Art Card Protective Sleeves

When I first started painting and selling art cards, I used plastic inserts to protect them but not the rigid outer sleeves. The inserts cost less than a penny each while the plastic sleeve cost about twenty-five cents each. Additionally, the outer sleeves are too rigid for first class postage so the cost of mailing goes up by seventy-five more cents per envelope. 

I intended to save money by cuttings costs but this is one of those cases where cost cutting costs reduces the value. Within a few months I learned that by not using the rigid sleeves, I was placing the artwork at risk of significant damage in a couple of ways, and I was missing out on a way to deliver a better product:

TWO WAYS THE USPS IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR ART:

1)  Your envelope will get bent at the post office. The USPS employees are trained to weigh the item and then decide if it should go First Class or Parcel Post. If it's rigid or thicker than 1/4", it must ship Parcel Post. Since art cards are not that thick the postal worker only needs to check its rigidity, and this means flexing and bending the envelope. 

2) First Class mail goes through a sorting machine and is subject to a certain level of bending. Whether by man or machine, the only way to protect the art card is to use the plastic, rigid sleeves and pay for parcel post. Shipping parcel post alone is not a guarantee your art will be protected.

HOW THE ADDITIONAL EXPENSE IS JUSTIFIED:

The additional cost is more than compensated for when you consider that your art collectors are investing in your 'brand" as well as your art, therefore it is in your best interests that they are able to store it safely so it can appreciate over time. In most cases, the sleeves even improve the look of the art. Also, the backs of the cards have enough space to insert business cards or to write your contact information.

The rigid sleeves make it possible for your work to be carried in pockets, shared with others, placed in birthday cards, stuffed in stockings, and passed around classrooms. They make your art practically indestructible. I still cringe thinking of all those times a postal worker would bend the envelope back and forth asking "What's in it?" Since I started using rigid sleeves, I have not had to refund a single damaged art card.  


Jack Larson
http://www.zombieart.us


ps.

              WHY I USE "TOPLOADERS":

They aren't overly stiff like the others I have tried, which makes them ideal for artwork with textured or thick applications of paint. Sleeves that are too stiff can potentially damage the art if the fit is too tight.