Scrap Album Preference...Post or 3 Ring?

Hi Everyone!

I presently have post albums (nothing in them yet). They were a steal at M's. I bought 7 of them.

My dilema is that I plan on using some of the We R Memory Keepers page protectors. I really like the multi-design pack.

What is your preference post albums or 3 ring? AND Why?

Thanks!

I have always used post bound albums in the past because I like how the pages are closer together for viewing 2-page spreads. However, I think I'm going to be switching to 3-ring. As I use more and more dimensional items on LOs, there just isn't enough flex in the post bound albums.

I have a lot of post bound albums because i thought that was all that was out there but then I discovered 3-ring albums and I don't think I'd ever switch back. although i find that 3-ring albums fill up much quicker.

I am the same, I like the way two page spread looks and that is how I "design" (sort of). I like the two pages that open together to look as if they are mates. The only "downside" if there is one, is that you need spacers if the book get's thick. No big deal.

I switched over to the 3 ring binders. It does not bother me about the space between the 2-page LO. I can get 20-25 page protectors in one (depends on how many bulky pages I have). I just like the ease of using the 3 ring binders.

I use postbound for my every day albums because it works with my system---make a huge stack of LOs; print and attach computer journalling; separate LOs into piles and put into appropriate book (DS1, DS2, Family, Mine). I don't have to worry about doing a lot of shifting because the stack of LOs are all from the same period since I work chronoligically.

For the last couple of special albums I have done (Christmas, vacation,etc.) I have used 3 ring albums because of the theory that it's easier to rearrange. It is...unless you do a lot of 2 page LOs that you want in chronological order! I learned the hard way to put a 2 page LO in the same protector and when the whole album is done then I would go back through and separate into two pages.

I really don't do 2-page spreads, so the 3-ring is ideal for me. I love the easy access, easy rearrangement, and the way it can hold more LOs. When I do have a 2-pager, it goes in a postbound album because I like seeing the two pages close together.

I had 28 post binders and got rid of everything one of those things and got it all in 16 3-rings. Now I think I have 19 3-rings with an average of 85 or 90 pages in each - or 40-45 sheets of actual protectors but that is an estimate, it varies.

I prefer them because I can get an entire trip or vacation in one or two. I can move things around very easily. I scrap chronologically so everything is already in order.

And the spine allows me to clearly type what is in each book. If I want to find Spain, - that book has Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, Cadiz & Barcelona Spain, and the first part of Germany in it. Its all on the spine - no more hunting and searching for Grand Cayman or India.

When I have guests in the guesthouse they can just look at the books and Pull out Suez Canal or Christmas 2009 with no guesswork as to which book it is in.

Not to mention the frustration I have trying to change things and add pages to post books.

And, a real bonus, if I use flowers or embellies on a page the edges of the book aren't wider than the spine so they look a lot better on the shelf.

I do mostly 2 page layouts so I've always preferred postbound albums - and I know what you mean, I saw those for $3.33 in passing just yesterday - however, I'm presently switching them all over to strap. I'll still have my 2 pagers close together without the hassles with posts.

I thought I read here one time (but can't find it anymore) about stitching two page protectors together in a three-ring binder when a two-pager needs to be close together. Is this true?

These page protectors might help with that issue as well.

I'm still on my first scrapbook so I'm no expert by any stretch.

But I'm not even half way done (working on my baby's first year scrapbook so I know the progress) and my pages are already almost thicker than the spine! I don't even use that many embellishments since I"m still a beginner.

I'll never ever use a post bound anymore, unless I won't use any embellishments.

Also, it's a pain to rearrange pages in a post bound album, and I do that a lot since I always think of things or find pictures that go in between other pages.

• HuskerMom98 Said:

Huskermom, can you please elaborate? I don't see how it's any different from a postbound album? I'm curious because I intend to switch to 3-ring after I'm done with this one, and I'd like to know all the pros and cons.

Hi, started with Creative Memories post albums. I switched everything over to We R Memory 3 ring alums.

HATE post bound. All mine are 3-ring.

I bought an inexpensive post bound to tote with me to crops to temporarily hold my finished pages. I couldn't even deal with THAT!

My most FAVORITE thing about 3-ring is ease of moving around pages. I do NOT scrap chronologically, but do arrange my albums chronologically. It's really easy in a 3-ring to add a page in the middle.

I'm pretty sure those divided page protectors ARE available in post bound.

I use 3 ring binders. It's easier to move pages around and much sturdier. I had a post bound that I added extension posts to and the album was about 3 inches thick. The "post bound screws" pulled through the holes in the binding part. I suggest if you use post bound, don't make it so thick. I had too many pages for the posts length.

