cut and patch them together which is a pretty unprofessional (i.e. ugly) approach.  So what are those of you with these sizes/ratios using??

Mike Coffey
Prescott, AZ
I suppose you might try to see if they would custom make the bags, but I would agree that shrink-wrap probably doesn't qualify as a good solution. I would consider using clear corners to hold the print on an oversize piece of stiffener cut to exactly the right size of the bag. Personally I just neatly fold a clearbag around to the back and tape securely.  Leaves a pristine front, a little tape on the back but I don't call it "unprofessional".  some might - yes it doesn't fit Apples idea of packaging which is fine if you have the budget and really want the packaging to be in integral part of the experience.  Of course, I rarely deliver an unframed piece so my packaging needs are a little different.

Wonder if a bag edge heat sealer would work creating a new seam if you cut the bag? Might look better than atg tape, if it would work.

good luck.
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neile

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2012, 12:56:35 am »

Clearbags does do custom sizes but I can't imagine it's cheap (http://www.clearbags.com/clear-bags/custom). Minimum quantities likely make it unattractive for pretty much any fine art photographer.

As a few others have mentioned when I print panos I just use the largest size Clearbags.com that's available to fit the width, and then fold and tape the extra height to the back. Looks beautiful from the front, and not at all awful from the back.

Neil
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bill t.

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2012, 04:49:59 pm »

And shrink wrapped prints are just SO TACKY!  Hello Dollar Store!  Bags have a hand-hewn, limited-editionish kind ambiance that makes them ever so more appealing!
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Justan

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2012, 11:27:31 am »

^  That’s the rub. 2 gallery owners complained. Using clear bags requires not only a sloppy fit, but there is also the adhesive strip, which is a threat to the print. In short: Clear bags are TACKY for this application in more ways than one.

What I've been doing is similar to what Wayne suggested; that is to use clear corners to mount the print on foamcore. The foamcore is cut to size for the closest fitting bag that clearbags makes. It makes for a lot of extra materials and then it looks like crap.

Further, because the closest fitting Clearbags has the adhesive strip on the flap I have to add a note to warn buyers to not let the adhesive touch the print.  It’s like laying a trap for the customer.

It adds up to a lot of effort and sloppy finish, and then there are the excessive materials and time. In this case Clearbags does nothing good for the fit and finish. This is not to say they don’t make a good product, but not one that is suitable for foamcore mounted panos.

So, I take it no one uses shrink wrap?

Anywho, thanks for the thoughtful replies!

framah

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2012, 11:47:19 am »

If you decide to go with shrink wrap.. don't worry about archivalness of it. It is purely a temporary method to keep schmootzy lilttle fingers off the image.
It will not be framed that way so don't worry about that.

As for fumes, I never noticed that much of a problem and I was wrapping them in my kitchen at the time.... course, i WAS living in NJ at the time so I probably wouldn't have noticed any smell anyhow!!

I don't do any shrink wrap for my customers as it isn't worth the time and aggravation.

Another problem you might encounter with SRing  panos is that as the film shrinks, it pulls and bends any long pieces meaning they won't be nice and flat and over time, it seems to keep on shrinking a bit so the bowing becomes more pronounced.

Yet another problem with it is that as you are shrinking the film with your heat gun, you stand a good chance of blowing a hole in the film and having to start all over again...thus the aggravation part of it all.

Good luck with that.
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bill t.

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2012, 01:32:17 pm »

There is another option which is to buy "clear acetate rolls" in the more or less standard widths like 25 and 50 inches, lay your prints face down on a sheet then wrap them up.  Tape the backs together.  Put an Avery label near one end saying "Please remove the print by cutting open this end with a scissors.  Contact with the tape may damage the print."

I used to slice the sides of regular large bags to get big pano-ratio sheets, up to the point where I realized selling bare prints was hurting my sales of much more lucrative framed pieces.

When I look at shrink wrapped art in bins I notice that there are often areas around the edge of the package where the shrink has opened up in typically 2" wide circular voids.  Probably from the shrink being too tight.   I also notice a lot more scrapes and minor tears on shrink than I see on the more substantial bags.  Although there are issues with folded bags, at least the surface shop-wears much slower than shrink and offers a little more protection to the print.  And doggone it, those goofy folded up bags just seem more artsy!

