What considerations should make when picking out your album? The size, style and cover of the album are all important.

Albums come typically in 8 ½ by 11, 12 by 12 and accordion hinged sizes. When it comes to the 8 ½ by 11 and 12 by 12, many people argue over which is better. The choice however is yours. The 8 ½ by 11 is often easier to work with - generally fitting three to four pictures on the page with a wider variety of decorative scrapbook papers available. The 12 by 12 is better if you have more pictures and mementos you want to display. The accordion hinged size is good for gifts. A grandparents’ brag book, a friendship book, and a quick theme based scrapbook are all wonderfully displayed in this format.

There are four main styles of albums: the three-ring binder, plastic strap binding, post bound , and spiral bound album.

Three-ring binder albums are the easiest to use if you have to move or remove pages for any reason. The rings pop open for movement within an album or into another album with no hassle. They come with a variety of pre-made covers; however, they are not flush, as the pages are separated by the ring.

Plastic strap bound albums are flush. The pages are put in and pulled together so that they open like a notebook. They are easily expandable, adding pages as you complete them, although you cannot move pages around at will. You may mess up a two side by side page theme by moving a page. Also, you have to remove all the scrapbook’s pages to get to the one you want.

Post bound albums are held together by metal posts that run through the pages. When you want to insert a page you have to punch holes directly into your page. The pages are flush, yet due to the holes, they tear easily.

Spiral bound albums come in a variety of sizes. The pages are fixed in place and cannot be removed. They can be purchased with embellishments on the pages. They are good for theme based or children’s projects, due to their sturdiness.

Finally, you should look at the cover. If you don’t want any hassle, albums can be bought with elegant or theme based covers. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can get a canvas or plain covered scrapbook. The canvas cover allows you to assert your style by decorating with stickers, rubber stamps, etc.. A plain cover can be decorated with fabric. You can choose a fabric to go with a theme or to complement your vision.

Next:  Paper

Paper comes in many different sizes and weights (thin vellum to heavy cardstock).  Be sure to purchase acid free, lignin free paper to preserve your memorabilia.