Poster Construction Tips

The following businesses in State College provide both lamination and mounting services. Please call the business directly for current pricing.

Frame Factory
426 Westerley Parkway
237-1134

Sign Factory
230-1 South Allen Street
234-7446

Kinkos
101 N. Atherton Street
238-2679

Photographics
8 Mitchell Building
865-6507

Do-it-Yourself Mounting Tips

If you prefer, you can also mount your own poster.

You will need the following supplies:

• a can of spray mount adhesive (about $7.00)
• a large piece of posterboard (larger than your poster)
• an exacto knife
• a large piece of cardboard or other cutting surface
• a straight edge or ruler (a metal edge is best)

Follow these steps to mount your poster:

1. Clear a space to place all the materials in an open area (preferably in a garage or work area outside). Make sure the area is clean.
2. Tape the corners of your cutting surfacedown with masking tape to prevent movement. Then place the poster board on the cutting surface.
3. Unroll your poster and carefully flatten it using books or similar weights to see how much area it is going to take up on the poster board. Mark the corners with pencil so you will know exactly where to spray the adhesive.
4. Follow the instructions on the spray adhesive before opening the can. Then open your can of adhesive and spray within the marked area on the poster board.
5. After the poster board has been coated with the adhesive, carefully line your poster up with the pencil marks and roll it out while pressing down. Using a soft edge of a book will aid in making the poster flush to the adhesive coating.
6. Once you have the poster mounted on the poster board, burnish it to create better adhesion and a flush surface.
7. You may want to wait for a few hours before trimming the outside edges. Place the poster board on a cutting surface before trimming.
8. Place the ruler on the outer edge of the poster (leaving the area of poster board that will be removed).
9. Carefully insert the exacto knife vertically alongside the ruler (you want to be cutting directly above the area you are trimming, so your body will be above the ruler vertically). Now slowly slide the exacto along the ruler edge, checking that you are making the slice vertical. Repeat slicing over the same cut if it does not cut through after one pass. Repeat this process as needed until all the extra poster board is removed.

When displaying your poster on a display board, use material suggested for your assignment.

Return to Poster Design Tips.

Last modified: 02/07/06 | Contact Webmaster