Discover How Simple Poster Preservation Adds Great Value to Your Collectibles

If you're fond of collecting movie posters - especially originals dating to the time of release of your favorite classic films, then poster preservation is an important consideration. After all, paper - even high-quality paper - is not guaranteed to last for decades without proper care.

Posters have been used as advertisements since the 15th century, but their creators have until quite recently intended them to be extremely temporary and transient - so they did not make the posters out of durable paper. This is true of movie posters prior to 1940 as well - and as a result, few such posters survive to our time. The paper on which they were printed was and remains highly fragile. Some of the poster paper was even created using huge amounts of acidic compounds, which cause rapid deterioration without special care.

Fragile as they might be, classic movie posters have become valuable collectibles. Poster preservation focuses on the special techniques that make it possible for the posters to last many decades longer than their original creators intended. First and foremost among these techniques is deacidification - the removal of the harmful acidic compounds. This can be done by using either a brush or a spray can of the appropriate acid remover.

Poster preservation can go a long way with a few simple methods - like putting a hard backing on the poster and then laminating it - thereby ensuring protection for both sides of the poster. Encapsulation is another way to make your poster last longer and entails putting other durable materials outside the poster so that the poster itself is safe from the elements.

Preserving your poster need not mean rendering it inaccessible to you or your friends and guests. Framing the poster and hanging it prominently on a wall is a great way to have it seen by as many people as you wish while maintaining its integrity. In addition to the lamination and the hard backing, the frame itself could provide added protection for the poster.