Forum - View topicBuying Manga Bags and Manga Storage Boxes?
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Yoshiyoku
Posts: 9 |
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Planning to put my manga into a storage boxes and was wondering which would be the best options to take.
Atm I’m thinking about BCW Manga Bags and BCW Long Comic Storage Box Cardboard Also going to buy desiccant packets to put in the boxes as well to put water damaging manga. Also I cant use a bookshelf atm. Which options would you take? |
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Alan45
 Village Elder Posts: 10031 Location: Virginia |
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As a practical matter, I can't recommend "long" comic boxes for any purpose. When full they are both heavy and awkward to lift. The only place they are useful is laid out in a comic shop for browsing.
Most companies also offer a "short" box that is the same height and width of a long box but only about 18 inches long. Get those instead, your shoulders and back will thank you. The short boxes stack better. Long boxes tend to crush the bottom box when they get more than three high. As an added bonus, when your collection gets large you can buy heavy duty shelving that is just 18 inches deep. Edit: I talked to the people at my local comic shop. They strongly recommend you do not use the desiccant packages. At best, they will do nothing and will simply be a waste of money. At worst, you are introducing unknown chemicals into the storage which may have bad long term effects. Paper naturally has some moisture in it. If you get it too dry it becomes brittle and cracks. This is one reason why you want to protect it from heat and light. If you are thinking of storing the boxes somewhere with a moisture problem, just don't. I really doubt desiccant packages would be much help against a noticeably damp environment. They are mostly intended for shipment where a package may be subjected to varying levels of temperature and humidity. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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I, too, am a fan of short boxes. I have ten, personally (I refuse to have enough manga to buy more, trying to read things and get rid of things too. That is that actual solution for me, dammit!).
However, I also have a few magazine boxes, which are a little wider than the short boxes. I use those for the oversized manga (like the Viz Sig line). They're similar to the short boxes (about the same length), just a little wider to help me accommodate my oversized stuff. I would also not recommend long boxes. Once full, they are unwieldily. My comic shop uses them as temporary storage before shelving them, so I've seen them in use. For personal use and practicality, short boxes are the way to go. I've also searched all over Staples for something to use, but alas, could not find anything of the right dimensions. I also stack my boxes on a turned over plastic lid, just in case anything bad happens to the floor, at least my manga boxes are ok. Mt basement tends to have flooding problems, and they're not stored in one of those exact areas, but it's a better safe than sorry measure. It is cool and dry where I store them, but other rooms in the basement get those issues. But I really have no other place I can store them, so I make do. I do have some manga bags, but since I store in the right conditions anyway, I don't really use them. I've only used them on one series so far, my favorite series ever, just because I wanted a little extra on that. They definitely don't hurt, just keep in mind, they cost a good bit of money (depending on how many you plan to get, though you can get them in bulk on eBay), and depending on how often you re-read something, can be a pain to get open every time. |
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lys
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 1017 Location: mitten-state |
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I posted this in another thread a few months ago, but if you're boxing standard-US-sized manga (5x7.5"), go to a liquor store and see if you can get some of their empty boxes. The ones that beer/cider bottles come in fit manga perfectly, with no wasted space (the base of a 6-pack is also 5x7.5"). They often have handle-holes punched on the sides, and they are an easy size to lift even when full, so they couldn't be more perfect. Plus they're free!
Here's how I stack them in a box: spines up on the bottom layer, and then 4 cover-up stacks on the top to fill whatever space is left. (the left-hand diagram is just an example, I didn't count exactly how many books fit across.) |
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Dessa
 Posts: 4438 |
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I'll edit this post with pics when I get home later, but I like using the Really Useful Boxes that are available at Office Depot and similar stores. They work REALLY good for DVDs (I'll take a pic of that, too), but they work very nicely for manga as well.
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Yoshiyoku
Posts: 9 |
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@Alan45
I can buy a BCW short comic book storage box from a local website (I live in new zealand) but dont know if I can get a bigger one regarding the 18 inches long box. I will be getting a bookshelf when collection increases but cant atm because rules of the house. Didn't know that desiccant packages were that bad I thought they were pretty good from what I have read on other forums but your explaination seems good. So question is If I dont use the desiccant packages and the place I put manga isnt damp will it be ok stored in short comic book boxes also does that acids coming from the storage box affect the manga? @classicalzawa Which magazine boxes would be good omnibus's and I have the Fairy Tail Masters Edition Volume 1 which is 7 inchs etc. Would a magazine box be good for that?. I will buy manga bags will all my manga as I dont care about the cost. @iys Don't think I will put them into those type of boxes but thanks for the advice tho. I was planning to stack them on top of each other like I do normal books. --- Best way to stack manga in a short comic book storage box, vertically or horizontally? |
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Dessa
Posts: 4438 |
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As promised, I return with pics.
