If you are beginning to collect film posters, you may be asking: how can I tell if a movie poster is original? We look at the details you need to know about to identify a genuine movie poster.
Is my Cinema Poster Authentic?
One of the most common questions asked by new collectors is how can they tell whether the posters they have are authentic. It is an important question to ask. No one wants to fill their walls with what they think are genuine film posters, only to find that they have spent their hard-earned money on something else entirely.
Before we move on to what makes a poster authentic, it will be beneficial to clarify a few terms first:
Original/ Genuine/ Authentic: Movie posters that are original/ genuine/ authentic are those that movie studios have sent to movie theatres to promote their films. These posters are of the highest quality that you can find, making them the best collector's items for cinema lovers.
Reproduction: Reproduction movie posters are copies of original pieces that have been produced without the authorisation of the studios that own the rights to them. For the most part, these posters are not illegally made, as the copyrights for many posters run out and enter into the public domain for everyone to use. So long as these reproduction pieces are not advertised as authentic movie posters, there is no ethical reason people can not sell them.
Fakes/ Bootlegs: While a reproduction can be sold legitimately if it is accurately advertised, should a seller decide to sell one under the pretext of it being an original piece, it becomes a bootleg. Dealers can sometimes sell bootleg film posters without knowing it, believing they are selling the genuine article. Therefore, it is always important for you to properly scrutinise any posters that you purchase.Re-release
Poster: Films will often be re-released in cinemas on the anniversary of their debuts, with the movie studios re-printing posters to advertise the occasion. While they are not "original" posters in this sense, they are authentic pieces commissioned by the film studios and still worth collecting.
Now that we know the difference between separate kinds of movie poster, let's consider what you should look for when authenticating an original piece.
What Size Are Genuine Movie Posters?
Legitimate movie posters released by studios have specific given dimensions so that by looking at the size of your poster, you will be able to determine its authenticity.
For example, a poster that measures 27" by 41" is a one-sheet poster from the United States, printed before 1985. If you find a poster that measures 40" by 30", this will be a quad poster from the United Kingdom.
Of course, not all posters will perfectly match these dimensions, but if you find one that deviates from these standard sizes by more than half an inch, you can be sure that it is a fake.
These fake images are cropped while they go through the printing process, and their non-standard size is a clear sign of being counterfeit. It is not fully understood why sellers of fake posters cannot recreate these dimensions properly, but it is perhaps due to their lack of professional printing equipment and techniques.
Of course, original posters can also vary in dimensions due to trimming. While authentic movie posters are produced to sizes that match the capacity of movie theatres, they may need to be trimmed if they are displayed anywhere else.
Many British quads, for example, have undergone trimming so that they can fit into London Underground advertising spaces. If a dealer sells a trimmed poster, they should make this clear in their advertising, as it can significantly affect a poster's value.
Print Quality
Another good test of a film poster's authenticity is the appearance of its print. Once you receive your poster, you should compare the quality of the image and lettering to other authentic posters to see if it matches. By comparing it to posters you know to be genuine, you will be able to discern if the one you have purchased is also an authentic piece.
Given the offset lithographic process by which authentic movie posters are produced, even the smallest lettering on the poster should have sharp edges. Blurry edges to the lettering suggest that the bootleg is a scanned copy of an original image.
Additionally, laser printing processes and the inks used in them leave pixelated residues around the edges of the letters on fake film posters. Many posters also have a union logo on them somewhere. While this logo may only be tiny, it also should be legible and have precise edges.
Paper & Finish
It would be best if you also considered the age of the poster you are thinking of purchasing. If it is over a decade old, but the paper is still a minty white colour, you may start to get suspicious. The acidity of the paper used in the printing process will naturally yellow or tan over time, rather than remaining a crisp, white colour. Therefore, if the paper still looks pristine despite its age, it could be a fake.
It would be best if you also considered the poster's finish. Gloss finishes have a shiny surface that reflects light, designed to be attractive to the eye and highlight the contrast in the colours. Matte finishes, on the other hand, appear flat and do not shine.
This finish is designed to create depth and a greater sense of detail without glaring in the light. While studios can make movie posters with either of these finishes, ones produced before the 1970s tend only to have matte finishes.
Single or Double-Sided
Since the 1990s, cinemas have been installing lightbox frames in their venues to present their movie posters to the public. This has meant that many modern movie posters are designed with images on both sides. The idea behind this is that there is a faded mirror image of the front of the poster on the back, which allows the light to shine through, highlighting the colours brilliantly.
While many modern posters are double-sided, it is not a guarantee of authenticity. There are a growing number of fake double-sided posters washing around in the market, so, as always, you should be wary. Of course, studios are still producing single-sided posters for display, and these are still very collectable.
Tips For Authenticating Original Movie Posters
As we have already seen, there is not one element of a poster that will tell you whether it is original or not. Different types of film poster will have different ways of authenticating themselves. Here are a few tips for what to consider when establishing a film poster's pedigree:
Has the poster come from a reputable dealer or poster auction?
Has it been folded or rolled?
If the poster is from the 1970s or 80s, does it have a GAU printer's union logo?
Does the poster have a National Screen Service (NSS) stamp on the back?
Does it look and feel authentic?
What type of paper is it printed on?
Is the lithography stone or offset?
Is the title one renowned for being reproduced or bootlegged?
Does it read "PORTAL PUBLICATIONS" along the base? (these are inauthentic reproductions and worth nothing).
What is a Fake Movie Poster?
Determining what a "fake" movie poster is, is a surprisingly tricky job. With the sheer amount of artwork that has been created for the movie industry, it can often be difficult to know what is and what isn't a genuine movie poster. While we have looked at some of the signs that a poster might not be genuine, these do not exactly mean that it is a "fake".
Ultimately, what makes a film poster a fake, is if it has been produced or modified to look like a genuine poster and then sold. The fact that the seller has deliberately created something inauthentic to try and defraud buyers makes a poster fake.
This means reproductions, reprints, reissues and lobby cards are not exactly fakes, as they were produced genuinely by the movie studios. Even if someone attempts to sell a reprint as an original does not make the poster a fake; it simply means the seller has no morals.
Original Vintage Movie Posters for Sale
We created this website to provide a vintage movie poster guide. If you have an interest in classic movie posters from the 1950s, 1960s or 1980s, we hope you will learn more about the most popular posters of the period.
Take a sneak peak at some of the posters we have in stock here. However, if you have a film in mind and don't see it here, please get in touch as we'd be happy to locate it for you.
Are you interested in movie poster collecting? We hope you have gained useful information from this article discussing: How Can I Tell If A Movie Poster Is Original? Follow the links below to discover more about collectable movie posters.