The new adverts, which were launched last week, show the brunette in nothing but a pair of Reebok’s new ‘Reetone’ trainers. The poster has filled billboards at busy junctions and traffic hot spots around the UK and has been labelled as a ‘deadly distraction’ by campaigners.

Driving safety experts at the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) have blasted the posters, arguing that the billboards will certainly cause serious and possibly even fatal accidents, as male drivers take their eyes off the road to get a better look.

Reebok advertisers appear to be undeterred by a previous poster printing scandal, which angered road safety campaigners, in 1994. When Wonderbra launched the infamous ‘Hello Boys’ billboard campaign, dozens of road accidents were attributed to male drivers, who had been distracted by underwear model Eva Herzigova.

Research carried out by Canadian scientists found that the number of accidents rise by nearly 50 per cent, after advertising billboards were erected at busy junctions, which highlights the dangers of roadside distractions.

Peter Rodger, Head of Driving Standards at IAM told The Daily Mail: “The fact that most men remember the “Hello boys” Wonderbra advert indicates how distracting roadside adverts can be. Some will be more distracting than others and some will be placed where the effect is particularly significant.

“They all add to the clutter pulling your visual attention away from the road and adding to the information you need to process as you drive along,” he added.

Blair Pitre came across the vintage posters two weeks after he moved into the property, back in 2007. Some of the posters date back as far as the late 1920s and early 1930s, advertising films starring the era’s luminaries such as Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Bela Lugosi and Warner Oland.

In total, Mr Pitre said he found around 360 posters and film title cards in the property, which had all likely been displayed in the local movie house at some point over the past century. One of the theatre’s previous owners had also at one time owned Mr Pitre’s house.

“It’s kind of neat to find actually. I knew it was kind of cool because the pictures and the colour, everything was very vibrant still,” the 39 year old construction worker told The Globe and Mail.

One of the rarest and most valuable posters in the collection is one advertising the 1929 movie The 13th Chair. The film featured Lugosi in a supporting role, two years before he made this hit film Dracula. 

Grey Smith of Heritage Auction Galleries has valued the poster at approximately $5,000. A insert and title card for the film Anna Christie which starred Greta Garbo in her first talking picture could also net Mr Pitre $5,000.

“Vintage movie posters are really very desirable,” Mr Smith said. He told The Globe and Mail that the title and star of the film, along with the poster’s images and rarity are what make a poster collectible, which will be of interest to those working in poster printing and design.

Mr Smith estimates that Mr Pitre could fetch $50,000 for his posters at the auction. Mr Pitre said any money raised would be used to renovate his home.

The colourful posters were found on the walls of an old passageway which led to the lifts at the station, but during the 1950s the lifts were taken out and replaced with escalators.

More than ten posters were found in total with some advertising a selection of films being shown nearby. The dates of the films suggest the posters were put up in the late 1950s.

Films advertised included ‘Too Many Crooks’ which was released in 1959, the film featured George Cole as the hopeless leader of an unsuccessful gang.

Another poster was for ‘The Horse’s Mouth’ which was released in 1958, the poster describes the film as the ‘1959 Royal Performance Film,’ indicating it was seen by members of the Royal family.

The posters are a good indication of the style of art used to catch the eye of busy passersby. A unique advertising style was developed in the fifties, which moved away from the propaganda put out during World War II.

Through poster printing designers and advertisers were given the chance to attract consumers to cinematic treats and the other consumer goods on offer.

Howard Collins, chief operating officer for London Underground told the Daily Mail: “This is a truly incredible find. Heritage is a huge part of the London Underground’s identity and these 1950s vintage posters show what a rich history the London Tube has.”

The posters have yet to be removed in an effort to keep the vintage signs in their original state.

“Until we can find a way to remove the posters without damaging them, these delicate historical pieces will remain where they were found. We will ensure that they are kept secure and well looked after,” added Mr Collins.

Marcello Marino could perhaps have considered the potential problems of putting a revealing image of his wife on the side of his business before he sent it for poster printing. Now the hairdresser has had to remove the poster on the side of his salon after Thanet District Council received a complaint and his lack of planning permission was revealed.

BBC news reports that Mr Marino’s salon is located in an area of Ramsgate protected by a conservation order. Whilst the picture is no more explicit than some lingerie adverts, its incongruity with the rest of the area attracted a complaint for showing “so much cleavage”.

Although Marino defends the poster as a “lively and modern” sign and says he cannot see the reason “why not”, local conservation groups have criticised it as distasteful and the local council has noted that permission was needed due to the local regulations.

“For a banner of this size and location, planning permission to display an advert is required,” said a Thanet council spokeswoman. “We have written to the owner explaining this, and also that planning permission for this advert would be unlikely as the property is in a conservation area.”

