Preservation

Which PT Top Loader Is Best for ACEOs?

Every top loader has a number on the package: 35pt, 55pt, 130pt. That number decides whether your ACEO sits snug and safe or gets scraped, pinched, or rattled loose.

The short answer: a 35pt top loader is best for most ACEOs. An ACEO is 2.5"x3.5", the same size as a trading card, so the standard 3"x4" top loader built for sports cards fits ACEO art perfectly. But ACEOs are not printed cards. They are original art on every kind of surface, and the right PT depends on what your ACEO is made of.

What PT means on a top loader

PT stands for point. One point is one thousandth of an inch (0.001"), the same unit paper mills use for card stock thickness. A top loader's PT rating is the thickest card it is built to hold.

35pt holds a card up to 0.035" thick (about 0.9 mm)
55pt holds up to 0.055" (about 1.4 mm)
100pt holds up to 0.100" (about 2.5 mm)
130pt holds up to 0.130" (about 3.3 mm)

The outside of the top loader stays about the same. What changes is the pocket inside. A higher PT is not a better top loader. It is a deeper one, and a deeper pocket only helps an ACEO that needs the room.

How thick is an ACEO?

Printed sports cards are made to a standard thickness. ACEOs are not. An ACEO is cut from whatever the artist works on, so two ACEOs from the same seller can need two different top loaders. Rough ranges for common ACEO surfaces:

Bristol board and drawing paper: roughly 10pt to 20pt
Watercolor paper (300gsm / 140 lb): roughly 15pt to 25pt, more once it cockles
Illustration board and mat board: roughly 50pt to 100pt
Wood, canvas, or hardboard panel (1/8"): about 125pt

Brands vary, so treat these as a starting point, not a spec. The surface is only part of it. Thick acrylic, impasto, glitter, collage, and washi tape all add height, and the thickest point of the ACEO is what has to fit, not the average.

Which PT is best for ACEOs

35pt: The standard top loader. Fits ACEOs on Bristol, drawing paper, mixed media paper, and most flat watercolor cards. If you buy one size, buy this one.
55pt: The first "thick card" size. For heavy watercolor paper that has cockled, ACEOs with raised acrylic or gouache, and light collage or washi tape.
75pt to 100pt: For ACEOs on illustration board or mat board, and for heavy impasto or layered mixed media.
130pt: For ACEOs painted on 1/8" wood panel, canvas panel, or hardboard.
180pt and up: For sculptural ACEOs, deep embellishments, or anything with real depth. Past this point, a magnetic one-touch holder or a small box is often the better home.

For a collector, a stack of 35pt top loaders covers the majority of ACEOs you will buy, with a few 55pt top loaders on hand for painted ACEOs. Artists working on panel should keep 130pt top loaders in the studio and ship every panel ACEO in one.

Do not forget the penny sleeve

Every ACEO should go into a soft, acid-free penny sleeve before it goes into a top loader. The sleeve adds a couple of points of thickness, so measure with it on. An ACEO that sits right at the limit of a 35pt top loader bare will be too tight once it is sleeved. More on the full system in Archival vs. Trash.

How to measure your ACEO

1Sleeve the ACEO first, so you measure what actually goes into the top loader.
2Measure the thickest point with digital calipers set to inches. 0.028" is 28pt.
3Check paint ridges, embellishments, and any warped corner, not just the middle of the card.
4Pick the smallest PT above that number, with a little room to spare.

No calipers? Stack ten sleeved ACEOs of the same kind, measure the stack in millimeters, and divide by ten. One millimeter is about 39pt.

Signs of the wrong PT

Too tight: the ACEO resists going in, the sleeve bunches, or the corners catch on the opening. Forcing it scrapes paint, smears pencil, and bends corners. Go up a size.

Too loose: the ACEO slides and knocks against the walls when you tilt it. Over time, and especially in the mail, that rattling wears the corners. Go down a size, or slide the top loader into a resealable team bag so the ACEO cannot slip out.

The best PT for an ACEO is the smallest one it fits into without force. For most ACEOs on paper, that is 35pt.