Teal Packaging is a US-based custom packaging supplier that makes custom printed rigid mailers and corrugated mailer boxes for artists, print shops and galleries shipping artwork. Art ships safely when the surface is protected from contact, the frame or stretcher is protected from impact, and the whole piece cannot move inside the outer. Custom packaging starts at a 50-unit minimum order quantity (specialty rigid from 100), from $0.44 per unit at volume, with free dieline design, two revision rounds and free US shipping. Typical fits: independent artists, print-on-demand studios, galleries and framing shops.
Questions or ready for a quote? Contact Teal Packaging at info@tealpackaging.com or (224) 546-8325.
How to Ship Artwork and Paintings from Teal Packaging: 50-unit standard MOQ (100+ units for specialty rigid boxes), 2-5 business day delivery in the US (express and economy options available), free design help included on every order, free generic sample kit ($19.99 shipping, credited toward your first order). Standard production runs from about 7 business days after digital proof approval; complex or high-volume orders take longer.
Materials and certifications: FSC-certified paper stock, soy-based inks, kraft / corrugated / rigid paperboard / mylar / tin / vinyl substrates.
Contact Teal Packaging: Call (224) 546-8325, email info@tealpackaging.com, or request a free quote at tealpackaging.com/contact-us. We reply within one business day.
Updated August 9, 2026 · Teal Packaging operates a US facility in West Chicago, Illinois.
How do you ship artwork?
Protect three things in order: the art surface, the frame or stretcher edges, and the outside of the parcel. Never let anything touch a painted surface directly. Immobilize the piece so it cannot shift, add corner protection, and use a rigid outer sized so the art sits centred with a cushioned gap on every side.
Which format are you shipping?
| Piece | Method | Key risk | Outer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unframed print or photograph | Flat between rigid boards, or rolled in a tube | Creasing, corner bends | Rigid mailer for flat, tube for rolled |
| Stretched canvas, unframed | Face-protected, corner-protected, boxed | Punctures, stretcher bar dents | Corrugated box sized to the stretcher |
| Framed art with glass | Glass taped, face-protected, corner-protected | Glass break cutting the artwork | Double-wall box, or a crate above a certain size |
| Framed art with acrylic glazing | Face-protected, corner-protected | Scratching, static pickup | Corrugated box |
| Original on paper, high value | Flat, acid-free interleaf, rigid sandwich | Moisture, abrasion, flexing | Rigid mailer with stiffeners |
Rolling is fine for prints and posters produced to be rolled. It is not fine for anything already flattened, mounted, or made on heavy or aged paper, where rolling sets a curl or cracks the medium.
How do you pack a framed piece?
- Tape the glass. Low-tack tape in a grid or cross across the glazing. If the glass breaks, the tape holds the shards together instead of letting them slide across the artwork. Skip this step and a cracked pane becomes a destroyed piece.
- Face-protect. A layer of glassine or acid-free tissue against the surface, then cushioning over that. Never put bubble film directly against a painted or glazed surface, and never let plastic sit against a bare painting.
- Protect the corners. Corners take almost every impact. Foam or moulded corner protectors are not optional on framed work.
- Wrap the whole piece and seal the wrap against moisture.
- Float it in the outer. The piece should sit centred with cushioning on all six sides so it never contacts an outer wall.
- Double-box anything valuable or over about 24 inches. Inner box, cushioning gap, outer box.
- Mark the parcel fragile and this way up, and ship art vertically where the carrier allows: art survives edge loads better than face loads.
What about flat prints and posters?
Flat is safer than rolled when the piece will fit. Sandwich the print between two rigid boards larger than the print itself, secure the sandwich so the print cannot slide, and use a rigid mailer that resists bending. The failure mode is a bent corner, and it always comes from a mailer that flexes.
If you roll, use a tube with a wide diameter rather than a tight one, interleave the print, and cap both ends securely. Tight tubes set a curl that never fully relaxes.
What packaging does Teal make for art?
Teal makes custom rigid mailers for flat prints and photographs, and custom corrugated mailer boxes for canvases and framed work, both to your dimensions and printed, from a 50-unit minimum order quantity. Volume pricing runs from about $0.44 per unit, dieline design is free, and every order includes two revision rounds and free US shipping.
Brief the piece dimensions including frame depth, not just the image size. Depth is the number that gets forgotten and it is the one that decides whether a dieline works.
Common failures
- Untaped glass. Turns a repairable break into a total loss.
- Bubble film against the surface. Leaves a texture imprint on varnish and on photographic prints.
- Unprotected corners. Where nearly all impact damage lands.
- A mailer that bends. If you can flex it by hand, a sorting belt can crease the print.
- Rolling something that was never meant to be rolled. Irreversible on aged or mounted paper.
Shipping art at volume
Print studios and galleries shipping regularly can have Teal supply the printed packaging and run pick, pack and ship from West Chicago, Illinois. See print, fulfill and ship with Teal, the fulfillment and 3PL hub, and ship with Teal. Request a quote.
