Framing Posters for dummies. . .
 

Alright, so I don't have a great amount of disposable income, very little income at all actually, but I don't want the movie posters I have, and will have, to be ruined. Basically, I'm still in High School, and all I've got at the moment is the pre-release Minority Report poster, 27x40, I believe, standard size. Anyways, it's often in direct contact with sunlight coming from my window. . . .but framing the poster never really occured to me as a solution. For some reason I just didn't think about framing for longevity and to keep the colors from fading. But I'm completely confused as to where to go to get the framing job done. Would any framing shop know what to do, the type of glass, the UV protection, the size, or is this an uncommon thing done by framing shops? I just thought it was really easy getting it done, until I read about it in another thread, and it seemed incredibly complex. So where should I start? Sorry if this seems idiotic, but this all seems like an expensive and hard thing to get done. . .
There's some posters I was considering, Vertigo (one of my favorites), one of the Fight Club posters, Gattaca, Speed, the Matrix, Chasing Amy, Taxi Driver, and maybe Apocalypse Now. . .all movies that I love, and it seems they have great movie posters. But before I head into purchasing I want to know what I should do to keep them in tip top condition (I don't want to sell the posters ever, I don't believe I will anyways. . .I just want them for display, but I want them looking great).

Yes it's expensive. But any good frame shop should be able to take care of you, and explain what's what.

The problem with movie posters is that they're larger than the standard size for glass, so you have to pay for the really big size glass.

Personally, I would stay away from most framing shops. They charge an arm and a leg, know little about archival framing and most use inferior materials (i.e.: Glass, imitation plexi, and sub-standard backing materials, all of which are NOT acid-free).

If your concerned with UV protection, insist on the UV filtered Plexiglass brand. Not some cheap non-UV filtered low grade clear plastics.

I highly recommend the following vendor:

http://posterframes.kwebcreations.com/frames.html

A bit more expensive but great service and products.

Make sure you READ THIS:

http://posterframes.kwebcreations.co...investment.htm

"The most important components of the frame job is what’s in front of the poster and what is behind the poster.

Let’s begin with what’s in front. First off, glass is a no-no! Not only does it break, but it is loaded with acid and absorbs heat and anything else that is floating around the air, thus creating an environment for fading and decay. Glass has one other very negative aspect and that is moisture entrapment. Framers often recommend spacers, but then do not dissuade customers from using glass. Also, even if you use spacers, movie posters are so large that they often touch the glass anyway nearer the center, thus defeating the purpose. Framers often recommend conservation glass, which does have some archival qualities except for one thing, it still breaks. Conservation glass is also extremely expensive since it is very much a specialty product. Glass, of any kind, is also extremely heavy for a piece the size of a movie poster. When glass breaks it can shatter or just have a clean break in half. Either way, the likelihood is moderate to severe damage to your poster. Often times with a such a large piece of glass, when it breaks, the top half of the glass slides behind the bottom half and scrapes the face of the poster which is extremely difficult to repair. Thus, plexiglass is the recommended covering for your movie poster. I have had customers who say they don’t like the look of plexiglass, that it scratches, turns yellow or gets an opaque film over it with time. This is not high grade plexiglass. Just as some people call all tissues, Kleenex, many people call all plastics, plexiglass and it is not. There is Lucite, styrene, low grade acrylics and many other forms of plastic sheeting, most of which have no archival qualities and least of all have no UV filtering which is the most important component of plexiglass for movie poster preservation purposes. Plexiglass also does not absorb dirt and grime from the air since typically it has been polished with an anti-static cream before it is installed in the frame and it actually repels dirt and dust and very rarely even needs cleaning or repolishing. Just an added note, if you currently have something framed in your home in plexiglass or any form of plastic, never use any ammonia based cleaner on it as the chemical reaction with the plastic is what causes clouding. One of the other complaints I hear about plexiglass is that it warps and gives the poster a distorted look. Again, this is typical of the lower grades of plastics that are very thin and don’t lay flat in the frame. A good piece of plexiglass should be the same thickness as glass, about one eighth of an inch thick. One other note regarding the differences between glass and plexiglass that definitely is not crucial to the preservation of the poster, is that glass has a green tint to it and a good grade of plexiglass is crystal clear. Lower grades of plastics have been made with inferior materials and are not acid-free. Remember, the most important element of framing anything you want to preserve is that it be framed in an acid-free environment. Plexiglass with extremely high levels of UV protection often has a yellow tint to it and this type of plexiglass would be used on extremely valuable items and perhaps items that are hung near high exposure areas. Plexiglass is available in clear and non-glare. For many years I had customers who preferrd a non-glare covering over their artwork. Non-glare glass was available, but there are inherent problems with this product. By nature of it’s design, non-glare glass is glass that has been acid etched on one side to achieve the non-glare effect. When placed over the artwork, it has a tendency to dissipate color and take the art slightly out of focus, especially if you are using a mat over your artwork, and of course, most importantly, it still breaks. A few years back, non-glare plexiglass became available that was as near true-view perfect as you can get, while still maintaining the high quality of UV. I immediately switched all of my posters that hung in highly lit areas into this non-glare plexiglass product and have been thrilled with the look ever since. Whichever type of plexiglass you choose, as long as you select high quality material with UV filtering, you will be helping to preserve the integrity of your own collectables.

