How do I fix a large tear on a vintage poster?

Question

I was given an expensive foreign poster and I placed it on my wall by putting those blue sticky tacks on the back of it. One day as I was lifting my pillow, it tore through the poster. Now there is about an 8 inch rip through the bottom of the poster. I can't really find any shops to fix the poster (I may not be searching for the right search term to find the store [I was looking for a "xerox store"]), but the one place I did find, wanted a fortune for it! After I do fix the poster, I want to laminate it. So how do I fix this tear where it's in a good condition to laminate it?

Answer 1

Never put tape on the front of a poster even to repair tears. If you do use tape, use acid free tape available from an art supply shop, and place the tape on the back. For expensive movie art take it to a professional to be restored. Posters can be restored the same way rare comic books are professionally restored.

Answer 2

If it's a paper poster, use "invisible" scotch tape on the back. Make sure the sides of the tear are set up properly so there's no white paper edges showing. Place the poster face down on a hard surface like your kitchen table. After applying the tape, "burnish" it by rubbing the tape with a smooth, hard, rounded surface, like the round end of a dinner knife handle. This makes a firm seal beween the tape and the paper. Your poster should be as good as new - well, almost.

Answer 3

Before you spend any serious money on it you should find out what it is worth. It may not be a valuable as you think.

Try a poster store, they may have someone knowledgeable in old posters. Antiques road show would be the perfect place. Go to the library and try to do some research on it.

Try Posters, collectibles on EBay, you never know, something helpful might pop up.

I just wouldn't fix it till I got a price on it.