The Poster Glossary

A

A-series (A1, A2, A3…) #

The international ISO paper sizes where each sheet is half the previous one, all sharing 1:1.414 proportions. A1 (59.4×84.1 cm) and A2 (42×59.4 cm) are the poster staples.

Acid-free #

Paper or matboard with a neutral pH that won't yellow, become brittle, or burn brown lines into artwork over time. The baseline spec for anything touching a print you intend to keep.

Acrylic (plexiglass) #

Shatterproof glazing that weighs about half as much as glass and typically filters more UV. The safe choice for large frames and anywhere a falling frame would matter.

Anchor piece #

The largest or boldest artwork in a gallery wall, placed first so every other piece arranges around it.

ANSI sizes #

The US engineering paper series (A: 8.5×11″ through E: 34×44″). Poster sizing mostly ignores it in favor of photographic sizes like 18×24 and 24×36.

Archival #

Materials and inks formulated to resist fading and chemical decay for decades — in practice: pigment inks on acid-free stock. Unregulated as a word, so check the specs behind it.

Art Deco #

The 1920s–30s style of geometric glamour: sunbursts, stepped forms, chrome gradients and engineered typefaces. The ruler-drawn opposite of Art Nouveau.

Art Nouveau #

The 1890s–1910s movement of organic "whiplash" curves, botanical ornament and flowing figures — the era when posters (Mucha, Toulouse-Lautrec) first became collected art.

Aspect ratio #

The proportional relationship between a print's width and height (2:3, 4:5, 1:1). Matching artwork ratio to frame ratio is what prevents awkward mat gaps.

B

Bleed #

Extra image area printed beyond the final trim line so color runs cleanly to the paper's edge after cutting. Full-bleed prints have no white border.

Border (white border) #

An unprinted margin around the image, functioning as a built-in mat. It protects the image edge in handling and suits floating or minimal framing.

C

CMYK #

The four-ink process (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) behind standard color printing. Fine-art printers extend it with additional light and gray inks for smoother gradients.

Color gamut #

The range of colors a printer-and-paper combination can reproduce. Wider gamuts (more ink channels, coated papers) capture saturated tones that four-ink printing clips.

Command strip #

Brand-name adhesive strip used for damage-free hanging. Works on smooth, clean, cured paint; removed by stretching the strip parallel to the wall.

Conservation framing #

Framing built entirely from archival components — acid-free mat and backing, UV glazing, reversible hinging — so the artwork can be removed decades later unharmed.

D

D-ring hanger #

A D-shaped metal loop screwed to the frame back, used singly or in pairs with wire. The standard hardware for frames larger than 11×14.

Diptych #

A single artwork presented as two panels hung side by side. Spacing of 2–3 inches lets the composition read across the gap.

DPI (dots per inch) #

How finely a printer places ink droplets. A hardware spec often confused with PPI — a high-DPI printer cannot rescue a low-resolution file.

Duotone #

An image reproduced in two ink colors (classically black plus one accent), giving photographs a graphic, poster-like quality.

Dye ink #

Liquid colorant that absorbs into paper. Vivid initially but fades within years under bright display — the longevity opposite of pigment ink.

E

Edition #

A defined print run. Open editions are printed on demand without a cap; limited editions are numbered (e.g. 12/100) and closed after the run.

Eye level (57-inch rule) #

The gallery standard placing an artwork's vertical center 57 inches (145 cm) from the floor — average standing eye height.

F

Fine art paper #

Heavyweight (typically 200+ GSM), acid-free stock with a coating engineered for pigment inks — the substrate that separates a print from a poster.

Float mount #

Mounting a print on a raised platform inside the frame so its edges cast a shadow, making the paper appear to float. Shows off deckled or bordered prints.

Foam board (foam core) #

Lightweight rigid board of foam faced with paper, used for mounting prints dead-flat or as archival frame backing (in its acid-free grade).

Foxing #

The rust-brown spots that appear on old paper, caused by humidity-driven mold and iron impurities. Prevention: 40–55% relative humidity and acid-free storage.

G

Gallery wall #

A curated group of framed pieces hung as one composition — grid, salon, row or ledge style — unified by consistent spacing and a repeated visual thread.

Gallery wrap #

A canvas print stretched so the image continues around the frame's edges, allowing frameless display.

Giclée #

High-resolution inkjet printing with pigment inks on fine-art paper, typically using 8–12 ink channels. Pronounced "zhee-CLAY"; the specs matter more than the word.

Glazing #

The transparent sheet (glass or acrylic) protecting framed artwork. Available in UV-filtering and anti-reflective grades.

Golden ratio #

The 1:1.618 proportion long used in composition and framing; a mat about 1.6× wider than instinct suggests often looks inexplicably right.

GSM (grams per square meter) #

Paper weight and stiffness. 90–130 GSM is magazine-thin, 200 GSM is fine-art card weight that hangs flat and survives handling.

H

Halftone #

Reproducing continuous tones as patterns of dots. Visible halftone dots are a signature of vintage offset posters — and a deliberate retro style today.

Hinging #

Attaching a print to its mat with two acid-free tissue hinges at the top edge only, letting paper expand and contract without buckling.

