How to Choose a Photo Album

Photo albums keep our precious photos organized and preserved for many years. Choosing the best photo album for your needs will help save those precious memories. Unfortunately, not all photo albums offer the same quality and durability. There are several styles and features available, so be sure to choose a photo album that offers flexibility and complements your style.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Instructions:

1. Determine which type of photo album you want to use. The two main styles of photo albums are those with slip-in pockets and those with blank pages where you use photo corners or glue to attach the photos. Scrapbooking is a popular method of photo album storage without the photo pockets.

2. Buy an acid-free and lignin-free photo album. Take the time to research your purchase, and make sure there are no chemicals in the album that will ultimately ruin your photos. If you have old photo albums with yellowed pages and photos, they have been damaged by the acid in the paper.

3. Select the look of your album. Many photo albums offer a theme. Wedding albums are often white with calligraphy on the cover, while beach vacation photo albums may offer an ocean scene with palm trees. Do you want a themed photo album or a neutral album that will work for several collections of photos?

4. Count your photos. Buy a photo album that will accommodate the number of photos you need to organize. Don’t underestimate how many pictures you have. Photo albums are available with as few as 24 pages and with as many as several hundred pages.

5. Choose between a refillable photo album and one with fixed pages. Some albums offer the option of adding pages, so they can grow as you add more photos. Some albums have a set number of pages and cannot be expanded. If you choose a refillable album, make sure your local photo store carries the refill pages.

6. If you choose an album with slip-in pockets, make sure it has the correct size photo openings. The most common photo album pocket size is 4x6 inches, which will accommodate 3.5x5-, 4x6- and 4x5.4-inch photos.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not purchase photo albums with sticky pages. The adhesive may contain chemicals that will discolor your photos over time. Use photo corners in albums with paper pages or photo albums with plastic pockets.