• yelppuppy Said:

I'll try--and I'm not sure if I'll be answering what you are asking... With the theme albums that I've done 3-ring, I put the 2 pages of the 2pg LO in one protector until I am all done with the entire album--I don't always create the LOs in the order I know I'm going to put them in the album. Then I get all of the page protectors in the order I want, and start pulling out the left side of the LO to put in the page protector before the one it's currently being stored in and leave the right side page as is...and then move on to the next LO/protector.

With my postbound albums the LOs have not been previously stored in page protectors and go straight into the protector they will forever stay in (unless I've screwed something up really bad...like somehow skipping over a page...). Like I said in my original post--these albums are my "every day" ones with my "every day" LOs; I'm usually putting 10-20+ LOs in a couple of the albums at a time when I put completely finished LOs in.

• CrimsonMama Said:

You can buy what is called panoramic pages. I've done that in 3-ring albums and it looks great

Yes, I linked to those earlier in the thread.

I started with post bound albums because that's all I saw and I didn't know any different but like alot of other posters on here, I've switched to 3-ring now.
I use a lot of 3D embellies and do a lot of pages for one album so it is WAY easier to fit them in a 3-ring. Also, as others have mentioned, it is easier to move things around and swap pages etc.
Double LOs don't fit together as closely but that doesn't bother me so much....you can still see the pages side by side if you want
Alison

I have one of each...but I'm thinking I'm gonna go with the 3 ring after reading everyone's comments...thanks

When I started scrapping (1999) it was Creative Memories strap bound albums or post bound in the general market. I was a die hard strap bound since I didn't have to add anything to expand them and seemed more sturdy. It was not uncommon for me to have albums pushed to the max. 45 protectors =90 pages front and back.

However, the frustrations and limitations of the straps and their protectors (not to mention the outrageous cost of the new slide in protectors) finally got to me last year.

I made the switched to the three ring We R Memory Keepers albums and haven't looked back since. I am even considering ditching the older strap albums and replacing them with the three ring.

I feel I can still get the same amount of pages in an album as I did before if not more and that will be a savings in so many ways in the future. As Henri Jean clearly illustrated when she said she went from 28 post bound albums to 16 three ring binders when she initally transferred all her albums. Think of the extra room she has now for albums or more scrapping stuff!

Long story short, think about how much scrapping you plan on doing and how much room you have for album storage in the future.
I will be curious to hear what you decide.

I prefer the ease of use with the 3-ring binders. I am glad they're finally coming out with some nicer designs.

I love the variety of beautiful designs that are available in the post-bound & can't figure out why it's so limited with the 3-ring binders.

I have some post-bound albums that still need filled, but haven't been able to pull myself away from the 3-ringers.

Can't you use the WRMK protectors in post-bound? I use the same protectors in the 3-ringers as I do the post-bound, but I mainly use the Club Scrap protectors. I've used the WRMK divided pages & I thought it was in a post-bound album.

I use both...for the above reasons others posted.

Although I have converted most of my postbound to snap n' load-it allows me to make the albums bigger with less fuss!

Three ring - easier to use

• aquabunny Said:

Anyone?

Also, if I were to convert from 12 x 12 post-bound (primarily Colorbok albums) to 12 x 12 ring-bound, would I have to get all-new page protectors?

I have not done the stitching but I don't see why it would not work. When I converted my post album protectors to 3 ring binders they worked great. I did run into a few 2 post hole protectors but I just used a hole punch for the middle hole in the protector for the 3 ring binder and it worked great for me.

I chrono scrap so the 3 ring system is great for me.

I am a post bound scrapbooker all the way. My biggest gripe with the 3-ring is that the pages are not right next to each other and often times my title or even photos are split over the 2 pages. I am able to get about 30 page protectors in an album and I use longer posts to put my albums together. I buy them at the hardware store. They are called aluminum binding posts and I can get them up to 2 inches long. Much sturdier than the post extenders all screwed together. But this is just my personal like. I work at a scrapbook store and the 3 ring albums are crazy popular!

• aquabunny Said:

I haven't stitched together pages. I'd use a panoramic page protector if I wanted them touching.

But, I have HEARD of people doing it, or stapling the pages together. I'm not sure how they would lie when open?

I think some post bound protectors may fit in 3 ring. I know some people who have run into ones where the holes are off.
Another common issue is that they may be too wide. If there is a column/space between the holes and the page, the protector may stick out the edge of the album.

See how the post bound (2nd) ones have an extra space?

I love the ease of using a 3 ring.

