MovieArt Collecting Basics

Collecting Basics

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: 3) Window cards. The window card is a poster which is 14 inches by 22 inches. It is one of the easiest sizes to handle and economical to frame because an oversized piece of glass in not required in the framing process. It, too, is printed on a card stock. Window cards were designed chiefly for off-premises advertising. Thus they were often seen in the window of the barber shop, the butcher shop, the dime store etc. - advertising a film that was playing at a local theater. A blank area was left at the top of the poster; in this space the exhibitors could print the theater locale and playdates. Of course, many window cards survive with these imprintations. Some collectors prefer to find a copy of a window card with nothing printed on it, but other people, myself included, find that playdate printings can add an individual character to a poster. Some window cards have had this area trimmed from the poster. Trimming a poster devalues a poster and is always a bad idea; but finding a trimmed window card on a rare title is OK. Given the choice between a trimmed window card and a complete one, whether printed or not, the untrimmed card will have a wider collector's appeal because it is complete. The mini window card (8 inches by 14 inches) is a smaller incarnation of the window card. These were not made for every film, and are relatively scarce. Likewise, the jumbo window card (22 wide by 28 inches high) is a larger version of the window card.
: 4) Insert posters. Also called insert cards, they are also printed on the heavier card stock. This poster has a vertical format, 36 inches high by 14 inches wide. This poster, because of its vertical format will fit, when framed, in a area where other posters won't fit. And inserts can be very beautiful. Inserts can utilize painting in their design, but some of the most affecting designs are photographic. Inserts which have never been folded may be referred to as flat or rolled. These rolled posters preferred to one that has been folded. But an insert that has been folded should not be turned down if the design is good and other areas of condition are satisfactory. A trip to the restorer can brighten any poster and folds can be minimized.
: 5) Half sheet posters. Also printed on card stock, the half sheet is sometimes called a display. It is more often called a 22 by 28 referring to its dimensions - 22 inches high by 28 inches wide. These dimensions give the poster one of its greatest elements of appeal: a convenient size with a horizontal orientation that is easy on the eyes in a smaller room. Like the insert, both painted art and photographic designs are found. Framing is usually reasonable because, again, no oversized piece of glass is required. And, once again, rolled or flat posters and folded ones are also found.
: 6) One sheet posters. The most popular poster size is arguably the one sheet. One sheets are 41 inches high by 27 inches wide. They are printed on paper stocks which can vary widely in quality from beautiful enamel stocks to the cheapest newspulp. One sheets can utilize art or photographic elements. One sheets are printed now by offset photolithography, a process by which original art which is used to make the poster is photographed and a printing plate is made from the film.But in the first half of this century, older posters may have been printed by lithographic techniques utilizing stone or zinc plates.These posters are referred to as stone lithographs and this printing technique, now largely confined to fine art editions, was once used commercially to produce all types of posters.

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