Artwork Framers Save Money and Increase Durabilty
Project Description
Light Weight Cuts Shipping Costs For E-Commerce Operations Cedar Rapids, IA-based Gallery Lainzberg has embraced the Internet whole-heartedly, however shipping art safely and economically has become an overriding concern. Like most galleries, Gallery Lainzberg frames art before packaging and shipping to its customers to add protection, but this can become costly when using glass, as the bulk of an artwork’s weight tends to be the frame. Glass frames also pose a potential hazard if they break during shipping, as glass shards can slice and damage artwork. To combat these problems, Gallery Lainzberg has found a solution by framing with ACRYLITE® FF3 Framing grade acrylic sheet from Evonik Cyro, LLC BETTER PROTECTION, HALF THE WEIGHT OF GLASS The Gallery Lainzberg opened its doors over 30 years ago and was one of the country’s first galleries to deal exclusively in animation art, selling production and limited edition cels ranging from Warner Bros. and Disney to Hanna-Barbera. Deciding to move away from catalog sales, the gallery has geared itself toward on-line marketing with a Web site that allows customers to view and purchase animation cels. The gallery also runs auctions on eBay regularly, and even e-mails customers when pieces of interest come in. Realizing the risk of shipping such fragile artwork in glass, the gallery has its animation cels framed in acrylic. “A customer might spend several hundred dollars on a piece they’ve only seen a scan of, and the last thing we want is for that piece to arrive in anything less than pristine condition,” notes Tom Matovina, the gallery’s manager. “If we ship the cels framed in glass and that glass breaks, it’s almost certain to destroy the animation cel. Acrylic doesn’t shatter like glass, and if it were to break at all, it would only crack, leaving the cel unharmed,” he adds. Acrylic’s superior temperature tolerance over glass is also an important advantage. During shipping, packaged artwork endures extreme changes in temperature, causing glass to become brittle and possibly shatter when moved from freezing outdoor conditions into warm households. Acrylic is also half the weight of glass, resulting in obvious savings in postage costs. “Frame weight is considerably reduced with acrylic sheet, resulting in lower shipping costs, and customers always like that,” comments Jeff Gnagy, Manager of The Art Cellar (Cedar Rapids, IA), which handles all of the gallery’s framing orders. “The savings are especially apparent on larger pieces,” he adds. 50 PERCENT REDUCTION IN COSTS Before using ACRYLITE sheet, The Art Cellar discovered not all acrylic sheet products are the same. Acrylic sheet used for framing must have superior optical clarity, and any spotting or defects in the sheet will weaken the art’s appearance. Many times after cutting acrylic sheet to size, framers at the Art Cellar would peel the masking off only to find the piece had carbon-spots, rendering it unusable and wasting both their time and money. “We found that we were wasting about half of a 48” x 96” sheet due to carbon spots,” states Gnagy. Tired of working with inferior sheet products, the Art Cellar sought an alternative acrylic sheet. “We began trying several new glazing products, which brought us to ACRYLITE sheet. We’ve been using ACRYLITE sheet for about three and a half years now. It has proven to be perfect in almost every instance, cutting down considerably on wasted sheets, equaling big cost savings for us,” adds Gnagy. [More information ...]
IMPACT RESISTANCE When shipping animation cels, the durability of the frame is extremely important, and this was another factor in the gallery’s decision to switch to acrylic sheet, which offers many times the impact resistance of glass. “In this day and age, people tend to move around a lot, changing residences every few years. When packing up a house, people usually do not package art securely, tending simply to stack frames in a box. In this case the frame is the last line of defense against the rigors and abuse of moving,” says Matovina. Home safety is also an issue when purchasing art, since glass frames can shatter, creating a hazard for children. “Most consumers are unaware that acrylic sheet is a safer alternative to glass for framing,” notes Gnagy. More resistant to breaking when dropped or banged, acrylic is recommended for frames hung in areas where children play. “If we frame anything for a school or a child’s room we definitely frame it in acrylic,” adds Gnagy. SUN BLOCK FOR CARTOONS Animation cels are one-of-a-kind works of art that are highly valued by collectors. Preserving them over time is a high priority for owners and galleries. “Animation art is fun, bright, sharp and colorful. Characters appear to jump out of frames. Preserving that color and vibrancy is important, which is why we recommend using a UV filtering material for glazing,” says Matovina. Animation artwork should never be hung in direct sunlight, but even with this precaution both Gallery Lainzberg and the Art Cellar use ACRYLITE® OP-3 acrylic sheet, which filters out 98 percent of harmful UV light, further protecting these unique works of art. THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB Framing with acrylic is simple since there are no specialized tooling requirements, unlike glass. While acrylic saw blades and equipment are available, framers do not need such tools. “Fabricating with acrylic is easy,” says Gnagy. “We have a Fletcher 3000 glass/plastic cutter in the shop but we simply use a table saw to cut the sheet to the proper size and have had no problems,” he adds. Minimal equipment requirements cut down on customization costs and speed up production. For Matovina ACRYLITE sheet has been a perfect fit for e-commerce operations. “Animation cels are dazzling to look at, and bring humor and fun to any room,” he says. “We have our artwork framed to insure that magic is safe and preserved for years to come.”
Further Information
Company
Gallery Lainzberg
Market Segment/Occupation
Framing
Country
United States
Product used
ACRYLITE® FF3
Thickness of Material
NA
Location of project
Cedar Rapids, IA