This minor story offers one lesson for anyone hoping to promote their business through public signage; it is vital to consider public ordinances first.

The posters, which are aimed at the mentally ill, all carry the slogan ‘turn that frown upside down’. They have been put up at bus shelters and have been branded a waste of time.

Oxford Primary Care Trust also created postcards with the same message, but Sue Holden, secretary of the Barton Community Association, said it was a misguided campaign.

She said: “I’m not sure it’s the right approach. I don’t think the campaign is intended to be patronising but it might well be perceived that way. I think people will think it’s all right for them to be happy, they haven’t got out problems.”

Becky Hitch, a health improvement practitioner at NHS Oxfordshire, said the NHS Trust used focus groups to help decide where to direct the campaign, according to the Oxford Mail. She said: “These are the areas where people typically experience difficult lives. There are high levels of unemployment, relationship difficulties, young families, poor diet, and these are things which make people more at risk of mental health problems. We’re focusing our efforts on people who will benefit the most.”

However a local resident told the Oxford Mail that people on the estate “felt let down” by the PCT. He said: “A lot of people will want to see the results before they start to smile. Give us something concrete to smile about first, because nobody’s going to come and start smiling until then. It’s patronising and inappropriate.”

Inkjet printing is often used for poster printing and the creation of signage, marketing products and other forms of commercial printing. However Inkjet paper, the special fine paper designed for the printers, is estimated to only account for a total market share of the total graphic printing in Europe of less than 1%. This low rate of use has meant that inkjet paper is one of the few areas of uncertainty in the process of paper reclamation and recycling.

Now though a study conducted in France has revealed that a typical European mixed-grade waste paper recycling system is more than adequate to the task of de-inking such products. This means that recyclable banners can unequivocally be printed on the high quality paper if desired.

Print Week reports that the Digital Print De-Inking Alliance (DPDA) has announced that procedures replicating a standard recycling system successfully de-inked ‘nearly all’ of the samples used in the tests. Matthias Fromm, R&D Manager of French firm Oce Printing Systems said that the tests had been conducted to understand the impact of inkjet printed papers in commercial recycling systems.

“Based on the projected growth rates of inkjet printing, we anticipate the de-inking industry is capable at current volumes and that we have a few more years to jointly develop the appropriate technologies of paper, ink and de-inking methods to ensure good de-inking performance if and when the need arises,” said Fromm.

Perhaps the biggest issue has been the rising price of paper. Print Week reported earlier this month that several of the UK’s biggest paper merchants have announced price rises of 15% from the first of June.

However, although this has been an unwelcome development for many printers, it appears to be an unavoidable change. Giles Lock, managing director at Top Print, told Print Week that though the price increases were “making life very difficult indeed” he acknowledged that the basic price of paper has been largely unchanged over the past 10 years.

“Set against the retail prices index over the past 15 years, paper is around 30% adrift in real terms and the mills have started to realise it,” he said.

Almost every type of printing material will rise in cost between 8% and 15% after the first of June, with speciality grades seeing the highest rise. Merchants say that the Chilean earthquake in March has disrupted their traditional supply chain, sending the cost of raw materials soaring; in conjunction with the recent economic fluctuations, costs have risen for many printers and subsequently so has the price to the consumer.

However, the sector may return to greater stability in the near future as the weak pound helps to revitalise the country’s export trade.

Investment Week reports that the 25% drop of the pound against a trade weighted basket of currencies since the start of 2007 has boosted competitiveness for export products. 12 of the 13 manufacturing categories listed by the paper have increased, led by paper, printing and publishing.

The event gathers together professionals in the signs, vinyl banners and poster printing trade with industry suppliers and corporate clients. Some companies have been planning their exhibitions at IPEX for years, with Print Week reporting that nearly 70,000 people are expected to attend the conference and expo – a record in the event’s history.

Organisers have been concerned about how people planning to attend from overseas would find their way to the expo in the face of ongoing airspace disruptions. They have welcomed the news that the British Airways strike is to be called off and that the volcanic ash cloud has moved away for now, with event director Trevor Crawford saying the developments were a “massive relief.”

Over 1,000 companies will attend and exhibit their goods and services at the expo. As well as creation and design businesses who specialise in creating signage, there will also be post press and finishing companies, used equipment vendors and providers of digital solutions.

Trevor Crawford says that so far, the event has shown the resilience of the industry throughout the economic recession.

“The fact that just about every manufacturer is here at the show…underlines just how resilient this industry is, even in the current economic difficulties,” he told Print Week. “In every hall I walk through, I’m hearing exhibitors talking extremely positively about seminar and meeting programmes.”