How To Preserve Vintage Posters

Vintage posters are very expensive. Its price and rarity are some of the reasons that collectors take extra care and spend a lot of money to care for their collection. Here are some things you have to know when caring for your vintage posters.

Storing

Vintage posters are highly vulnerable to environmental factors. This is because paper normally becomes weak and brittle as it aged.

Use acid-free sleeves to store your posters and lay them on a flat surface. If you are going to stack your posters, make sure to use a shrink- wrap and seal the opening properly. If you don't seal your posters correctly, moisture can get in and ruin your posters. You can also roll your posters and use an acid-free tube for storage.

Storing your posters in a cool and dry place would also prevent it from being damaged but keep in mind that acid burn occurs naturally and if you don't do any thing to slow down or prevent this process, your posters will still be ruined even if you store them properly.

Framing
If you want to display your posters, investing on good and dependable frames is a must. Light can damage your posters. Displaying them would put them at more risk to being damaged. To lessen the damage caused by light, use a glass or Plexiglas that is resistant to ultra-violet rays.

Matting and backing are also important things to consider when thinking of framing your posters. There are different types of backing that you can choose from, whatever kind you choose to use, keep in mind that the matting should be acid-free. Here are some types of backing that you can use

• Linen backing. With this option, the poster is glued on an acid- free paper and a canvas. The glue that you should use is a wheat paste.

• Paper backing follows the process of linen backing minus the canvas.

• Tissue support is a minimal kind of backing which allows for easier color retouching, cleaning and paper replacement.

Some collectors are tempted to place their linen-back posters on dowels and display them. While this may be very attractive, this also puts the posters in danger of getting damaged by environmental stressors like moisture, air, light, dust and smoke. Avoid being tempted and frame your posters properly.

If you don't want to use matting for your posters, make sure that you have a molding to separate the glass from the posters. Humidity can be trapped inside the frame and might cause the poster to stick to the glass. It might be hard to repair the ruined poster when this happens. A molding will create a space between the poster and the glass, preventing the poster from adhering to the glass in case humidity gets in the frame.

Collecting vintage posters is a serious hobby. You don't just buy posters and display them in your home or gallery. You have to give some efforts to care for you pieces. Vintage posters increase in value through time. Consider your collection an investment. Take care of it and give it the appreciation it deserves.