Shipping Large Masked Decals

[Colleen]

Hi, so I saw there were two previous threads about this but they didn't quite help me out. I have a giant decal (ful color printed & cut) going to a client that needs to be masked and shipped. It's about 85.5" wide by 47" tall. We had applied mask (Protac High Tack - Paper) and tried to roll it up (vinyl outwards), and of course the decal started coming off the backing and wrinkling the mask. This is the first time we've ever had to do something like this so I wasn't prepared.

We tried masking it horizontally from top to bottom. What would be a better way to mask something like this for shipping? We have clear mask as well. Would masking vertically possibly work better?

 

[Colleen]

Are you rolling it around a 6" core, or just rolling by hand?

Was just rolling it by hand. We have some tubes but I was trying to put the decal inside of it to ship. What would you put around it to ship?

 

[Zendavor Signs]

I would recommend rolling it as loosely as possible. We usually ship in a 12x12 or 14x14 box.

 

[eahicks]

We save a few large tubes that banner comes in and roll loosely in those. Many of them we ship flat though, depending on how big they are. Either HD cardboard or Coroplast, sandwiching the graphics.
And I missed what you meant about masking vertically? I don't think it matters which way you mask....I'm missing something there....

 

[GaSouthpaw]

We save a few large tubes that banner comes in and roll loosely in those. Many of them we ship flat though, depending on how big they are. Either HD cardboard or Coroplast, sandwiching the graphics.
And I missed what you meant about masking vertically? I don't think it matters which way you mask....I'm missing something there....

I'm guessing they're asking if there's a seam in the mask.

 

[Colleen]

And I missed what you meant about masking vertically? I don't think it matters which way you mask....I'm missing something there....

I'm guessing they're asking if there's a seam in the mask.

Yeah, I'm just wondering if there is a better way to mask to reduce wrinkling. We have 24" paper transfer tape/mask (we don't carry anything bigger) so we have to mask big things in multiple pieces. But I've never had to roll and ship them out before.

 

[GaSouthpaw]

Yeah, I'm just wondering if there is a better way to mask to reduce wrinkling. We have 24" paper transfer tape/mask (we don't carry anything bigger) so we have to mask big things in multiple pieces. But I've never had to roll and ship them out before.

I get it now... Vertical seams, then (breaking the 85" into multiple pieces). When you roll it, your seams would not bend (much) and stay together better. I'll plus one the taping the seams with masking tape. Can't remember that trick ever failing, and I've worked with some less-than-stellar installers.

 

[ikarasu]

Put it on a 3 or 6" core.... Roll it graphics out and then ship it in the box your vinyl came in.

If you're rolling it tight enough to try and fit it inside a core it's going to wrinkle. It may seem like a huge box for such a small print... But it's one of the only ways. Better to spend a few bucks extra on shipping than to redo it from scratch.

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

I know that RTape AT75 can be applied to the decal, rolled tight around a tube, and will still lay flat without tunneling when unrolled. It is plastic high tack tape with an "air egress" sort of cross-hatch pattern embossed into it though. I don't know how you or the client would feel about that as it tends to leave a cross-hatch impression in the vinyl surface after application.

 

[Gino]

Get yourself about a 10" sonotube, wrap it around that and place that inside a slightly larger sonotube for shipping. Either do it right or settle for all kindsa makeshift fixes.

 

[shoresigns]

I wouldn't risk even wrapping it around the outside of a 3" core – that's still too tight.

 

[Colleen]

Put it on a 3 or 6" core.... Roll it graphics out and then ship it in the box your vinyl came in..

Thankfully I found a box that it will fit in! Normally we don't hold onto that stuff. By 3-6" core do you guys just mean a roll the vinyl came on?

I know that RTape AT75 can be applied to the decal, rolled tight around a tube, and will still lay flat without tunneling when unrolled. It is plastic high tack tape with an "air egress" sort of cross-hatch pattern embossed into it though. I don't know how you or the client would feel about that as it tends to leave a cross-hatch impression in the vinyl surface after application.

Hmm... Unfortunately I don't have time to be ordering more masking tape. The only ones we have now (All 24") are an economy Protac High Tack and some Orafol textured clear mask that's been here before I started working here and isn't labeled. Which would be better to use? Would it be worth a shot to mask it in about 4 pieces vertically?

 

[Colleen]

I wouldn't risk even wrapping it around the outside of a 3" core – that's still too tight.

Darn, the biggest tube I have is 3" diameter. Like I said, I have never shipped anything this big.

 

[ikarasu]

If it's going into a box it's fine. Don't wrap it around tightly... Just wrap it loosely. Shove some packing tape between the core and the vinyl so it doesn't move around much and you'll be fine. We always ship it wrapped around 3" cores... So long as it's not going to sit for a week on the core it should be OK.

 

[Colleen]

Well I looked around and I just found a old 48" roll of regular tac paper mask. Would that work doing it in one piece? Or maybe the clear mask done in pieces?

 

[phototec]

When I have to ship something like what you need to ship, I go to Home Depot and purchase the 8 in. x 48 in. Concrete Form Tube for shipping ($10.30). Then roll-up the 47" print with application tape very loosely just small enough to git it inside the 8" dia. cardboard tube. I also place the end of the tube on some scrap Coroplas and trace around it and cut out two end pieces which I use to enclose the ends (taped in place) after the print is placed inside the tube.

Basically, you are only rolling up the print (loosely) to about 7.5" diameter and that prevents the app tape from wrinkling. Also, the larger tube makes it harder for the shipper to bend the tube and damage the print during shipping.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SAKRETE-8-in-x-48-in-Concrete-Form-Tube-65470075/100321209

 

[Old Timer]

I believe it's just the nature of the beast. I've often received large prints in the state you are referring too but once you release from the backing paper the prints are just fine