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Cinema Retro

Complications with

Poster Size Terminology

Even though the sizes of British posters are simple and primarily based on the paper company sizes, the TERMINOLOGY can get quite confusing. Because the primary base posters are multiples of each other, different people have used different sizes and created different terms...... This is not just collectors either.... Let's look at a couple of sample:

The Crown: measures 15x20 - commonly called a Half Double Crown or a Day Bill.

Door Panel - measures 20x60 - sometimes called a Quad Crown (4 crown posters on top of each other). Some studios gave a choice of having the Quad Crowns in 20x60 or 30x40.

The Double Crown: measures 20x30 - Some older collectors call this size a UK One Sheet (different from a British One Sheet). At times the double crown has been used as the base size instead of the crown creating a LOT of terminology problems with some collectors calling the Quad a 2 Sheet.

Quad - Initially it was issued in the 1910s and called the Quad Crown and then disappeared in WWI. Since the late 1930s when it was used again, it has become the standard size. The studios termed this new horizontal size the Broadside Quad... and sometimes just called it the Broadside.

Bus Stop Posters - the original Bus Stop posters were 40x60 - some collectors call these a 2 Sheet because they were exactly 2 times the Quad which is 30x40. A lot of Bus Stop posters have become 45x70 which has made it easier.

Even the Studios created Confusion

Three Sheets - Before WW2, British studios called this size the 6 sheet because it was 6 times the size of a 20x30 which was a standard size. Notice the image on the left. This clip is from the British Pressbook for Grand Hotel showing the 2 different styles of 3 sheets that were available..... EXCEPT.. they call them 6 sheets..

6 Sheets - Also on this same pressbook, what we call a 6 sheet, they call a 12 sheet. Again basing the size on the double crown as the base size instead of the crown.

24 Sheets - Again several studios used the double crown as a standard and called these 48 sheets.

So when you are discussing larger British paper with other collectors....... BE SURE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME SIZE.

 

 



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