One of the unfortunate side effects of going to the movies these days is the substantial amount of time spent waiting in line. At least, depending on the film you're going to see and when you're going to see it (midnight premieres are notoriously bad for this). You can order your tickets online way ahead of time, yet you'll still get stuck waiting in the queue to just get into your specific theatre. However, it does give me time to think about the posters lining the walls of the theatre and inspire an article about what to consider in a frame when hanging a poster in your own home. Of course, this idea was promptly pushed aside when the movie started rolling as it was just that good. But back to what you're really here for, the poster frames. Posters with art prints, fun designs, vintage pictures, and plenty of other pictures have been a stalwart in home decorating for years. While the humble poster may have acquired a bit of a reputation as just a dorm room decoration of late, a good frame is a great way to give your posters a style upgrade. It highlights the actual print or picture you want to show off and takes the attention off of the fact that the paper may be a little more delicate than you'd like it to be. Because honestly? I've got some posters I love and want to keep them looking as good as possible, and a frame is one of the best ways to do that. In my own adventures in poster framing it helped when I sat down and asked myself a few questions to figure out what I really wanted to do.
First (slightly obvious) question: What size was I looking for? Was I looking to hang up a smaller image? Or was I going to need something for a larger, movie theatre style poster? Was I planning on incorporating matting into the poster, or framing as is? Luckily, there's a massive variety of sizes in the poster frame market today to cover pretty much everyone's needs. It's not hard to find frames that are as small as 3.5" x 5" all the way up to 36" x 48" (and well beyond). If you're using a mat board with your poster for an added decorative look, it may be worth it to get a larger size to accommodate the extra edging and not cut off any more of the image than necessary. Some poster styles, such as the movie posters I spent so much time staring at the other weekend, require a very specific sized frame that's a little harder to find. Knowing that, be sure to check the measurements of your poster beforehand just to be safe.
Second question: How often was I planning to change my posters? Being honest, this is a question that's more likely to come up in a retail or commercial setting rather than a residential one, but it's still something that should be thought about when you're shopping around for frames. When you're setting up and installing your poster, however, the quicker the better is something to think about. Designs like snap-edges, slide-in frames, and swinging doors let you keep the framework on the walls when mounting your prints, so you can update them in just a few minutes. Some other styles still require you to pull the frame off the wall to swap out your posters. These options are usually associated with different price points on the scale, but we'll return to that in a later question in the article.
Third question: What sort of design was I looking for? What sort of material did I want my frame to be made out of? Did I want something basic that would just keep my poster safe and on the wall, or did I want something with a little more of a designer edge to really complement my interior décor? Again, choice is the key word here, as a quick glance through any website or catalogue will demonstrate. The construction materials run the gamut from plastic to wood, giving you a variety of basic and ornate designs in the process. The plastic frames can have solid black finishes, or can be painted to have a metallic finish at a fraction of the cost of metal. Certain grades of metal and aluminum frames are quite affordable as well, which is another option to consider. You can also go for a higher end wood or metal design, which definitely provides a more upscale look. Which is actually a nice segue into the last question...
Fourth question: How much money did I want to spend? Now that's the all important question, isn't it? The word 'options' comes to mind once more. The really basic models featuring a cardboard backer and slide off plastic frame edges can be found for about $10, which made them my old standby for framing when I moved into my very first apartment (and had probably spent half that amount on the poster itself). As you go up the price ladder, you'll find some basic metal and acrylic designs that cost a bit more money, but are still safely affordable and won't break the bank in order to purchase them. The upscale designs, especially the ones that are designed more for commercial and professional settings, are going to be the most expensive models out there, with features that make them appropriate for high traffic areas as well as years of use in somewhat exposed (yet still indoor) settings.
Posters really are one of the best ways to decorate an apartment on a budget. They bring color, artful designs, can open or warm up a room in a matter of seconds, and won't cost you hundreds of dollars in the process. By adding a proper poster frame to the artwork, you'll be able to give any print a professional and stylish look quickly that can keep it looking good for years. There are a multitude of places online where you can find further information about poster frames, so I encourage you to take a look and see what you can discover. Thanks for reading!
Elizabeth L. Iacono is an employee at George Patton Associates, Inc., in the marketing department. To view the products mentioned in this article, please visit Displays2Go.