The process of shipping large paintings is pretty delicate because it requires professional handling with minimal risk of damage during transportation. An extra-size painting may be hard to move through entrance doors or place into a shipping vehicle. Yet, you may simplify the process by taking these nuances into account in advance. Here is a quick guide to arranging the procedure properly.

What Does Shipping Large Paintings Involve?

The process of preparing large paintings for transportation is essentially the same as with smaller fine art objects. You will need to wrap the painting in a protective layer of art plastic or acid-free paper, such as glassine paper or archival tissue paper, to prevent damage to its surfaces. You may also want to add extra padding or cushioning to the painting; we recommend using foam sheets, kraft bubble, or bubble wrap for these purposes. Extra-size paintings may also need to be crated for the sake of safe handling and shipping.

Next comes the handling part. It’s better to deal with professionals who understand the nuances of moving large paintings without risks of damage. They should also use professional-grade equipment for safe loading and unloading of the artwork. If your delicate art piece has to cover a long distance, take proper care of the climate control settings in the art shuttle. Exposure to excessive humidity or heat may ruin the canvas.

Do your due diligence before arranging your painting’s transportation because it may fall under the dimension restrictions of the vehicle. You will also need to calculate the dimensional weight carefully, as extra dimensions typically come with higher shipping costs and require specialized vehicles. Thus, you should discuss all the nuances with your carrier and book the needed equipment and means of transportation that can accommodate your painting.

When a Smaller Piece Can Go by Parcel

Not every artwork in a collection needs a crate and specialized transportation. Rolled canvases in hard tubes, for example, often travel with standard parcel carriers. Size matters here. A tube can be billed on its dimensions rather than its actual weight, and each carrier runs that math a little differently.

For these smaller shipments, some artists and galleries use Rollo Ship, free multi-carrier shipping software built for sellers in the US and Canada. It lines up USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, and Purolator side by side, with FedEx and Purolator connected through your own accounts. That way, the cheapest service for a given box size shows up before you print the label. Rollo is not a carrier. The label fee is the only charge from Rollo Ship; postage is paid directly to the carrier. First 200 labels free (one-time), then 5¢ each, down to 1¢ via Rollo Rewards.

An oversized canvas is a different story. No parcel label replaces specialist handling for a piece that won't fit through a standard door.

Talk to Fine Art Shippers about Your Extra-Size Painting

If you’re new to shipping large paintings, don’t try to organize it all alone. The risk is high that you may damage one of the painting’s corners or tear the canvas in the process of transportation. That’s irreparable damage you can easily avoid by dealing with professionals. Fine Art Shippers is an art logistics company with three decades of experience in fine art handling, packaging, shipping, and crating. We can organize the shipping process with due care for safety standards regardless of your painting’s dimensions. Talk to us today to find out the details and keep calm about your asset’s safety.