There are so many types of scrapbook albums on the market that is can be confusing! There are several ways that pages can be bound, yet the two we tend to see most often are ring bound and post bound.
You may want to consider using ring binder albums as opposed to post bound. Two of the greatest benefits of using a ring bound albums are:
- They allow you to insert pages where you want them, or easily rearrange them. (Especially nice when you are not scrapping in a chronological order.)
- They also allow you to mix different sized pages within the same album. Being able to use different size pages within a single album can also add visual interest by having various sized pages, besides giving you the freedom to quickly scrap an 8×8 page or a 6×12 page to put in your album. Different size page protectors are also great for adding other media as well, making it truly a scrapbook.
Photo credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina}, Flickr.com
Post Bound albums are more durable in some respects. People sometimes have problems with the rings in ring bound getting all out of whack, especially when an album becomes very full and you have a lot of weight in pages you are turning. Of course, there are levels of quality just as in most things. A better made album will tend to give you less trouble with it’s ring mountings.
If you use a post bound album that is filled with page protector that you slip your pages into, it is going to be a lot easier to swap pages around if you need to. Otherwise, an album that is filled with paper pages and you slip a protector over the page will not be as easy to swap pages around without having to disassemble the album so that you can take pages off the posts and reorder them.
Once you fill a post bound album, and need more room, you can buy add on posts and increase the number of pages you can use. It is a little time consuming, but it is not difficult.
One thing some people don’t like about ring bound albums is the space that is left between open pages. A double page spread that you create may not be quite the same cohesive feel that you get when the pages are right next to each other with virtually no space between them.
In the end, you’ll probably have scrapbooks bound by posts, rings, ribbons, staples, or who knows what! Just don’t let album selection stand in your way of just getting something accomplished. You can find a great article by Jill Davis about “albumology” and find out more specifics about different types of albums.
What’s your favorite type of album? Do you have different types you use for different purposes! Please share your thoughts with us!