Movie Poster Framing for Collectors: Framing Your Large Movie Poster Collection

Movie poster collectors have been around for almost as long as movies have been made. It’s no surprise why movie posters are such a popular collectible: these beautiful, affordable pieces of pop art perfectly capture the magic of the cinema and the spirit of the age.

No collector wants his or her collection to sit in a corner and molder – posters are meant to be displayed and enjoyed! Collectors with large collections can have an especially tough time displaying their prized posters: with only so much room on their walls, how to find a framing system that will let you rotate your collection in and out of frames as needed?

Quick changing framing systems can be just the thing for collectors who have more movie posters than they do space on their walls to display them.

Finding a frame to complement your prized posters can be easy, provided you know what you’re looking for. This article will give you some tips on finding the perfect poster frame to display your prize pieces without necessarily buying and framing every poster in your collection.

Quick-Changing Framing Systems for Movie Posters

Quick changing framing systems can be the perfect solution for collectors with large collections. Why?

As a collector you may have a small apartment, office, studio or home with limited wall space to display your posters. You frame a couple of posters in your collection, either by going to a custom framing shop for your more valuable items or by buying a ready made frame from a big box store and wall mounting the poster yourself at home.

This gets a couple of your posters out of your closet and on your wall, but what about the rest of your collection? Are you really going to take down and dismantle your poster frame every time you want to change the movie poster? Probably not, so the rest of the collection is hidden from view.

Framing Solutions for the Collector

What if you had a poster display frame that lets you easily change your display without the hassle of taking the poster frame off the wall or even dismantling it? Consider the three most popular types of quick-changing movie poster frames:

• SwingFrame Poster Displays. SwingFrames are easy to use display frames with hidden locking and hinge mechanisms. SwingFrames swing open, allowing you to quickly change your poster as needed. Swing open. Insert your movie poster. Swing shut. It’s that simple. Mount your movie poster display to SwingFrame’s sturdy backing board by using strips of repositionable tape or magna clamps positioned behind the mat board. SwingFrames come in wood and metal profiles, and you can even add locks, lighting or a bold header to your movie poster display case.
• Poster Snap Frames. Snap frames, also called “SwingSnaps”, are changeable, front-loading display frame fixtures in which all four frame sides snap open for easy change. These cost-effective aluminum snap open poster frames come in a range of faux wood and metal finishes and in a variety of profile widths, from a slim 1″ profile width to a wide 2 “. For additional customization, add colorful mat boards. Posters are held tightly in place using spring-loaded stainless steel clips. A sturdy backing board and acrylic overlay keep the poster rigid and secure.
• Top Load / Side Load Poster Frames. These low cost, economical poster frames have a slot on the top or the side of the fixture that allows users to drop in their posters or slide it in from the side. The thin movie poster sheet is sandwiched between a rigid plastic Coroplast backing board and acrylic overlay.

In addition to being easy to use, each of these frames can be customized to compliment your dcor and/or the movie posters you want to display. SwingFrames, SwingSnaps, and Top / Side Load poster frames are available in both wood and metal profiles in several finishes. You can also add one or more mat boards in a variety of colors: mat boards not only add a great design element but also secure the edges of your poster, protecting them from damage.

Finding the Right Frame: Popular Movie Poster Sizes

Movie posters can vary in size, and this can affect your framing decisions. Most posters are “one sheet” posters, measuring 27″x40″ and 27×39 if printed after 1985 and 27″x41″ if printed before 1985. Some vintage posters are significantly larger, and it is possible to find two sheet (41″x54″), three sheet (41″x81″), and even six sheet (81″x81″) posters. It is important to find a frame that will properly fit your poster without crimping the edges.

Because movie posters tend to be fairly large, look for a movie poster frame with an acrylic window. A sheet of glass that is large enough for your average movie poster will be both very heavy, and very fragile. The old adage “the bigger they are the harder they fall” could very well be used to describe large panes of glass, as the longer and wider a sheet of glass is, the more vulnerable it is to breakage. Broken glass can seriously damage your precious posters, so it is best to avoid it all together.

Instead, look for a frame with a durable acrylic window. Acrylics are lighter weight and durable, so they are less likely to break. Acrylics are offered in clear, non glare and break resistant polycarbonate. For an extra charge, you can also treat your acrylic window with an ultra violet protective coating.

Display & Protect Your Movie Poster Collection

You’ve already spent time and money putting together the perfect collection of movie posters. Now, let your collection take center stage. Choose the changeable movie poster frame, with the available options that fits your collection sizes and your budget and enjoy viewing them for years to come.

write by Sophronia