And just slice those booby-trap tacky flaps off with a utility knife, or buy the bags without the adhesive!

Also, when wrapping bags around the back, the edges of the last fold should point UP which prevents the fold from hanging up on the edges of the print just behind it when the print is put back in the bin.  Pulling the bag out of the bin is easy, putting it back in is the trick.
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Justan

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2012, 01:58:08 pm »

^^GREAT SUGGESTION!^^

I didn’t know about acetate. I already put a tag on the bags warning to cut and not let the adhesive touch the print. Your suggestion would offer the flexibility I need and a tight fit as well. And, most importantly, way less wasted materials!

Thanks, as always for your fabulous guidance!!

Justan

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #13 on: January 19, 2012, 02:01:43 pm »

If you decide to go with shrink wrap.. don't worry about archivalness of it. It is purely a temporary method to keep schmootzy lilttle fingers off the image.
It will not be framed that way so don't worry about that.

As for fumes, I never noticed that much of a problem and I was wrapping them in my kitchen at the time.... course, i WAS living in NJ at the time so I probably wouldn't have noticed any smell anyhow!!

I don't do any shrink wrap for my customers as it isn't worth the time and aggravation.

Another problem you might encounter with SRing  panos is that as the film shrinks, it pulls and bends any long pieces meaning they won't be nice and flat and over time, it seems to keep on shrinking a bit so the bowing becomes more pronounced.

Yet another problem with it is that as you are shrinking the film with your heat gun, you stand a good chance of blowing a hole in the film and having to start all over again...thus the aggravation part of it all.

Good luck with that.



These are all true! I always use foamcore as backing so don’t think the shrink wrap has enough pull to significantly warp the foamcore. I could be wrong, of course, as I haven't tried.

I do like Bill’s suggestion as I've read that PVC fumes are pretty nasty and I don’t want to do this outside to protect myself from the fumes. I also don’t have any kind of air evacuation system in place.

I've never been to NJ, but it sounds like of smelly!

Randy Carone

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2012, 02:27:18 pm »

The fumes referenced when using PVC film is not a problem for the 'wrapper' but rather the migration of fumes from the PVC over time. All PVC is softened with plasticizer, usually DOP (Dioctyl Phthalate), which will migrate from the PVC and evaporate. Since ink is glycol-based I'd be afraid that the DOP could have a negative reaction with the ink and could stick to the ink over a relatively short period of time, especially if heat is present, as this would accelerate the migration and evaporation. Some shrink wraps are made from Polyvinylidene, which is a derivitive of PVC and also contains plasticizers. Clearbags, which are made from BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) are inert and have no liquids that can be liberated from the polymer. This is a much better choice than 'shrink wrap'.
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Justan

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #15 on: January 21, 2012, 01:42:13 pm »

Thanks Randy, very much for this info!

>The fumes referenced when using PVC film is not a problem for the 'wrapper' but rather the migration of fumes from the PVC over time.

When the PVC is melted to cut and seal doesn't it release the fumes directly?  That’s what I read. Anywho, I wouldn’t want a room of PVC fume emitting prints to walk into from time to time.

>Clearbags, which are made from BOPP (Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene) are inert and have no liquids that can be liberated from the polymer. This is a much better choice than 'shrink wrap'.

Awesome! So…………….the first big question is, any suggestions on where can I find manageable rolls or BOPP? By manageable, I mean something that comes in at under 100 lbs for a full roll. I found this place but haven't had time to contact them: http://www.paperandfilm.com/index.aspx

The 2nd question is, do you think this a more suitable solution than using acetate film as was suggested above??

mosleyh

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Re: shrink wrapping prints for showing
« Reply #16 on: April 04, 2012, 10:43:08 am »

@Justan: What size panos are you printing? The gallery owner that I work with asked for my smaller ones (20-ish inches wide) to be "floated" on a standard size, and poly-bagged. It wastes a bit of paper, but I went with the 18 x 24 clearbags and have been very pleased with the results. I also spend much less time packaging them. Much bigger than that I usually produce stretched canvas anyway because of the expense of framing. . .
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