Poster Presentation using Light Boxes: Movie Poster Series, Part 2

Stylish poster light boxes - for the ultimate in movie poster presentation!

Poster presentation is a most important aspect that should be taken into consideration when hanging a poster of your favorite movie on a wall. Appropriate presentation that matches with the rest of the room decor can help bring about the movie experience. Presenting your newly acquired poster by framing or mounting will not only result in a more attractive finished product, it also represents an important step towards helping your posters stay nice for much longer.

Almost all online movie poster suppliers offer some sort of framing or mounting service. AllPosters and MovieGoods offer ready-made Poster LightBoxes, framing and mounting services at reasonable prices.

As already stated, poster presentation needs to take into account the room decor. While both frames and mounts offer a great way of presenting a more attractive finish in any room, yet in the case of a dedicated home theater room, the ultimate in movie poster presentation is the BACKLIT MOVIE POSTER LIGHT BOX. The use of a Backlit Box will better help bring about that 'Oh My God' cinematic feeling into your home.

More information on poster light-boxes after the turn...


The Poster Lightbox:
A unique way to re-create the movie cinema experience, right in your home

Poster Lightboxes add a unique finishing touch to your home theater, or in that case anywhere you want to display a poster. The classical way to illuminate movie posters for display is from behind. Most poster lightboxes operate in this manner by having a warm or 'daylight' light source mounted on the rear side of a box frame. A diffuser plate is used to help eliminate the formation of possible hot-spots of light over the movie poster area.

These poster light boxes are also referred to as 'Backlit Poster Boxes' and are normally designed to take '1 Sheet' poster sizes.

The latter are typically 27 inches in width by 40 to 41 inches in height, depending on whether it is a pre-1983/1985 poster or otherwise.

Single-sided or Double-Sided (DS) 'One Sheet' Posters?
While it is possible to mount either type in a poster light box, yet the best posters to use in backlit poster light boxes are double-sided posters. These are normally designated as 'DS' 1 Sheet posters.

DS 1 Sheet posters have printing on both the front and the back of the paper stock, with the printing on the backside being in precise alignment with that on the front and a mirror image of the printing on the front side. Light from behind the 1 sheet poster will have to pass through both prints, with the poster acting as if it is a strip of film. The two prints on either side of the poster will render for a more robust and rich illumination of the poster art.

That is not to say that the cheaper and more common single-sided posters are not suitable for use in backlit lightboxes. It is just that one-sided 1 Sheet posters look somewhat washed-out when illuminated from behind.

DIY Poster Light Box
Whew... building your own poster light box should not be difficult in that you do not need to be neither a carpenter nor an electrician; in addition, you will be able to save some money while getting the finish that you want.

It is not the scope of this article to describe how to build your own poster light box, however, it is worth mentioning a few points that you'll find of much use when designing and building a back-lit light-box:

While a slim design lends itself to a stylish unit that integrates better with the surroundings, yet care should be taken to ensure that there is enough space between the backlight source and the back of the poster. This will help both reduce any hot-spots of light on the poster area as well as reduce any damage that may result from the heat generated by the light source.

Use of low temperature fluorescent tubes is mandatory to ensure a low enough operating temperature that will not damage the poster artwork even after long hours of continuous use. High operating temperatures will damage both the stock paper on which the poster is printed, as well as accelerate the fading process of the artwork itself.



A diffuser translucent plate on the back of the poster is necessary to help render a more uniform light field over the full area of the poster. The use of a matt Plexiglas sheet should usually serve the purpose.

The best way to hang your poster is between two sheets of Plexiglas set approximately 1/8 inch (a few millimeters) apart to allow your poster to simply slide in a pocket of air without being tight between the plates. Support your poster from the top with either miniature clips or a few small pieces of transparent Scotch tape, and let gravity do the rest.

Do not try to sandwich the poster firmly between the glass panels as the poster will tend to sag and ripple since it would not be able to freely expand and contract as a result of changes in temperature and humidity resulting from the heat generated by the lamps.

Ultraviolet rays need to be filtered out before the light reaches the poster, otherwise your precious print will slowly fade as a result of being bombarded by UV radiation. In particular, great care should be taken with DS sheets. If you cannot find a suitable UV-filtering product, try some non-yellowing archival protection lacquer spray (available from most arts stores), used for the protection of paintings and acrylics; these are normally UV resistant and should do the trick. Just apply the lacquer to the lamp-side face of the inner Plexiglas panel.

While this may whet your appetite, there are tons of other useful information to help you set up your own Back Lit Movie Poster Light Box. Keep watching this space for more information.

Related Posts in this series:
Relive the Magic: Movie Poster Series, Introduction
A Short Drabble: Movie Poster Series, Interlude 1
Size does matter, A Guide: Movie Poster Series, Part 1
Poster Presentation using Light Boxes: Movie Poster Series, Part 2