This glossary has grouped the various hobby terminologies into four categories for easy reference -- poster sizes and formats, types of posters, poster hobby lingo, and Star Wars poster vernacular. This last category defines some terms unique to the Star Wars poster collecting hobby, such as "Hildebrandt Quad" or "Starfall Poster" -- terms collectors use that are generally understood by other hobbyists but may be foreign to the general community.
So, armed with this handy guide, get ready to jump into the exciting world of Star Wars poster collecting, where new discoveries are being made every day by even the most advanced collectors.
Poster Sizes and Formats
This section defines some of the various poster formats that have been used in the U.S. and other countries since the Star Wars saga began in 1977.
30 x 40 -- A U.S. poster format measuring 30" x 40" that was used for the original trilogy campaigns but not the Special Editions or prequels. These were displayed vertically (unlike the similarly-sized U.K. quads) and are easily recognized by their markedly wide white side borders.Types of Posters40 x 60 -- A U.S. poster format measuring 40" x 60" that was used for the original trilogy campaigns but not the Special Editions or prequels. Sometimes called a "two-sheet".
Billboard -- As the name suggests, these posters were intended for billboard display, and are quite rare. Billboard poster ensembles usually consisted of several sheets, and could literally measure the size of 24 one-sheet posters -- hence the term often used to refer to these posters, "24-sheets".
Daybill -- An Australian poster format measuring roughly 12" x 36" that is similar to the U.S. insert format.
Deko -- Some theaters in Germany exhibited multi-poster ensembles, called "Dekos". Interestingly, the poster formats and arrangements used for the original trilogy changed with each film.
Double Crown -- A format in England that is basically one-half the size of a quad, and measures 20" x 30". These are formatted vertically, however, and are usually included as part of a Marler Haley ensemble.
Half-sheet -- A U.S. poster format measuring 22" x 28" that was used for the original trilogy campaigns but not the Special Editions or prequels. These displayed horizontally rather than vertically, and in the case of the Star Wars Style "A" design, used artwork different than that used on the one-sheet.Half-sheetHandbill -- A hand flyer depicting advertising graphics for a film that often measures 8" x 10" or smaller, and sometimes includes date and venue information. There were three different handbills printed for A New Hope in the U.S., all exhibiting early taglines for the film or the title itself.
Insert -- A U.S. poster format measuring 14" x 36" that was used for the original trilogy campaigns but not the Special Editions or prequels.
Japanese Single- and Double-panel posters -- In Japan, single panel (20" x 29") posters are also called "B2", while double-panel (29" x 41") posters are called "B1".
Marler Haley -- In the U.K., "Marler Haley" poster ensembles consisting of two quads and four double-crown posters were exhibited in some premiere theaters. There are four different Marler Haley ensembles known to exist from the original trilogy, including one for the 1982 double-bill presentation of A New Hope and Empire.
One-sheet -- The standard format for most U.S. theatrical posters, which measured 27" x 41" until the mid-'80s, when it was trimmed down to the 27" x 40" size used today.
Photobusta -- The Italian equivalent of the U.S. lobby cards, the Photobustas roughly measure 18" x 26" and are issued in sets containing multiple posters.
Quad -- A format used in England that measures 30" x 40" and displays horizontally rather than vertically. Some quads are factory-trimmed for various reasons, causing some examples to be released in a smaller 27" x 40" size.Hildebrandt QuadSix-sheet -- A large format poster measuring 81" x 81" that was usually printed for international campaigns, and therefore lacked the "PG" rating box printed on them.
Seven-sheet -- A short-lived experimental poster format used for small billboards or transit displays, these were comprised of four separate sheets that created one large 81" x 91" poster when combined. Only four of these posters were known to have been designed for Star Wars, all for the A New Hope outdoor campaign in Los Angeles.
Three-sheet -- A U.S. poster format measuring 41" x 81" that was used for the original trilogy campaigns but not the Special Editions or prequels.