The last component and probably the most important is the backing. Whether you poster is linen-backed or not, it is still important never to put a non acid-free product behind your poster. Paper is very absorbent and will absorb the acid out of cardboard or the like very quickly and you will be left with a yellowing and brittle poster. Many people, including picture framers, believe that foamcore is the best product to use as backing for valuable items. However, regular foamcore, which is what most people use, is not acid-free. They assume because it is white in color it must be acid-free. IT IS NOT. I have had customers bring me very valuable movie posters that had been framed elsewhere, believing they had paid for a museum quality frame job, and when we removed the foamcore behind the poster it began to disintegrate in our hands. In addition, the side of the foamcore that faced the poster was yellowing. Remember, most movie poster paper is not acid-free either, so in order to stop it from yellowing and disintegrating away, it must be housed in an acid-free environment. There are several companies that make an acid-free foamcore or artboard. One of the best is the Artcare Archival System by Bainbridge. Artcare is the only foamboard that actively protects artwork from the ravages of pollution, paper degradation and the by products of the artwork’s own aging. It traps and actually neutralizes harmful pollutants that cause fading, discoloration and damage. For my customers who frame a $100 movie poster to a $100,000 movie poster, this product preserves their condition from the day they are put in the frame. The amazing thing is, this acid-free foamboard only costs a few dollars more than the plain non acid-free foamcore, but many framers cut corners and assume the customer will never know." - Hollywood Poster Frames

If your framing reproductions and don't want to spend more on the frames than the posters themselves, then you don't need to be concerned with archival framing.

Wow, thanks for the information dgc.
Since I don't have or will have anything particularily expensive or valueble, I think I'm gonna pass on archival framing. . . but I'm considering the Economy Frame, it seems elaborate enough. If i was to order from that site, what would the shipping on the frame be? Seems like it would be quite a bit. . .but that's worth it I guess.
One last question. Let's say my poster was not in direct contact with sunlight. What would you reccomend? Not for especially valueble posters, just ones I wanted framed to look real nice, like my Minority Report poster or something. Would the high grade Plexiglass still be the right thing to use?

I think I paid $35 for 2 frames. Expensive, but their packaging is custom designed for their products. Check thier website for shipping costs.

If your not concerned with sun light then more than likely you won't need UV filtered plexi, however, UV light can emit from indoor lighting (I beleive you need to be concerned with certain types of flourecent lighting not incadecent). This is why I wouldn't recommend putting valued original double sided posters in light boxes. Most of which, use flourecent bulbs that will fade your posters.

As for the high grade plexiglass, you may not need the UV filtered type but I would still recommend using the plexiglass brand plexiglass rather than low grade plastic/acrylic sheeting like Lucite and Styrene which contain acids that will, in time, cause damage to your posters.

To complicate matters further you can also get UV filtered or non UV filtered plexiglass with non-glare. I like using the non-glare so as not to allow light coming from my HDTV to reflect all over the room and bounce back to my HDTV screen causing distracting glares.

Excellent. . .thanks for the information. I guess I'll have to save up for 2 frames or so, it seems worth it. But I'm gonna have to decide which posters I want in those 2 or 3 frames. . .I'll figure it out. Thanks again.


Just out of curiousity, which 2 or 3 of the posters below would look best displayed in my room?
Vertigo, Fight Club, Gattaca, Speed, Matrix (new Reloaded poster of Neo), Chasing Amy, Taxi Driver, Apocalypse Now, Minority Report.
I'm thinkin the Vertigo Poster looks great. . .and Gattaca is a bit more of a rarity, but what do you think?

I really like the art work on the Vertigo poster and Gattaca is one of my favorite films.

It's really a personal decision. Here's how I prioritize my selection:

1. My love for the film
2. Size ( I prefer 14x36 inserts)
3. The art work used in the poster
3. Rarity/collectibility
4. Value

where should i buy plexiglass?

To purchase plexiglass without the frame & backing, you might want to check Home Depot or Lowes.

I did a quick internet search:

http://www.americanframe.com/catalog/plexiglass.html

http://www.matshop.com/acrylic.html

I'm sure there are many others.

Chasing Amy... has a great pic of JOey Lauren Adams. The others are all male dominated.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

i think there is. ;) i'd go with the carrie anne moss reloaded poster, the neo one doesn't look as nice.

Thanks for the info on the archival framing. I recently acquired a poster that may be a rare original Japanese Godzilla poster from the 1960's. I haven't been able to determine yet if it's a reprint or not. If original, it will definitely be getting a proper frame.

Been a while since I first put up this topic, but that great site DGC linked me before, http://posterframes.kwebcreations.com/frames.html
No longer works for some reason. Anyways, I've finally decided on my next poster, the Matrix Reloaded digital rain, " Printed single sided on a special, heavyweight metallic paper."
First of all my question is would that poster be framed any differently, and second I wanted to know if there are any other recommended framing sites, since the one mentioned above no longer works.

Suncoast has some ok frames. They are cheap plastic with plexi glass but they get the job done.

For $19.95 they work great. Recommended...

Cool, I'll check em out.

Has anyone used the Economy Frame from HollywoodPosterFrames.com? If so any comments on the quality would be appreciated!

That's where I bought all of my poster frames and so far through four moves across four states they're still in one piece.