This is one of my Really Useful Boxes with manga. For standard sized manga, each stack is 8-9 books high, depending on the thickness of the books. The middles usually only fit 2 books, but if you've got some skinnier ones, you can fit 3. For larger books, I have those grouped with my Japanese books, and they also fit nicely (I actually have the original, larger-format X books and Japanese X books, so they're in the same box). I've got 40 books in that box there, which isn't that heavy, and easy to move. The boxes also stack wonderfully. IIRC, they usually sell for about $13 each, but if you're buying in bulk, you can probably find a better deal. BTW, this is what they look like with standard DVD cases in them. 20 on each row, for a total of 40 per box, and they're easy to find what you're looking for. |
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zawa113
Posts: 7358 |
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I've seen how big those books are, and I highly doubt that they'd fit properly in the magazine boxes honestly. The magazine boxes are more for the standard oversized stuff, like VizSig stuff, not the outliers like the master editions from Kodansha. I'm not really sure what you could put them in, honestly. I'm sure they'd fit if you turned them the other way, but in terms of how most people would logically stack manga in a short or magazine box (two rows, one on top, one on bottom), it's just not wide enough. I'm not sure if putting it upright, like you would with an American comic (what the boxes were clearly designed for in the first place) would work, but it's worth a shot and would probably best maximize your space (as the rest could then be used like normal). I have no way of checking this out myself since I don't have either the Fairy Tail master edition or the identically sized Attack on Titan edition in my library (and don't really have plans to get them either). If it's worth it to get a magazine box in the first place depends on how many oversized manga you have to begin with, though there's no harm in putting regular sized manga in there (in fact, there's some space on the side so you can fit a couple more in there) My magazine boxes can fit stuff like With the Light, the hardcovers from Yen, the DMP Tezuka stuff, and lots of random one volume oversized things from Dark Horse and others (like the Satoshi Kon stuff), but when you get to things like Thermae Romae, the Avatar comics hardcover editions and the Avatar art books (dark horse), or those Kodansha master editions, I have to put those on the shelf. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10031 Location: Virginia |
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@Yoshiyoku
According to the BCW web site, the comic boxes are 7 1/2 by 10 3/4 inches outside, the magazine boxes are 9 by 11 3/4 inches outside measurement. Inside is likely about a 1/4 to 3/8 inches less. Measure your larger manga volumes. They should work sitting upright if not on edge. By the way, the 15 3/4 inch long comic boxes is what I would recommend from that supplier. If price is not a problem, your bags should all be Mylar. It is an archive quality material. That is what I use on all my comic books. 2 mil Mylar is best, the 4 mil stuff is very stiff and can be hard to work with. |
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Yoshiyoku
Posts: 9 |
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@Dessa
Thanks for advice. Do you know the supplies name that makes those boxes. Might check those out. @classicalzawa Which is the name of the magazine supplier seems good for large volumes. I have seen people putting there manga upright and some putting them on top of each other so I guess some people have a way of putting the manga in the box. I think stalking onto of each other would be good for normal manga and large volumes upright. Is that the best idea? @Alan45 Large volumes in the 15 inch long box eh? Don't know if Mylar would be good for manga but I know there good for American comic books. If I dont use the desiccant packages and my room isn't damp is the short comic book box good on its own? Also would the acids from the cardboard box affect the manga? |
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Dessa
Posts: 4438 |
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Not sure who makes them, but this is their page on OD's site. I forgot to mention earlier that they come in a lot of different sizes, the 17L one is the one I use.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10031 Location: Virginia |
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@Yoshiyoku
Actually, I meant that if you buy comic boxes you should go with the 15 inch boxes instead of anything much longer. I'd put the larger books in what ever size they fit most efficiently. I use comic short boxes for my comic books and US graphic novels. For manga I use the boxes that paper is shipped in. If you have access to some place that uses a lot of paper they are very useful. Mylar is the best quality bags you can get. It is chemically stable and will not damage your books. Polypropylene is the next best. Stay away from polyethylene bags. The quality of the paper in manga published in the US is not much different from that in comic books. It can differ from publisher to publisher. The quality of paper in manga published in Japanese is about the same though it may need a bit more protection from the elements. What I have seemed to yellow a bit faster. As long as your manga is bagged, the cardboard of the storage boxes is not a factor. Comic box storage: Manga storage: Last edited by Alan45 on Thu May 16, 2019 6:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Yoshiyoku
Posts: 9 |
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After much consideration I have decided to buy short comic book boxes for my single volumes and long comic boxes for omnibus versions. I will stack single volumes like you do normal books but stack some omnibus upright to fit them in the long box. If you have any other suggestions on my answer post below
 Also getting the second recommend bags for my manga that Alan45 suggested.
Your collection is pretty cool Alan45. Looks like a museum. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 10031 Location: Virginia |
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@Yoshiyoku
I just wish I had shelf space to display all of the manga. I like to browse when I'm not sure what I want to read or reread. Before you invest heavily in long boxes, buy one and fill it as much as it takes. Then try lifting it and carrying it up or down stairs. Long boxes work only if you never have to move them or stack them. The thing to keep in mind about most omnibus volumes is that they are the same height and width as normal they are usually just thicker. They will fit in any box which will hold the standard volumes. When I first started collecting I had accumulated a dozen or so long boxes. I ended up dumping all of them and replacing them with short boxes. |
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Dessa
Posts: 4438 |
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*glances at every omnibus she owns, which are significantly larger format, and won't fit on her normal shelves because of it* |
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