credit to : http://myworld.ebay.com/cinemasterpieces/
Up until the 1980's movie posters and other advertising materials
were printed in very limited quantities. Different sizes were offered
depending on the needs of the studio or theaters. American theaters
actually rented them from the studios. All of them were not meant to be
saved. Most forms arrived at the theater folded from the studio
supplier. They were considered a disposable form of advertising and
after their initial use were supposed to be returned to the studio or
destroyed. The following are the different sizes and styles of American
movie posters.
ONE SHEET (1sh)
The most common and MOST COLLECTIBLE type of American movie poster.
Nearly all one sheets printed before 1985 measure a full 27"x41". Most
recent one sheets are approximately 27"x40". Always in a vertical
format. Up until the early 1980's, most (not all) were issued folded
with one vertical and three horizontal creases. Some were issued
tri-folded. Still used in theaters today and now always issued rolled.
The standard U.S. poster.
INSERT
A vertical format American movie poster, measuring 14"x36", generally
issued rolled and on thicker stock paper. Their smaller size makes them
popular with collectors. Inserts from the 60's and before were often
issued folded. Generally much rarer than a one sheet. Studios stopped
issuing these in the early 1980's.
HALF-SHEET
A horizontal format American movie poster, measuring 22"x28", generally
on thicker stock paper. Newer ones were issued rolled, older ones were
issued rolled and folded (folded twice-not considered a defect). Usually
VERY RARE compared to a one sheet or insert. Studios stopped issuing
these in the early 1980's.
30x40EXTREMELY RARE COMPARED TO A ONE SHEET. A
vertical format American movie poster measuring 30" x 40" printed on a
very heavy card stock material. Most 30" x 40"’s feature the same
artwork as the one sheet and were issued rolled to the theatre
exchanges. The National Screen Service number is normally found on the
side on the poster, as opposed to the lower bottom as is the case with
one-sheets. VERY difficult to find in Near Mint condition because the
card stock can crease easily. Studios have stopped issuing these. The
print run for most 30x40's was usually just a few hundred, making them
much rarer than 27x41 paper one sheets.
40x60EXTREMELY RARE COMPARED TO A ONE SHEET. A
vertical format American movie poster measuring 40"x60" printed on a
heavy card stock material. Most 40"x60"’s feature the same artwork as
the one sheet and were issued rolled. They were primarily offered for
major motion pictures only and were displayed both inside and outside of
theatres. A 40x60 poster display would cost the theater up to 20 times
as much as a one sheet to rent. Only a few hundred of these were
printed, and it was only printed once. Unlike the one sheet which was
printed in much larger quantities. The NSS number is normally found on
the side on the poster, as opposed to the lower bottom as is the case
with one-sheets. VERY difficult to find in Near Mint condition because
the card stock can crease easily. Studios have stopped issuing these.
SUBWAY/TWO SHEET
An extremely popular and very rare HORIZONTAL format American movie
poster measuring approximately 41" x 54". Subway sheets are printed on a
thicker paper than one-sheets. Most contain the same artwork as the
advance materials, and are almost always issued as "advances." They are
most often found in subway displays. These posters can be either rolled
or folded. Some collectors like the subway sheet because there are fewer
of them released. They are somewhat large and cumbersome, but because
they are printed on a thick paper, they are more durable. Still used
today. HIGHLY DESIRED DUE TO ITS HORIZONTAL FORMAT AND EXTREME SCARCITY!
THREE SHEET
EXTREMELY RARE COMPARED TO A ONE SHEET. A very large and VERY DESIRABLE
vertical format American movie poster. Measuring approx. 41"x81",
generally produced in 2 or 3 overlapping sections. Almost always folded.
International versions were sometimes issued. Originally designed to be
pasted on small billboards. Studios stopped issuing these in the late
1970's. This size poster always makes a statement and dominates a room.
SIX SHEET
A
HUGE American movie poster measuring approx. 81"x81", produced in 2 or
more overlapping sections. Almost always folded. EXTREMELY RARE. Very
large and cumbersome they are usually printed on a thicker paper than
one sheets. Originally designed to be pasted on small billboards.
Studios stopped issuing these in the 1970's. This size poster always
makes a statement and dominates a room.
TWENTY FOUR SHEETA HUGE billboard sized American
movie poster measuring approx. 9 ft. x 20 ft. Produced in 12 or more
overlapping sections. Almost always folded. EXTREMELY RARE. Very large
and cumbersome. Designed to be pasted on billboards or the sides of
buildings. Studios still use these today. There are also even larger
Thirty Sheets.
BUS STOP/SHELTERA vertical format American movie
or advertisement poster usually measuring 45"x70". Designed for display
in glass-enclosed corner bus stop shelters. They normally feature very
colorful, eye-catching and different artwork and are printed on a coated
card stock or vinyl like paper. Many of them are double-sided, and come
in a series. They are made for outside display. Movie studios
frequently use them for major productions. They are very large making
them very hard to handle and display, although they are popular with
some collectors. Still used today they are usually shipped rolled.
MOVIE BANNER
Banners come in a variety of sizes, but most often measure about 3’ to
4’ in width to 8’ to 12’ in length, either horizontally or vertically.
They are usually printed on vinyl or canvas. They can be used either
indoors or outdoors due to their weather-resistant nature. Some will
come with either reinforced holes, a hanging bar, velcro and/or other
glue adhesive. Banners can be released as advances or regular issues.
Their artwork can vary from simplistic to extremely detailed. Although
banners occupy a large amount of display space, they are still
considered very collectible to movie art collectors. Banners are printed
in limited numbers which makes them harder to obtain than other more
common sizes. Still used today they are usually shipped rolled.
WINDOW CARD
A vertical format poster, measuring 14"x22", on thicker stock paper
with blank area at top for venue and playdates. Most window cards are
unfolded, but some older ones might be folded. Some older cards
indicated as used may have a theater name and play date hand lettered on
the blank white area at the top of the poster. Since this is how the
posters were intended to be used, this is not considered damage by most
collectors. Other cards may have had this top portion trimmed off. This
trimming does lower the value of the poster.
LOBBY CARD 
Lobby cards are no longer used in theaters and are rarely printed for
today's films. These small posters on card stock (usually 11"x14" in a
horizontal format) were generally produced in sets of eight, intended
for display in a theater's foyer or lobby. A lobby set typically
consists of one Title Card, a lobby card of special design usually
depicting all key stars, listing credits and intended to represent the
entire film rather than a single scene; and seven Scene Cards, each
depicting a scene from the movie. There are also Mini Lobby Cards
measuring 8 1/2" x 10" (stills).
LOBBY CARD SETComplete set of lobby cards (usually eight), generally including a Title Card.
STILLSMeasure
8"x10". Issued in sets of varying numbers. Sometimes on photo paper,
sometimes on card stock similar to lobby cards. Sometimes referred to as
Mini Lobby Cards.
DOOR PANEL
Measure 20" x 60". Rarely used today and HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE AND VERY
RARE. Printed on both card and paper stock. Issued for major productions
or special theater runs. They were issued alone or in a set of posters
(usually 4). They usually contained their own unique artwork, normally
featuring characters. They were primarily used for display on theatre
entrance doors.
