Cinema paper is thin, often acidic and usually older than it looks. Most of the damage it carries was done in storage rather than in transit.
What actually destroys it
Light, which fades printing ink — reds first and worst. Humidity, which foxes and stains, and which lifts old tape adhesive into the paper. Acid, from the paper itself and from the cardboard it is stored against. Tape, which stains through and whose stain stays after the tape is removed.
What to do instead
- Store it in the state it is in. Folded stays folded, flat between acid-free boards. Rolled stays rolled, loosely, around a wide core.
- Acid-free interleaving between sheets.
- Out of light entirely, and away from an outside wall.
- Never tape, never dry-mount, never laminate. All three are permanent.
- Silica nearby in the monsoon, not in contact with the paper.
Displaying
If you want a poster on a wall, display a reproduction and store the original. That is what people who have been collecting a long time do, and it is not a compromise — it is the only way to have both.
If you do display an original, UV-filtering glazing and never direct sun.
What it costs
Boards, tissue and a flat box. The alternative is a sheet that fades evenly over a decade and nobody notices until a photograph from years ago shows the difference.
Questions people ask
Should I flatten a folded poster for storage?
No. Flattening is restoration and it is the next owner's decision.
Is linen backing a storage solution?
It is a conservation treatment with real benefits for large sheets, and it must always be declared when selling.
Can I store posters in a tube long term?
Loosely, in a rigid tube, away from heat. Flat is better where you have the space.