Two-sheet -- A term loosely assigned to a handful of international formats, all of which roughly measure about the size of two standard U.S. one-sheet posters attached together. Italy, Argentina, France, and Germany all possess poster formats that collectors might refer to as "two-sheets". Some also refer to the U.S. 40" x 60" as a two-sheet.
This section defines the various types of posters, whether they were designed for theatrical display, for retail sales, or as forgeries.
Advance -- Posters printed to announce a film coming out soon, often using pared-down graphics and an occasional line of copy. These are sometimes referred to as "teaser" posters.Poster Hobby Lingo
Bootleg -- An illegitimately-printed poster, often devised specifically to deceive. The term bootleg can be used to define two kinds of unlicensed posters -- those that are fan-designed and printed without authority to do so, and those that are forgeries of original posters to be passed off as genuine. The latter, of course, represent a greater risk to collectors.AdvanceCommercial -- Posters printed for sale to the public, they are the most common and readily available of all Star Wars posters.
Commemorative -- As the name implies, these are posters printed to commemorate an anniversary or the like. In the case of Star Wars, Kilian Enterprises printed up many 10- and 15-year anniversary posters for the classic trilogy during the late 1980s and '90s. Though some of these can be rare, they were created specifically for sale to the public, and are therefore considered commercial posters.
Event -- Posters devised to advertise some sort of event, usually including a date and venue. Print runs are typically pretty low, making some event posters very scarce.Event posterPremium -- These are usually given away as some kind of incentive or prize. Because they are offered to the public, they fall under the "commercial poster" category.
Promotional -- A poster designed to advertise in some kind of retail setting. These were not intended to be sold to the public, which makes them somewhat more scarce than commercial, or retail, posters. These are also referred to as "advertising" posters.
Reprint -- A poster which is a legitimate re-strike of an earlier poster, often printed in a smaller or larger format than the original. A licensed reprint will have the copyright information provided near the bottom of the poster, including the year the reprint was struck.
Re-release -- A poster printed up to advertise a film's re-release. In the case of the original Star Wars trilogy, these included different graphics for each campaign.
Theatrical -- Posters specifically printed and distributed for display inside a theater or on the premises. These typically include inserts (14" x 36"), half-sheets (22" x 28"), one-sheets (27" x 41" or 27" x 40"), 30" x 40", and 40" x 60".
Transit -- Posters printed specifically for transit station display. Japan seems to have created the bulk of Star Wars posters used for this purpose.
This list outlines some commonly-used terms utilized by Star Wars poster collectors, although many of them are relevant to general poster collecting as well.
Bleed border -- A term used to describe a poster whose artwork extends all the way to the edge of the paper, lacking the white border seen on earlier posters. While nearly all original trilogy one-sheets possessed a white border, prequel versions were all issued with bleed borders.Star Wars Poster VernacularGore Graphics -- A Los Angeles-based print house that printed up many of the classic Star Wars trilogy release posters for 20th Century Fox. These would be considered "studio" posters, since Fox directly contracted these posters from Gore without going through the NSS.
Image Area -- The actual area of a poster containing imagery, which excludes the white border and any peripheral information printed there.
International U.S. Poster -- Many of the U.S. one-sheet posters were printed in separate batches for domestic or international display, the difference being discernable by the presence or lack of the "PG" ratings box in the credit block of Star Wars posters. Posters printed for U.S. display have the ratings box, while international posters -- which might possess their own unique rating system -- lack it.
Rolled/flat vs. folded -- Collectors often prefer posters that are "rolled" (or "flat") rather than folded for aesthetic reasons. Though fold lines are perfectly normal for many theatrical posters (they were often sent to theaters in envelopes), rolled posters command a premium because of their perceived "unblemished" state.
Single-sided, Double-sided -- Collectors will often want to know if a poster is single- or double-sided. Posters from the original trilogy in the 1970s and '80s are all single-sided. Special Edition and prequel posters, however, can be both single- and double-sided. Double-sided posters were printed for theater light-box displays, and are typically a bit more desirable because of the added expense to print them and because most were unavailable to the public.
