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How to Protect Posters in High Humidity

Older collectible posters are expensive. A promotional poster designed for Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film, "Metropolis," sold for $690,000, for example. In light of such a high value, collectors of old and new posters are wise to protect posters from high and varying humidity levels. Protective poster storage measures help you guard a poster's future worth.

Things You'll Need

Archival-safe materials
Humidifier
Air conditioner

Instructions

- 1
  Get your posters to a safe place. Your home's high humidity areas, such as attics, basements, bathrooms and laundry rooms, experience extreme fluctuations in humidity. Store paper collectibles of any age where poster damage is least likely to occur.
- 2
  Store your posters in a location that receives good circulation. Clean, circulating air protects posters from high humidity damage. Posters require stable amounts of humidity.
- 3
  Enclose your posters in archival-safe materials. Use archival quality folders, boxes and other containers to extend the life of your posters. This measure protects your posters from suffering harm during minor changes in humidity levels as you transport them.
- 4
  Invest money in protecting your posters from damage. You may need to purchase a stand-alone humidifier or a window air conditioner to maintain acceptable and constant humidity levels.
- 5
  Monitor your poster storage area's humidity level. Fluctuations in humidity levels, even within acceptable ranges, cause damage as the posters' fibers shrink and expand. Keep the humidity level near your posters as consistent as possible. Establish a humidity level between 45 to 60 percent and keep it there.

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