My Print Came In A Tube And I’m Afraid To Take It Out

Taking out artwork from a tube may seem problematic but it’s really easy. All you have to do is stick a couple of fingers into the tube and tighten the rolled print.

This helps compress the print and makes it easy to pull out. If you already got it out and don’t know how to flatten it out, scroll down to the next question to learn how to re-flatten your print.

My Print Came In A Tube And I Don’t Know How To Flatten It

Once you have gotten your print out of the tubing, all you need to do is the following. (Pro-Tip, you’ll need to reuse the shipping tube it came in to help make this process go smoothly)

What To Avoid

1) NEVER use an iron to flatten a print. It doesn’t matter how many layers of protection you put on it.
2) NEVER use steam or moisture. You jeopardize your print’s longevity compromise it’s durability. You also predispose the print to fungus, mold, mildew, and galloping print rot.
3) NEVER scrape or rub the back of your print over the edge of a table.

How To Flatten Your Print

1) Gently de-curl the print by rolling it in the opposite direction it’s curled.
2) Prepare a flat, smooth, and hard surface. Clean off any grit or particles that might leave an imprint.
3) Thoroughly wash your hands. Oils from your skin are not good for your print. Only handle your print by its edges and never touch the printed image area.
4) Place a piece of smooth paper (something like or similar to card-stock) on your smooth surface. Make sure it is bigger than your print, not smaller.
5) With care, place your print image side down on the smooth paper.
6) In this next step, be careful when rolling or unrolling the print so you don’t accidentally tear, bend, or crease it during this process.
7) Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the smooth paper+print combination in the opposite direction the print was curled. It’s important to not roll everything too tightly or you run the risk of bruising your print.
8) Slide combined rolled smooth paper+print combination into the shipping tube it came in. Let the print+paper sit for anywhere between 20 minutes to 8 hours. This range is broad due to your areas current humidity and temperature.
10) Remove your print+paper from the tube and unroll it. Then lay it out, image side up, on a flat surface.
11) With the sheet of smooth paper still covering the print’s image, place a few, flat and heavy objects (such as books, magazines, flat wood, etc) on the ends and middle of the print. Let it sit for a couple more hours.
12) After a few hours, remove the heavy objects from your print.
13) If your print still isn’t flat, let it sit with heavy objects holding it down for a few more hours.
14)  Your print is now ready to be put in a frame.

My Print Was Damaged Or I’m Not Happy With It

I’m sorry to hear about that! Sometimes mail in transit gets damaged, crushed, dropped, or destroyed. Please send me an email at support@kaitlundzupanic.com and include the following.

A picture of the damaged package, print, and your order number.

I will then get in touch with you and ship out a new one to you.