Which brand of Shrink Wrap: I was just shrink wrapping a stack of matted photo to put up for sale at the gallery and I ran out of the shrink wrap. I go a long time between orders and I...

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

I was just shrink wrapping a stack of matted photo to put up for sale at the gallery and I ran out of the shrink wrap. I go a long time between orders and I couldn't remember for sure where I got it last time. Uline? M&M Framing Supplies? I bought some kind a couple of years ago, but it was for products, not artwork and had a haze to it and lines, I had to put it aside. I am wondering if anyone out there uses shrink and has any advice. I am not looking for the top of line, hoping to find a deal on some wrap that makes the matted print look good.

cspear42 Loc: New Mexico

I buy mine at the local U-Haul shop. They are the cheapest and have two sizes. One is about 7" and the other is much larger.

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

What kind is it? I am coming up with 2 kinds so far, Polyolefin and PVC. I want to make sure I don't get the kind I got a year ago, was obviously just for preservation or wrapping general products, it was not very clear, had a slight fogginess to it and had vague lines and such running along it...it was almost useable especially for storage but not to display art work for sale, which must be clear like glass. I will try to locate a local U-Haul. Do you use it for storage only? So far I have found that art grade may be a lower temperature for shrinking, and not as durable to odd shaped objects, but it is nice and clear. The customer must see the photo in all its glory or they may not buy! Surely there must be a bunch of UHH photographers who sell their work in the art market, shrink wrapping matted/mounted prints is the only alternative to framing under glass. Or is there another way?

cspear42 wrote:

I buy mine at the local U-Haul shop. They are the cheapest and have two sizes. One is about 7" and the other is much larger.

cspear42 Loc: New Mexico

Oops, you said shrink wrap. I buy the stretch wrap at U-haul. I use for wrapping items the wife sells on ebay.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

georgevedwards wrote:

What kind is it? I am coming up with 2 kinds so fa... (show quote)

I wouldn't let PVC anywhere near a photographic print. It out-gases horribly, including chlorine.

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

Thanks for the info! ...what does out-gas mean?

Wall-E wrote:

I wouldn't let PVC anywhere near a photographic print. It out-gases horribly, including chlorine.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

georgevedwards wrote:

Thanks for the info! ...what does out-gas mean?

The 'new car' smell? That's out-gassing from the plastics in the car interior parts.
The 'fresh paint' smell is the solvents out-gassing.

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

So out gassing is like some kind of radioactivity or perhaps a better analogy would be evaporation, except from a solid to a gas? Gas molecules get released from the solid compounds in noticeable quantities? I had a chemistry set when I was a kid and always kept an interest in it, I was not familiar with this property though, usually when something evaporates it would be from liquid state, like ice melting first and then boiling into a gas or having stray molecules escape to form clouds, or a puddle of water "drying up". I wonder if a solid can just out gas and disappear eventually? Or perhaps the surface of the solid, once out gassed, forms a shield or barrier, or a freshly formed plastic only has so many easily out gassed molecules until exhausted. Sorry, I tend to run on sometimes.

Wall-E wrote:

The 'new car' smell? That's out-gassing from the plastics in the car interior parts.
The 'fresh paint' smell is the solvents out-gassing.

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

If the matted prints are standard sizes, maybe consider using crystal clear bags from Clear Bags. Easier to use, specifically made for art work and will not damage the work, easy to re bag if a bag gets dirty, can be bought in bulk so generally economical.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

georgevedwards wrote:

I was just shrink wrapping a stack of matted photo... (show quote)

I assume you are placing a piece of mat-board over the top photo and dividers between each photo in the stack. I would never let any kind of wrapping touch the actual image.

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

Of course. Matted and backing board. I guess it is possible that the plastic may on occasion touch the photo while in the stack or from handling, but at least it is not greasy fingers from people holding it to look at or pollutants in the air as it would be if exposed with no covering. A risk that has worked good over the past 15 years, no complaints yet.

Mogul wrote:

I assume you are placing a piece of mat-board over the top photo and dividers between each photo in the stack. I would never let any kind of wrapping touch the actual image.

georgevedwards Loc: Essex, Maryland.

Already started down that road, others at the gallery use bags and I was going to make the switch, but the best I could find was like $100 for 100 bags, which may last a year before I have to order more, the shrink wrap covering looked better by far to me, was cheaper at least by half. A roll of shrink wrap usually lasts several years. I just didn't want to come up with $100 at once if I could help it. I don't like the way the others work looks in those bags, the surfaces are warped and reflect light across an uneven surface, they are sort of loose, and to me they just look sloppy. I guess if it was cheaper than shrink wrap I would go for it. By the way, I do get my mats from ClearBags.

Photographer Jim wrote:

If the matted prints are standard sizes, maybe consider using crystal clear bags from Clear Bags. Easier to use, specifically made for art work and will not damage the work, easy to re bag if a bag gets dirty, can be bought in bulk so generally economical.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

georgevedwards wrote:

Of course. Matted and backing board. I guess it is possible that the plastic may on occasion touch the photo while in the stack or from handling, but at least it is not greasy fingers from people holding it to look at or pollutants in the air as it would be if exposed with no covering. A risk that has worked good over the past 15 years, no complaints yet.

The problem is not incidental contact between the wrapping and the photo. If a delivery person, sorter or loader grabs the package the wrong way and presses the wrapping against the photo, or if the truck is loaded so that the photos are on the bottom of the pile, the plastic may, if not separated from the print, be pressed against the photo for several hours in blistering heat - and few, if any, photos can handle that sustained contact without forming some sort of a bond, scratching or causing an unexpected chemical reaction.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Wall-E wrote:

The 'new car' smell? That's out-gassing from the plastics in the car interior parts.
The 'fresh paint' smell is the solvents out-gassing.

You took the words right out of my mouth. That wonderful new car smell is not necessarily a good thing - for the lungs. It's been known to fog car windows.

trebor Loc: Erie, PA

georgevedwards wrote:

So out gassing is like some kind of radioactivity ... (show quote)

Google "sublimation". Or just go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublimation_(phase_transition)