Picking up from this thread, here are a few things to mention for non-printing supplies. Several years ago at K2 Press, @bill and I started using rolls of white butcher paper for making large envelopes to wrap prints for shipping. We would start with a layer of interleaving tissue to cover the print surface and then make an envelope from butcher paper, then tape that to one side of the packaging portfolio. The butcher pager is food grade with neutral pH, was easier than stocking endless sizes of bags, and cheaper per sq in than anything we could find. I’m still using that method today.
For packing material to make the portfolio, following @tboley lead, I moved to 2-ply corrugated sheets. Each side of the package will be set so that the bias is 90d of the other side. The resulting 4-ply sandwich is VERY stiff, and I have not had any issues but haven’t gone larger than probably 20”x30”. The 3-ply sheets that CEP is probably the way to go for large sizes.
We all like alternatives regarding vendors of such supplies, and this article has some good ideas.
I would love to buy sheets of corrugate locally but haven’t had luck finding supply. For 2-ply, I’ll probably use this place next.
So, those are a few ideas to get a reference thread started.
To be honest, not doing printing for others has almost entirely freed me from packaging prints. It’s like I died and went to heaven! Sheets of corrugate, almost any ply, became a real problem. There’s one local place but I never found much on line. Those multi ply sheets Cone Ed uses are deluxe, not sure where to get them. I’m sure everyone knows about clearbags. The one supplier I’ve become quite loyal to is Talas. Anything for bookmaking, portfolio box making, choices of cloth, you name it. Lately I’ve been ordering fine art paper from them like Rives, Arches, Somerset, and I’ve never gotten a bad delivery. I think they spend more on the packing than the cost of my order sometimes. Besides, I like smaller suppliers. the biggies- Blick, Cheap Joes, I’ve gotten so much damaged fine art paper from them it’s not worth the effort. The problem is they order in large cartons, then take out sheets for your order (already too much handling) and put them in some makeshift packaging. Talas seems to do that well, flat or rolled. That’s all I can think of for now. Thanks for that “alternative” link.
My volumes for such supplies are a tiny fraction of what was needed back in K2P days. My packaging needs these days are for my friends&family stuff and #freeprints projects. To some degree, that makes things cost-prohibitive when finding places to order small quantities in cost-effective ways. Thanks for the reference to Talas. I’ve seen them but not purchased from them. I’ll take a closer look.
I’ve used Talas for years and, like Tyler, have never had an issue with what they sell, how it’s packaged, or delivered. They’ve become my “first stop” for anything related to printing or studio supplies.
I’ll add a couple of more names to the fine art paper list, Takachpaper.com, a sister to the well-known supplier of Takach intaglio presses and printmaking supplies. I’ve ordered from them and had prompt and well-packaged delivery. They carry an extensive list of papers. Lenzarts.com has the best pricing for a few papers if ordered in large quantities, e.g. Rives BFK, and a printmaker I know orders from them. I have not ordered from them myself. I also concur with the positive comments from Talas, having ordered from them and finding excellent service both on the phone and with well-packaged delivery of papers hard to find elsewhere.
what’s the thinking about buffered or non-buffered material for pigment inkjet? It used to just concern choices for interleaves, or portfolio/storage box materials, but now it has to include actual print media, as we’ve opened the possibilities for media up so much.
I’ve been using a lot of Arches watercolor paper lately, with Piezo Pro and OEM inks in an SC9000. I’m finding that Arches and BFK Rives are a good combo for my work (they do vary slightly in size, though both are listed with the same dimensions). And, interestingly, the best pricing I’ve found is Jerry’s Artarama. Their fulfillment service is quick and, so far, everything has arrived in perfect condition.
Tyler- I’ve been drilling down on this since our last conversation. Apparently, for inkjet prints on quality media, buffered vs. non-buffered isn’t an issue as far as the prints are concerned. There may be a storage of environmental factors that would favor one over the other. As you’ve mentioned before, the coating used on inkjet papers is probably a more serious issue.
hey does anyone have a retail source for nalgene (or whatever they are) empty bottles around 200ml with dropper style tops? Pretty much like IJM’s?
Thanks, T