I did this writeup about 2 years ago and posted on MPF. I figure some of the new faces that are here on APF might appreciate it.
Polyethylene Poster Sleeves from Bags Unlimited
I recently purchased a slew of Polyethylene Poster sleeves from Bags unlimited. I purchased 200 - 4 mil One Sheet sleeves, 50 - 4 mil British Quad sleeves, 50 Japanese B2 - 3 mil sleeves and 10 - 3 mil 3 sheet poster sleeves. I ordered a few other things as well and the total came to around $560.00. However I contacted them and because my order met whole sale pricing requirements it was dropped to around $460.00 and that?s shipping included. To get the price break you need to be $500.00 or over and contact them by telephone or email to place your order.
One sheet 4 mil Polyethylene sleeves & British Quad 4 mil Polyethylene sleeves: the clarity is slightly milky. They are not crystal clear. 4 mil is plenty thick enough to protect your posters. I know that they sell a 1.5 mil Polypropylene bag that is crystal clear. I would think that the1.5 mil is slightly too thin based on how the 3 mils feel. So I decided at the time of order to go as thick as possible and sacrifice the clarity. Really, they are only in the sleeves to be protected and stored, I do not intend to display them in the sleeves. It made more sense to sacrifice clarity over thickness. I found that with my folded one sheets that have been stored folded work out well with these sleeves. You are able to slide them in nicely and they seem to flatten out very well. Same goes with the posters that have been loosely rolled. Having that extra weight on top the poster helps with the flattening process. I will however recommend any posters you have that have been rolled in a 2" roll and stored that way for a long period of time to flatten them outside of the sleeves before trying to slide them in. What happens is the memory in the paper wants to recall that 2" inch roll and it is hell trying to get it into the sleeve. You are more likely to damage your poster if it is not flattened to a certain degree beforehand. Storing my posters in these sleeves went along the lines of putting my more valued posters in the sleeves by themselves as singles. For the posters I do not value as much I went ahead and doubled them up. I think realistically you could put as many as 4 in each bag and still make out fine but I opted for 2. Even though I don't value them as much, i went ahead and protected them anyway. I did not put any backings in any of them since they are stored flat in a flat file cabinet. The problem is that I noticed with the sleeves it cuts down the space in the drawers by at least 60%.
Japanese B2 - 3mil Polyethylene sleeves: These are very similar as the 4 mils. Obviously they are slightly thinner but still thick enough to offer the protection that is needed. The clarity is the same. The amount of space inside the bag is just enough to where the poster slides in easily.
Three sheet 3 mil Polyethylene Sleeves: For some reason with these they seem much thinner than the B2 3 mils. Maybe it is because the amount of space in between the edges that has something to do with it. The clarity is the same - milky. I use these to store my larger posters prior to rolling them and placing them in a 4" tube/
They say with the polyethylene sleeves that "they are used worldwide in museums, libraries and schools for its archival, acid-free & "breathing" properties. With the Polypropylene sleeves they are bio-oriented (BOPP) which means that it is as clear as glass and will not ripple, dimple or pucker over time as some polypropylene materials do. Both our polyethylene and polypropylene have passed the Photo Activity Test (P.A.T.) which certifies that they are safe for long-term storage."
One sheet sleeve size: 27 5/8" x 42"
British Quad sleeve size: 30" x 42"
Japanese B2 sleeve size: 20 1/2" x 31"
Three sheet sleeve size: 41 5/8" x 84"
In a nutshell, I am happy with this purchase. I think it offers great protection for my posters and the pricing is not all that bad (IMO). With regards to thickness, I do not think I would want to go below 3 mil. I would think that the 2 mils would be slightly to thin especially with the one sheet size. Seeing how thin the 3 mil felt with the three sheet compared to the 3 mil with the Jp B2. I would much rather spend a few dollars more and go with the thicker sleeves.
Since it has been 2 years since I did this review, I figure I would do a quick update. I am glad I bought the sleeves. It makes removing my posters from the flat file so much easier and have to worry less about damage to my posters. I especially like storing my art prints in the Quad size sleeves. I put 2 prints back to back in each sleeve. I can pull 5-8 sleeves out at a time and not worry one bit about damaging them in anyway. The sleeves make a huge difference in protecting the posters.
Cj
