Hanging posters in your space is a great way to make it your own. They can tie your room together as accent pieces, express your taste in art (and at a reasonable price, score!), and even let you display your interests and passions. However, you have to put them up the right way. Smudged, creased, or messy posters can make your place look more like a sloppy dorm rather than a polished home. Luckily, we’ve put together these tips for the best way to hang posters to help your guests focus on your awesome taste. Here’s how to hang posters that will glow up any space from your bedroom, your bathroom, your living room, or hey, even your dorm room.

Before You Hang Your Poster

Obviously, the first step is to find the poster that fits your aesthetic. You’ll also want to consider the space you’re decorating. Is the space yours temporarily, like a dorm room or apartment, or is this your home for the foreseeable future? Do you envision swapping out posters frequently or are these posters going to be up for the long haul? Your answers to those questions will impact how you decide to hang your poster.

Next, it’s time to make your poster look its best.

1. Clean Your Hands. This may not sound like a big deal, but if your hands are covered in oil (or ink, or food, or y’know, general grime) and you don’t wash your hands, it could get on your beautiful poster. That’s not a good look.

2. Make sure the poster is flat. Posters usually arrive on your doorstep in a fancy rolled tube. And due to a well-known scientific phenomenon called poster inertia, a rolled poster tends to stay rolled up. This is also not a good look.

To get it nice and flat, carefully unroll it and put a hefty book on each corner so the poster lies flat (printed side up). Leave it like this for a few hours (or days if necessary) and it should be flat and ready to (not) roll.

3. Prep Your Wall. You’ll also want to clean your wall before hanging your poster— especially if you’re planning on using an adhesive. If your wall is dusty, dirty, or oily, the adhesive won’t stick well and your lovely poster could fall and get damaged.

5 Ways to Hang Your Poster

1. Poster Tape or Poster Putty

For this method, all you’ll need is some double-sided tape or poster putty (the thicker foam tape, sometimes called “poster tape” is a great option for this).

To get started, lay your poster on a clean surface, print side down. Then apply the poster tape (or putty) to the corners of the poster, to the middle of each side, and put one piece directly in the center (so if your AC kicks on it doesn’t get under your poster and blow it off the wall).

Now it’s time to hang it. Once you’ve made sure that your poster is straight and the top side is parallel to the ground, you can start pushing down the tape (or putty). Start at the top of the poster and end at the bottom. Be sure to keep the poster smooth and taut, and avoid creating wrinkles and bubbles as you press down the adhesive.

2. Tacks

It’s hard to beat tacks when it comes to ease of use, but this method does leave some tiny holes in your poster and your wall (which can be a problem in an apartment). Do what makes sense for you.

First, find some tacks that will match your poster and the overall look and feel of your place. The classic red, yellow, and blue ones from classrooms are not your only options.

Next, put your poster up to the wall in your desired space and make sure it’s straight. Then jab one tack into each corner of the poster. You’re already done. So easy.

3. Frame It

Adding a frame to a poster automatically grants you an extra 500 adulting points. If you’re trying to achieve a more elevated aesthetic, this is the way to go.

To start out, measure your poster and buy a frame in the right size. If you’re planning on a matte look, remember to buy a frame larger than your poster in the correct dimensions that account for the size of the mat.

Once you’ve bought the frame, it’s time to get the poster into it. We recommend attaching your poster to an adhesive-sided foam board before you add it to the frame. When you’re attaching the poster to the foam board, apply the poster to the adhesive very carefully to avoid creating any bubbles. Use a straight edge like a ruler or credit card to smooth out any bubbles like you would with a phone case.

When you’re done, insert the board into your frame, re-attach the back of the frame, and get ready to hang it.

You can either hang the frame on the wall using a nail or you can set the framed poster on a shelf. You’re such a grown-up.

4. Magnetic Frame Sticks

If you’re looking for something that’s a compromise between the formality of a frame and the effortlessness of mounting tape, this might be the best way to hang posters for you.

First, you’ll need to purchase some frame sticks in the right size, color, and material. Once you’ve got the right sticks, separate the magnetic halves of one side of the frame sticks and place the top edge of your poster on one of them before placing the other side of the magnetic stick over it. The magnetic halves should work like a clamp to keep the poster in place. Repeat on the bottom half of the poster.

To display it, attach a string or wire to the sticks that you can hook over a nail (see above). Donezo.

5) Visible tape

This method is definitely a less formal statement than some of the others. But “less formal” is still a perfectly valid vibe, so if this speaks to you, go for it.

Choose a colored tape (not your standard clear tape) that complements both the poster itself and the colors in your space. You want this to look intentional and not sloppy. Ensure the poster isn’t crooked, then stick a piece of tape on every corner of your poster.

Finally, even more important than the best way to hang a poster is finding the best poster to hang. Redbubble has original poster designs for pretty much every interest, so you’ll be able to find the perfect one to make your space feel more you. And check out our guide for hanging tapestries if that’s more your style.

Happy decorating.