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How to Store a Poster Collection

If you are a casual poster collector who is amassing a collection just for the sake of decorating variety, then you are probably content with storing your finds rolled up in cardboard tubes. If you think your posters may have some value in the future, however--whether monetary or sentimental--you can increase that value and improve their future condition by properly storing your poster collection. It only takes some proper archiving material and a few minutes to do.

Things You'll Need

Acid-free 3/16-inch foam core, 2 sheets
Archival interleaving sheets, twice the size of each poster, or acid-free sleeves
Scissors (if needed)
Tape

Instructions

- 1
  Lay one sheet of acid-free foam core on a flat surface. The size of foam core required will vary with the size of the posters. Each sheet of foam core should be a bare minimum of 1 inch larger than the poster in every dimension. Two inches is ideal.
- 2
  Place a large sheet of archival interleaving paper, at least twice as large as the poster, on top of the foam core. Lay the poster out flat on top of the archival paper, and fold the excess paper over the poster so that it is covered on all sides. If you have access to poster-sized acid-free sleeves, simply slide each poster into its own sleeve.
- 3
  Center the paper-wrapped poster on the sheet of foam core, then add the other sheet of foam core on top. Line up both sheets of foam core and verify that neither the poster nor the archival paper protrude from the edges of the foam core "sandwich" you have created. Trim off excess protruding archival paper with scissors if necessary.
- 4
  Tape the corners and edges of the foam core sheets together to keep the "sandwich" secure. Three pieces of tape on each side--one on each corner and one in the middle--should be sufficient.
- 5
  Store each "sandwiched" poster in an out-of-the-way, dark location where they won't be exposed to UV light and are unlikely to be banged into or otherwise damaged. If you must store your posters in an area that's accessed frequently, consider placing them in a crate for further protection from accidental bangs and bumps.

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