Poster Care
Your movie poster is a piece of motion picture history and should be afforded the same care and respect that any historical artifact might be given.
Direct Sunlight
Always keep your posters out of direct sunlight, as these UV rays will fade the printing inks used in their manufacture. When framing a poster, always try to use archival or museum mounting elements such as museum glass, UV-resistant Plexiglass, and acid-free mounting boards and mattes.
Moisture
Always try to keep your posters from any contact with water or moisture such as extreme humidity. Moisture will not only stain and mildew your poster, but it will also deteriorate the elements used in its manufacture.
Heat
Always avoid storing or displaying posters in overly hot environments, as these elements will make the paper fibers brittle and will darken them making your posters brown in the process.
Storage & Handling
In caring for your movie posters, various handling and storage techniques should be used. When having a poster framed, take the poster to a knowledgeable framer who has experience in archival museum mounting and framing. Never let a framer mount, or use an adhesive mount to your poster to flatten it! Anything done to frame the poster must always be reversible with no damaging effects. Any linen mounting or paper mounting should be done by a professional in that field. Ask us and we can recommend someone.Folded Posters
For any folded poster, the folding and unfolding should be avoided, as that will eventually weaken the paper fibers and cause some separation and tearing. For the post-1960s glossy stock posters, the folding is more harmful, as the color will flake and fall off from the fold lines with excessive handling. If a poster is rolled or has never been folded, under no circumstances should it be folded. It is best to store all posters unfolded and flat if possible. If space does not permit and the poster was previously folded, leave folded until ready to display. In the storing of your posters, if putting into boxes make sure the boxes are acid-free and that the bags you use be preferably of mylar
Linen Backed Posters
Linen mounting is an archival method of placing the poster onto acid-free Masa paper which is then mounted to a cotton duck fabric. This should only be done by a reputable professional. Ask us if you need a recommendation. The term linen is a throwback to the era when the French used linen cloth to back posters, which is rarely done today.
Any poster that has been restored by mounting it on archival linen or cotton duck should be stored flat. The rolling and unrolling will eventually cause wear to the poster.
Paper Backed Posters
Any poster that has been restored by mounting on Japanese paper or archival paper should be stored flat, as the rolling and unrolling will cause the fold lines to reappear in the paper.