Star Wars 30x40, 40x60, 3sh and 6sh - printing versions

[dsonesheets]

Star Wars have definitive 1st through 4th printings, but I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere how the oversize posters of the era were classed. Were there multiple printings of the large format posters? If so do we have any way to authenticate which versions they are?

I just gravitate towards the large posters, especially 30x40 as they were mostly rolled. 40x60 as I love how big they are. Just picked up a Mad Max 40x60, another bucket list poster acquired.

Anyway, if anyone has info on these awesome sizes I'd love to hear it.

[porkinsred6]

sorry just saw this.  Since the 30x40 prints are just re-used 1 sheets there are multiple printings of that as well. I've seen 2nd, and 3rd prints 4th prints at 30x40 sizes but I've never seen a first print in 30x40 size.

I'm not sure about the other sizes but I think they only had 1 printing of each?

[Neo]

That's interesting about the different printings.  When you say 30x40s are "re-used 1 sheets" do you mean they're made from the same plates as the one sheets, but there were no 30x40s made at the same time as the 1st print run of the one sheets?

[Undead]

They are all run off of whatever designs are used for the then current one sheet posters. Same thing for pretty much all 30x40's that were printed, it is just cropped differently so you lose or cut off part of the NSS disclaimer at the bottom but can see one on the side. So there are three different style A's, at least two style D's, etc. I do not believe they are the same plates but am not 100% sure, I am pretty sure they just copied the one sheet plates and added the text at the sides to those. This is based off a bunch of different observations.

An interesting note, there are a few examples of a Return of the Jedi advance lightsaber style one sheet with NSS info on the bottom it, as opposed to the normal studio version one sheet. They are exceedingly rare, I know of three. These are most likely not actually one sheets but 30x40's that were cut to one sheet size thus losing the side NSS info but retaining the one sheet info at the bottom. This would also explain why the few that are known are on the same card stock as the 30x40.

[Neo]

Thanks for the explanation.  That Return of the Jedi sounds neat; there must be some story from the NSS printers, eh?

 

[porkinsred6]

There are some ESB Style Bs that are like that as well 30x40s that were cut to about 27x40.  Another tell is that it's on heavier stock

[Harry Caul]

An interesting note, there are a few examples of a Return of the Jedi advance lightsaber style one sheet with NSS info on the bottom it, as opposed to the normal studio version one sheet. They are exceedingly rare, I know of three. These are most likely not actually one sheets but 30x40's that were cut to one sheet size thus losing the side NSS info but retaining the one sheet info at the bottom. This would also explain why the few that are known are on the same card stock as the 30x40.

Undead knows his stuff 

Got one.  I thought I had found some sort of crazy unicorn NSS style A printing.  But when it arrived I noticed the uneven trimming on the sides and it was definitely on thick cardstock paper.  I eventually figured it must be an un-trimmed 30x40 (probably started as 32x42 or something), that was later trimmed to 27x41...

I wish they had taken their time and made straight edges! 

[porkinsred6]

wow!  That's pretty cool, especially since I don't think there are NSS versions of this poster in 1 sheet format so this trimmed down 30x40 is the only way.

[Undead]

Undead knows his stuff 

Got one.  I thought I had found some sort of crazy unicorn NSS style A printing.  But when it arrived I noticed the uneven trimming on the sides and it was definitely on thick cardstock paper.  I eventually figured it must be an un-trimmed 30x40 (probably started as 32x42 or something), that was later trimmed to 27x41...

I wish they had taken their time and made straight edges! 

Sorry, missed this thread.

There are, that I know of, half a dozen or so "NSS" Jedis A's out there. All but one appear to be of the cut down 30x40 heavy stock variety.

There is one that I owned for a while in the early 2000's that was a full size NSS one sheet printed on standard paper. I have no idea where it is now as I sold it long ago. Why this one poster exists or if it was part of a test run or something of that nature I do not know. My assumption, and it is just that, is that these were initially slotted to be done in the normal formats and that the regular one sheet run got nixed for some reason but at least one test run was done.

As can be seen in a few oddly cut 30x40 A's, the NSS info was on both the side and the bottom like a normal one sheet when printed. I am pretty certain that most 30x40's were printed this way.