Spanish-language -- The hobby makes a distinction between Spanish posters printed in Spain and those printed in the U.S. for Spanish-speaking communities and Mexican theaters. U.S. posters printed in Spanish are referred to as "Spanish-language" posters.Spanish-language posterStudio vs. NSS -- Occasionally, collectors will make the distinction of "studio" or "NSS" (National Screen Service) when discussing posters printed in the United States. Simply put, movie studios, like 20th Century Fox, could either contract posters directly from a printer or go through a union house like National Screen Service to print and distribute the posters for them. Consequently, two versions of the same poster are often produced, depending on who printed them. "Studio" posters are usually printed on slightly heavier paper stock than their NSS counterparts, and often came rolled from the printer. NSS posters, on the other hand, were printed on flimsier stock, were almost always folded, and included several lines of added text at the center of the poster's bottom border (called the "NSS disclaimer"). Because most NSS posters came folded, some collectors specifically search out the extremely rare rolled NSS examples.
Tri-folded -- A term used to describe the three horizontal fold lines found on one-sheet posters. Tri-folded posters are typically less valuable than rolled (unfolded) posters, but more desirable than quarter-folded posters, which include an additional vertical fold line running up the center.
With over three decades of Star Wars poster collecting behind them, collectors have assigned a handful of names to reference the more well-known posters in the hobby.
Aussie Empire -- This term refers to the Australian Empire Strikes Back posters that depict the unique artwork created by Noriyoshi Ohrai for the Japanese campaign. Because of its beauty, it is one of the more sought after of international posters."Circus Poster" -- The artwork devised for the 1978 general release of Star Wars is often referred to as the "circus poster" because of its rollicking throwback style, a characteristic common to circus-style posters of the early 20th century.
Concert poster -- Though there have been many concert posters created for various Star Wars events, "The Concert Poster" usually refers to an extremely rare example printed in 1978 that depicts R2-D2 and C-3PO holding various musical instruments. It is one of the most highly sought-after of all Star Wars posters.
"Gone With The Wind" -- This term comes up when describing one of the posters used for the Empire Strikes Back campaign. Because the Empire Style "A" portrays Han and Leia in a swooning position, the poster has adopted the name of the Civil War epic which used a similar image in its 1967 re-release poster.Happy Birthday poster"Happy Birthday Poster" -- To celebrate the fact that Star Wars was still playing in theaters a full year after its release, a poster depicting a birthday cake surrounded by Kenner's early Star Wars action figures was sent to select venues showing the film. Because of its scarcity and its depiction of the famous first series of action figures, it has become quite valuable.
Hildebrandt Quad -- A rare early poster printed in England, the artwork by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt was formatted to fit the horizontal configuration of the quad poster. This poster was quickly replaced by a different version, making examples of the Hildebrandt quad highly sought-after.
Jung vs. Hildebrandt -- New collectors are often confused by the apparent use of the names "Hildebrandt" and "Jung" when referring to the famous artwork of Luke and Leia on a rock in front of a looming Darth Vader and Death Star. To clarify, the version of this artwork seen on the U.S. theatrical posters was executed by Tom Jung, while a "fairy tale"-inspired version of Tom Jung's design was done by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt to be used on posters sold to the public. The Hildebrandt version is noticeably bluer than the Jung version, and the likenesses of Luke and Leia do not resemble those of the actors.Jung and Hildebrandt versions"Revenge Dated and Undated" -- The Revenge of the Jedi poster was printed with and without the film's release date depicted at the posters lower edge, and collectors often will make the distinction since the undated version has proven far more scarce than its dated counterpart.
"Starfall" Poster -- A rare 1983 poster distributed by Yamakatsu in Japan that depicted a spectacular painting of R2-D2 and C-3PO below a fiery orange rendering of the Cone Nebula. Perhaps because it appears the stars are "falling", this poster has adopted its signature moniker.
Triple-bill -- Between 1983 and '85, several countries hosted event screenings of the original trilogy shown back-to-back, and printed up posters to advertise them.
Be sure to check out fan site starwarsmovieposter.com for a comprehensive listing of most known Star Wars theatrical posters.
