WhatsApp usWe are happy to assist with the restoration of vintage or modern posters. Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch with a bespoke treatment plan.
Poster Restoration
Highly valuable or personally important posters may require professional care and framing services to ensure safe preservation. Our paper conservator is able to professionally restore a wide variety of issues facing memorabilia.
Whether a poster is historic or contemporary, our paper conservator is able to provide specialist treatments to safely preserve them.
What can we restore?
- Stains and discolouration
- Tears and pin holes
- Lost corners and fragments
- Folds and creasing
- Water damage and mould growth
- Fire, nicotine and smoke damage
- Acid damage and frame related issues
Paper memorabilia that we can assist with also includes cinema lobby cards and large marketing displays.
As well as film posters, our team can restore music and sports ephemera, or posters that are unique and personal to you.
Signed posters
Our team is experienced with the preservation of autograph ink and inscriptions, ensuring that these are not removed or disturbed during conservation treatments.
Whilst signatures cannot be retouched for ethical reasons, they can be protected from further deterioration with sensitive methods, UV protection and high-quality framing.
Linen backing
As we work within conservation guidelines, our team does not use traditional linen backing for posters. This is because it is unsafe for the paper in the long term, with the adhesives potentially decaying the structure and causing severe instability as time goes on.
When lining is required, we will only use low pH paper – usually a form of Japanese tissue – that will allow for safe preservation without harming the materials.
Caring for posters
Original posters from cinemas and theatres may have faced challenging environments, leaving them with historic contamination lingering on the surface and tear damage from the use of adhesives or pins. There may also be evidence of past water damage from outdoor display cases or a fine level of nicotine on the surface.
All of these aspects should be considered and conserved before the poster is sensitively framed in an appropriate condition for its preservation.
Modern posters or those intended only to be displayed as an artwork may still face deterioration if they are not kept in appropriate conditions, including the correct humidity, frame and level of light exposure. It is important to treat memorabilia in the same way you would afford to fine art, as they are just as vulnerable to deterioration.
Conservation grade poster frames
Many frames harbour acidic elements within the mount, backing board or surrounding materials. This will slowly contaminate the poster leading it to darken, yellow and begin to deteriorate.
Our paper conservator often works on posters and prints which have been disturbed in this way, safely clearing any contamination before they can be reframed in a safer option.
We use conservation-appropriate framing materials, ensuring that all materials have neutral pH levels. Our technicians avoid the use of any acidic elements when creating a bespoke mount for your poster.
The original frame can be kept with only the mount and backing board replaced, or an entirely new frame can be selected to suit the artwork or your own preference.
Our team will provide you with a bespoke portfolio of frames, allowing you to view your poster in a range of suitable options before deciding to go ahead.
UV protection for posters
UV protective glass is extremely important when caring for posters, as they are extremely sensitive to UV rays from the sun and bright lighting. UV exposure can lead to extreme loss of colour, leaving a faded or extremely uneven visual appearance. UV protection will help to preserve the vivid artwork and value of a poster in the future.
Our technicians offer UV protective glazing for new or existing frames. Museum view glass helps to prevent fading whilst allowing for a wonderfully clear view of the print.