I

ISO sizes #

The international paper standard (A, B and C series) built on the 1:1.414 ratio that lets every size halve cleanly into the next.

J

Japandi #

The interior style merging Japanese restraint with Scandinavian warmth — the natural habitat for woodblock prints, botanicals and generous negative space.

K

Kachō-e #

The Japanese bird-and-flower print genre, perfected in the 20th century by Ohara Koson — small, quiet studies ideal in pairs and grids.

Kraft paper template #

A paper cut-out of a frame taped to the wall to test placement before nailing. The cheapest mistake-prevention tool in framing.

L

Landscape orientation #

Wider than tall. Suits long walls, spaces above sofas and headboards, and panoramic subjects.

Limited edition #

A print run capped at a fixed number, each print numbered and often signed. Scarcity, not print quality, is what the premium buys.

Lithography #

Printing from a flat surface (originally stone) treated so ink adheres only to the image. Stone lithography produced the golden-age posters; offset lithography is its industrial descendant.

Luster finish #

A fine-textured semi-gloss between matte and glossy — the portrait-photography standard, sold interchangeably with "satin".

M

Mat (matboard) #

The window-cut border between print and glazing. Adds breathing room, prevents paper-to-glazing contact, and bridges a print to the next frame size up.

Matte finish #

A non-reflective coating that diffuses light, hides fingerprints and reads correctly from every angle — the default finish for framed and bright-room display.

Mid-century modern #

Post-war (1945–69) design defined by clean grids, organic-meets-geometric shapes and honest materials; its posters sit naturally in contemporary rooms.

Monochrome #

An image in a single color or tonal range, including black-and-white. Monochrome walls tolerate more pieces before feeling busy.

Mounting putty #

Reusable adhesive tack for temporary hanging. Convenient but can stain paper with oils over time — keep it off prints worth framing.

N

Negative space (ma) #

The deliberately empty area of a composition. In Japanese aesthetics, "ma" treats emptiness as an active element — why one strong print can outperform four crowded ones.

O

Offset printing #

The industrial press process behind mass-market posters: economical at volume, four-ink color, dye-class longevity.

Open edition #

A print available in unlimited quantity, typically printed on demand. Priced for walls, not vaults.

P

Panoramic #

An extra-wide format (ratios like 1:3) suited to landscapes and city skylines above long furniture.

Picture ledge #

A shallow shelf with a front lip for leaning frames — the rearrangeable, no-math alternative to a nailed gallery wall.

Picture rail #

A wall-top molding from which frames hang on hooks and cords, allowing repositioning without new holes. Common in pre-war homes and galleries.

Pigment ink #

Ink carrying solid, encapsulated color particles that sit in the paper coating. The archival standard: decades of light resistance versus years for dye.

Portrait orientation #

Taller than wide. Suits narrow wall segments, stair runs and entryways.

Poster rail (magnetic hanger) #

Paired wooden bars with embedded magnets that clamp a print's top and bottom edges for frameless, scroll-style hanging.

PPI (pixels per inch) #

The resolution of the digital file at final print size. 150–300 PPI is the quality window; below it, no printer can add the missing detail.

Print-on-demand #

Producing each print individually at order time rather than warehousing stock — the model that makes thousands of designs in seven sizes economically possible.

Provenance #

The documented history of an artwork's ownership. Relevant to originals and vintage lithographs, not open-edition reproductions.

R

Registration #

The precise alignment of separate color layers in multi-pass printing. Slight misregistration gives vintage posters their characteristic color halos.

S

Salon hang #

The dense, floor-to-picture-rail arrangement of mixed sizes originating in 19th-century Paris salons — organized abundance built around an anchor and a hidden midline.

Satin finish #

See luster: the low-glare semi-gloss compromise between matte and glossy.

Sawtooth hanger #

A small serrated bracket for light frames. Fine under 11×14; use D-rings and wire above that.

Shin-hanga #

The "new prints" movement (1915–1960s) that revived Japan's woodblock workshops with Western light and atmosphere — Hasui's landscapes, Koson's birds.

Sizing up #

The designer habit of choosing the larger of two candidate sizes; undersized art is the most common hanging mistake and a mat can always calm a large print.

T

Triptych #

One artwork across three panels. Hung with equal 2–3 inch gaps, it reads as a single panoramic composition.

Two-thirds rule #

Art above furniture should span roughly 60–75% of the furniture's width — the quickest sizing check in the book.

U

Ukiyo-e #

"Pictures of the floating world": the classical Edo-period woodblock tradition of actors, beauties and landscapes — Hokusai's Great Wave is its most famous image.

UV-filtering glazing #

Glass or acrylic that blocks ~98% of ultraviolet light, the primary cause of fading. The highest-impact upgrade per dollar in framing.

W

Washi tape #

Low-tack Japanese paper tape gentle enough for both wall paint and print corners — the safest tape-based hanging method.

Whiplash line #

The signature S-curve of Art Nouveau ornament, drawn from vines, hair and smoke.

WPA style #

The bold silkscreen idiom of America's 1930s Works Progress Administration posters — flat shapes, sunset gradients — still the default visual language of National Park art.