I'm torn on this topic. I do a lot of 2 pagers, and prefer a smaller gutter in between, so there's a plus for post bound. Plus I like the huge variety in designs that post bound offers, where as most 3 ring look more boring, some almost like an office binder. However, I'm also toying with the idea / trend of mixing page protector sizes, which would be easier in 3 ring. And since I scrap chronologically for the most part, I cram a lot into one book, so then the spine on the post bound gets a little insecure with having 4 post extenders on each one. But then there are 3 rings where the ring opening gets a gap and pages come out, I hate that. As you can see, I am wrestling this as well. I think if I know I'm doing a theme album that won't get so thick, I would stick to post, but might switch to 3 ring for mixed albums going forward. I'm not going to convert the old ones, they are fine where they are.

I transfered all my posts binders to 3-ring and many were Colorbok. It just depends on the brand 3-ring binders you get. They are different just like various posts are different.

3-ring binders seem to be wider to me or deeper as the case may be - so the pages don't stick out any more than on a post album.

So - to answer your question, just depends on what kind of 3-rings you buy.

I made the switch from post-bound to d-ring for all the reasons already stated. That said, I think I'm going to switch back. While I'm working, d-ring are a ton easier, but it just doesn't look "finished" to me like a post-bound does. Plus I do a ton of 2 page lo's too. I have heard about people stitching/stapling the protectors together in a d-ring, but I haven't tried it myself.

My very first scrapbook album was a post-bound, and I found it a pain to deal with the posts when adding/rearranging my layouts. So I switched to 3-ring binders for all of the rest of my albums. Love the We R Memory Keepers binders!

Post bound but switched them all over to snap load. I just love the way 2 page layouts look without the gap you get in a 3 ring.

I use 3-ring because I can put more pages in them. I am able to put an entire year into one binder. I prefer American Crafts Binders, they come in many different colors and designs.

• twosmilestoday Said:

Hi Twosmilestoday, I chanced about your forum posting and was wondering whether you managed to use the WRMK page protectors (multipack 3 ring) in your postbound albums?

I'm thinking of converting my existing 3 ring albums (which have WRMK 3 ring protectors) to WRMK postbound, but I cannot figure out if the two are compatible!

I started post bound but switched to d-ring.

The gap doesn't bother me, I like the flexibility to add/subtract/rearrange photos with minimal fuss. I also wanted to be able to add more stuff/pages than the post bound will comfortably hold without getting all squishy.

I switched to 3 ring binders and absolutely love them. It's easier to move things around, you can fit more layouts and it does not bother me that there is a little gutter space between the two page layouts.

We R Memory Keepers and American Crafts are my albums of choice.

• Scrapbook Queen Said:

I recently converted all of my post-bound to these straps, and I love them! They lay flatter than post-bound when flipping through them, and they allow for more pages, which is great for me since I usually have 50+ page protectors in one book. However, it's not easy to add in the middle, so I need to wait until a project is complete to add the strap in.

I started as 8 1/2 X 11 3-ring way back when. I switched to 12 X 12 post bound. I do have two 12 X 12 three-ring but I don't like that they do not fit on my oak desk/shelving system that fits one entire wall in my work space. Changing the posts out for longer posts is a pain but I get DH to help and with us both working on it is much easier. I always chage the posts before I put anything into the album.

I will say the three-ring binders are so much easier to move things around in if you need to. However, I have devised a system that works for me. I scrap somewhat chronologically but inveriably have something to add so I put my LOs in those 12 X 12 plastic IRIS cases until the album is finished then I load the LOs into the album with no need to rearrange. Works for me.

I've used all post bound but seeing so many ladies switching to the 3-ring i think I might have to try that for my next one. I do have a problem with the post bounds getting too thick and unable to close even with several extenders so the 3-ring might end up being better.

I've always preferred 3-ring. I scrap what I can find but prefer the albums in chrono order, so I'm always having to insert a page in the middle here or there.

But in the past the selection has been limited on this type of album. I could only find it with a few consultant companies, and some of the ones I'd loved had gone out of business! Good to know that this is getting better, and I'm off to check out WRMK and AC to see what's out there! Thanks y'all!

3 ring all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I prefer 3 ring because most of my pages are dimensional and they hold more! Plus you don't have to take your whole album apart to add pages.

I like the conveience (sp)of a three ring binder but like the look of the post bound better.

but three ring is easier to use.

I have some post bound with those straps but they don't last very long

• charK Said:

THIS!!!!

I started post bound but have switched to the 3-ring.I love how easy it is to add to.I can really overstuff them and I like how I can do either 12x12 or 81/2 x 11 and they both fit in the American Crafts albums.