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Tip: Cardstock and paper companies promote 12" x 12" sizes because there is little or no waste when 12" x 12" single sheets of paper or cardstock are cut from parent sheets. Hence they have better profit margins and less waste. Their thinking is that the 8.5" x 11" scrapper can trim down a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock or paper. Both sizes of paper sell very well at Scrapbook.com and I believe that your album size choices should be based on your personal preferences and style, not by what the industry may currently advertise as popular. |
All other sized albums fit into the gift album category and are used as needed.
What types of albums are available?
I'm not talking about the hundreds of colors, prints, fabrics, designs, etc. seen on thousands of albums around the world here. I'm talking about the kinds of albums that are available to the consumer, primarily from a binding perspective. You may have heard scrappers talking about their favorite post bound or strap album. These are types of albums available.
NOTE: Post-bound, three-ring and strap/hinge albums are sometimes covered with laminated cardboard but are generally covered with leather, leatherette, archival-safe vinyl, or fabrics (sailcloth, linen or tapestry). Many may even be padded.
Here are some things to consider when choosing an album type:
Post-Bound Album-- A post-bound album uses 2 or 3 metal binding posts (screw heads on both ends of a post, one stationary, one moveable) to tightly hold pages in page protectors between the front and back covers.
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Advantages:
- Posts eliminate any "gutter". This means that facing layouts butt together at the center-margin making them easier to look at
- Accommodate both top loading and side loading page protectors
- Three posts per album offers more support than two
- Layouts can be slipped in and out of the page protectors
- Posts can be lengthened by adding extensions as album contents increase
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Disadvantages:
- The large screw heads on the posts can pull through the back or front covers if the album is overloaded or dropped
- To add or remove a page, the album must be disassembled, and all or most of the pages taken out to insert or retrieve the page you want
- There is a slight arching of the pages at the center-margin when the album is opened flat
- Many post-bound albums have an exposed spine. This means that the edges of the stacked page protectors are visible on the spine edge when stored in a bookcase, unless a spine cover insert is part of the construction
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Three-Ring Binder / Notebook Album-- A three-ring album uses clamp-style metal rings, attached to the spine on the inside cover, to hold pages in page protectors in the album. (Think three-ring binder and add a more aesthetically pleasing cover)
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Inside view |
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Pages can be added or removed with ease
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Some albums are oversized, which means that the album edges are longer so that page protectors don't come right to the edge of the album reducing potential overhang damage
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Often padded, have reinforced brass corners, and D-rings (this style of ring aids in page turning and helps the album to lie flat when opened)
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Spine protected
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Layouts can be slipped in and out of the page protectors
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Some spine covers include a clear pocket to hold a content information card
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Metal ring assembly increases sturdiness |
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Rings can become misaligned making it difficult to turn the pages
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When the album is full, the stack of pages can be awkward and heavy when turned at the same time
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Rings are not replaceable
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When an album is opened the rings create a gutter separating the two facing layouts |
Strap / Hinge Album: A strap or hinge album uses 2-3 narrow, sturdy nylon straps (that slip through "staples" in the page edge) to anchor pages between the front and back covers.
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Pages are sturdy and have reinforced edges
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Special page protectors can slide over each page so that the opening is toward the center-margin
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Straps eliminate any "gutter" so that facing layouts butt together at the center-margin
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Both the cover and the pages lay flat with no arch in the center-margin |
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Some pages are designed to adhere photos and embellishments directly to them (page colors are usually only black or white)
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Exact back-to-back page planning is imperative because layouts will be permanently attached on both sides of the pages
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Pages can be moved within the album with some effort by undoing the straps
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Page "staples" can come loose or bend if album is dropped
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Pages are not interchangeable with any other style of album
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Page protectors slip into place and are not attached or anchored to the album
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The spine, like the post bound album, is open, exposing the stacked page protectors unless a spine cover insert is part of the construction |
Spiral-Bound Album-- A spiral-bound album uses a metal or nylon coil to permanently secure hole-punched pages between the front and back covers.
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Spiral Album |
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Advantages:
- Albums are easy and fun to decorate for gift and special single occasion events
- The cost can be less than standard albums
- Covers can be durable and are often made from heavy acid-free tag board
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Disadvantages:
- Pages are permanently attached with the coil and cannot be removed or rearranged making page planning imperative
- There's a remote possibility you'll be able to find page protectors that slip over the pages, but it's unlikely
- Cover and pages can tear
- Should a page be accidentally torn from the spiral, it cannot be reattached
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Stapled-Spine Album-- A stapled-spine album has staples inserted into a center- fold or attached at one edge of the album to fasten pages to the cover.
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Advantages:
- Inexpensive and generally found in "mini" form
- Covers are usually made from cardstock so they're easy to decorate
- Some companies offer varied page inserts from empty page protectors , to built-in pockets
- Make great gift albums
- Can be completed quickly because they have a few small pages
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Disadvantages:
- Staples can rip from the cover and pages when handled often
- Most pages aren't protected
- Page planning necessary
- Not durable and definitely not for children, unless you don't mind when they're ruined
- Pages cannot be added or deleted without removing the staples and to reattach you must have a long-reach stapler
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So, there you have it, enough information to earn you a PhD in Album Studies. Want to know how to turn your new knowledge into the wisdom of a sage? Apply it, and then share it. Study your own albums and the albums of friends. Note what you like and don't like. Then, think of your albums as the National Archive buildings...a place to hold and protect your family history. When you think of albums in this way, you'll know exactly what you want.
P.S. Each manufacturer positions their posts (2-3) in specific places on the spine edge of their albums. Our purchasing team has worked up the following graph that lists the albums we currently carry in the Scrapbook.com Superstore and the brands of page protectors that fit them.
Page Protector Refills That Can Be Used With Albums Sold At Scrapbook.com
X = Will fit album
** = Best Option
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