The Art of Professional Paper Conservation & the Benefits of Linen Backing your next Movie Poster.

Linen backing and restoration helps correct the various imperfections that posters can pick up over time.  It helps preserve the artwork, improves its appearance and aids in framing, particularly when using archival framing materials and techniques.

All of our linen backed posters are completed by professional paper conservators, and the process is 100% reversible, should you ever wish to return the artwork back to its original pre-restored condition.

Correcting imperfections created by fold lines:

Movie posters printed up to the 1980s were often folded post-printing, creating fold lines. Fold lines can create weakness in the material, making it more susceptible to tearing, wearing of the paper, and overall degradation of the appearance.

Linen backing provides an excellent way of reducing the negative effects of fold lines in your favourite vintage posters.

Cleaning the poster:

Often, dirt will collect along the creases in posters that have been folded. Prior to linen backing a poster, great care is taken to clean it thoroughly using non-acidic detergent and placing it carefully in a bath. Although this may sound potentially damaging, authentic cinema posters will not run or disintegrate in water. This cleaning process has no negative effects to the poster – rather, it has positive ones. It removes dirt and grime and ensures that the poster is clean as can be ahead of the other restorative processes.

Using linen backing to repair the poster and strengthen it:

The process of linen backing involves gluing the poster to the flat, sturdy surface of the linen. This in turn flattens the poster and greatly improves its overall appearance. Should you choose to have the poster framed, linen backing offers the additional benefit of reducing the risk of it being damaged during the framing process. In addition, the glue used in the linen backing process heals tears or pin holes in the poster, making these almost entirely invisible to the naked eye (depending on the size of the imperfection).

Linen backing also provides a protective layer and additional stability, helping prevent further degradation over the coming years, protecting your investment.  

Colour restoration and stain removal:

After a poster has been linen backed, additional processes can further restore the poster. If discolouration has occurred along fold lines, pencils or water-based oils can be used to carefully touch this up and add colour back to these areas of the poster. The same process can also be used to cover up and eliminate staining. To ensure 100% reversibility, all colour-restorative tools used in this process are entirely erasable. This process is available for your posters for an extra fee.

Frequently asked question – Does linen backing decrease the poster’s value?

Absolutely not. In fact, it increases the value, because linen backing offers the poster a longer life by helping to prevent against discolouration, as well as ensuring it doesn’t tear, and making it sturdier. Think of it as buying a classic car. Despite its beauty and value, it’s rusting, the seats have torn, and the paint job is peeling. So, what do you do? You repair, of course. Supply it with new upholstery, repaint it, and suddenly it is so much more visually appealing. But it is still the same classic model – only better. And that’s what linen backing does: rather than recreating the poster, it restores, enhances and maintains its initial beauty. Just like the car, it’s still your favourite vintage poster, just improved.

What do I do if I want to have a poster linen backed?

If you would like a quote to add linen backing to your purchase, simply email us at contact@movieposterhub.com and we'll arrange a quote. Note that linen backing will typically add 2-3 weeks to the delivery schedule.