If you have purchased a poster for someone as a gift or if you want to start buying and selling posters, you will want to make sure that you are able to ship the poster without it being damaged. If you don't live in the same town, chances are good that you are going to decide to send it through the mail. Here are some tips for packing and shipping your poster so that it reaches its final destination without being permanently damaged.
1. Invest in Tubes
The most obvious thing that you have to do is invest in thick shipping tubes. These tubes need to be wide so that you don't have to roll up your poster too tightly. They also have to be able to resist bending. If you are trying to buy your tubes in store, then you should definitely put some pressure on them by putting them on the ground and putting your hand on it. Slowly increase the pressure until you are putting about half of your weight on it. If the poster tube can handle about half of your weight without bending, or about fifty pounds, then you can feel confident that, when your posters are packed in them, they will make it to your friend or customers unharmed.
2. Avoid Rubber Bands
You might think that you need to use rubber bands to hold your posters in a rolled-up position in the tubes. Don't do this. All you need to do is roll the poster so that it is just small enough to fit into the tube and then shove it in gently. If you use a rubber band, it can leave permanent indentations in the poster or it might even melt into the poser itself if the tube is exposed to extreme heat.
3. Use Padding
Finally, take some crumpled tissue paper and put it on other side of the tube so that the poster doesn't slide around too much. This will keep the ends of the poster from getting crumpled up while they are in transit.
By following all of these tips, you will be able to make sure that the person who is receiving your poster will be satisfied with the result. Talk to a company that makes standard white tubes, like Chicago Mailing Tube Co., for more information about packing strategies and the types of padding that you should use in order to get the best results possible.
