40″ X 60″: Studios began printing these in the early 1930s, and they were usually rolled when sent to the theater. During the 1930s many of these posters were produced by the Hollywood Sign-Makers Union using a silkscreen process, which was often done in strong, day-glow paints that resulted in very striking graphics. These craftsmen would often produce as many as ten to twenty paint screens to create these works of art. The other method for producing these larger size posters during this time was the photo-gelatin process, the same method used to produce 1930s Lobby Cards. These posters were most often photographic and were produced on a thinner paper stock that became brittle over time. The silkscreen and photo-gelatin 40″ X 60″s are by far the rarest posters to find for any film from the 1930s. By the 1940s, studios began producing their 40″ X 60″s on a heavy card stock, in off-set lithography and continued up until the poster’s discontinuation in the early 1980s. In the 1960s these posters became just larger copies of the one sheet, which could be put on an easel to display in large areas. 40″ X 60″ posters were printed in very limited numbers and few survived.

30″ X 40″: These posters, like the 40″ X 60″, were printed on card stock and were normally sent rolled to the theaters. Studios began printing this size in the 1930s, often instead of a one sheet. This was the case with Disney Studios, which printed this format from 1935 through 1937. This size gained in popularity during the 1950s since theater owners found them more durable than one sheets and the two formats would often share the same artwork.

Door Panels: (20″ X 60″) These posters were tall, vertical panels, printed on thin stock paper, and most often sold in sets of four or six for the more prominent feature releases by the studios. They were to be displayed on the doors of the theater and featured their unique artwork. More often than not, one panel would feature the title of the film and the other panels would be the stars or scenes from the film. These sets were rarely bought by theater owners, presumably due to expense, and are consequently very rare and very collectible.

Subway: (54″ X 41″) First made during the 1960s, these posters are printed on standard paper stock and are usually used in mass transit station displays. They will often feature a variation on the “Advance” poster art. Sometimes referred to as two sheets, they are printed in limited numbers and are very collectible for the earlier titles from the 1960s.

Banner: Posters which come in a variety of sizes ranging from 24″ to 30″ by 84″ to 120″. Studios began producing banners in the 1920s, often using gorgeous, full-color silkscreen art on canvas or bookbinder’s cloth with grommets spaced along the edges. Beginning in the late 1930s the studios began to transition to card stock material and used silkscreening in a monotone color scheme with a photograph pasted to the banner. Today’s banners are printed on vinyl and come in a vast variety of sizes.

Photos: (8″ X 10″) or (11″ X 14″). Black and White glossy photos printed on photo paper have been around since the beginning. They were commonly sent to the press to promote the release of a film. The photos would sometimes have descriptive information typed on pieces of paper called studio snipes that were pasted to the back of the photo. In the early 1930s, the film’s title was often displayed on the lower border of the photo along with credits. In the early 1950s, several studios began releasing color photos in sets of eight to twelve with the film’s title in the lower border. These sets of color glossy photos are very rarely found in full sets and are very desirable.

Heralds: These were small paper flyers that varied in size from 5″ X 7″ to 6″ X 9″ with printing on both sides. They might be just a single page or a fold-over of two pages. They were sold via the pressbook and bought in groups of thousands by theater owners to give away all over town in advance of the film’s opening. The theater and dates of the showing were usually printed on them by local printers. They were printed as early as the 1910s up to the early 1980s. As they were commonly given to the public, they do not hold as much value unless they feature some of the rarer titles from the late ‘20s and early ‘30s, such as Universal horror films.

Glass Slides: (3.5″ X 4″) Distributed from the early silent period up through the 1940s, glass slides were to be used just as transparencies are used today, except made of glass and used in the film projector. They advertised the upcoming feature, as well as local businesses. Often, they provided a blank area to write the play-date. Though they held little value in the past, they have come to be more widely collected of late, especially for the bigger titles of the day.

Programs: These are multi-page, hardbound, or paperback booklets filled with scenes from the film and much background information on the production. They were created for major movie releases and sold in lobbies of first-run movie theatres.

Passbooks: Sent to theaters by the studio, these multi-page paperback booklets contained publicity material to be used in newspaper and magazine advertisements. They also included plot synopses, articles promoting the film and its actors, display campaigns, and, usually on the back pages, illustrations of all the film’s posters, lobby cards, etc.