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Permalink Reply by Devon Laney on July 28, 2012 at 10:16am

Mike this is a great question. I have the same problem - only framed a couple of the posters I have, the rest are rolled up in poster tubes in my closet. Never tried the rigid holders, didn't know they made them large enough for full size posters. I think as long as they're rolled up, wrapped in an acid free tissue paper, and stored in a poster tube in a part of your house with little to no humidity, you're fine. Of course, I'm no poster expert, so there's a good possibility this is NOT the best method :)

I'll be curious to see what others suggest.

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on July 28, 2012 at 12:33pm

I don't collect movie posters, but store my concert posters in archival mylar sleeves (like this one: http://www.bagsunlimited.com/p-3003-polyester-mylar-sleeve-4mil-no-...) with acid free backings. As you can see, the backings are pretty expensive for the larger movie posters, so you might want to consider storing them flat. The sleeves open wider than the rigid holders, so you shouldn't have a problem with the posters getting torn when they're removed.   

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Permalink Reply by Mike Shepherd on July 28, 2012 at 4:15pm

Mylar is the way to go.  I learned my lesson when I didn’t properly protect a Natalie Portman and cast signed Diary of Anne Frank theatre poster.  The humidity caused spots to occur.  The Mylar can be sharp so you need to be careful not to tear it but it is the best material on the market to protect artifacts.

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Permalink Reply by Mike P on July 28, 2012 at 4:36pm

Acid free is bad.  Go with cotton-rag when framing and backing any valuable piece; acid-free backings/mat-boards etc. are artificially buffered to an about neutral pH.  The problem is, there are still chemicals that can ruin the piece over time.

 Ask Rick Badwey (the museum framing ad to the right) for more help, he is an encyclopedia when it comes to preservation methods.  

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Permalink Reply by BallroomDays67 on July 28, 2012 at 5:43pm

It's described as "super acid-free - Museum Grade Archival...It is acid and lignin-free and buffered with a 3% calcium carbonate buffer." When using this type of backing, how long does it typically take before there's noticeable damage? Are there any examples of pieces that were "ruined" by this type of backing?

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Permalink Reply by Mike P on July 28, 2012 at 6:45pm

Over time yes, they do get damaged.  However, it is more affordable to back pieces with acid free backing.  Archival, museum grade and acid-free shouldn't be associated with each other since calcium H3CO2 is an artificial chemical compound that is added to the backing and will eventually cause deterioration (over years, won't happen immediately).  Check out this website, very useful information: http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/mat.html

The article on the website summarizes what I am trying to say:

Mat /mounting board should be made of cotton rag or chemically purified wood pulp and must test negative for lignin. It should be pH neutral (pH 7) or slightly alkaline (pH 8.5). The addition of buffering agents to unpurified wood pulp papers does not render them fit for preservation use. 

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 29, 2012 at 11:05am

Good question - I've kind of avoided posters over the years due to their size and being difficult to keep undamaged, but now there's an upcoming convention where I want to get the cast of Halloween.  Unfortunately, the poster I want to get signed does not come in one of those smaller 11 x 17 cardstock versions that are easier to carry, store, maintain, etc.  Looks like I'll have to try the whole poster thing out.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 30, 2012 at 12:58pm

Mike, slightly different question but still along the lines of poster maintenance.  When you're in the process of getting the autographs, do you generally keep the poster clipped to a flat surface until you're done (permanently or temporarily) getting the signatures or unroll/re-roll as necessary?  I'll probably have to use Sharpie paint pens on this thing, as the image is mostly dark.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 30, 2012 at 1:42pm

Ah, that's a good way to do it!  I guess the good part about this is that it's a somewhat controlled environment, so it'll probably be a bit easier for me to take care of the thing than if I was in a crowd on the street.

Is paint pen typically a bad idea for posters if you're going to roll them up?  Obviously, I can wait for it to dry before re-rolling, but I wasn't sure if rolling an item up was bad news for paint pen signatures (i.e. more prone to cracking, etc) as I'm used to storing such items flat.

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Permalink Reply by Rich on July 30, 2012 at 2:35pm

Much appreciated.  I don't think I've actually tried to get a poster signed in about 15 years, and every time I see someone trying to get one signed at one of these convention type events, they're inevitably fumbling the thing, unrolling it completely, scrambling to reroll it, etc.  Just looked so clumsy and potentially damaging.  The method you and Harry are describing makes much more sense.

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