![]() If you've got a variety of photo sizes finding a photo binder which has a few different types of photo sleeves, that can accomodate various sized photos, may be helpful. If you've got a variety of photo sizes to display an album like the one shown may not work well for you, because it only holds 4圆 photos. These include wallet, 3x5, 4圆, 5x7, and 8x10, plus even more. What sizes of photos do you want to add to the album? There are lots of common sizes of photos. It also states it is "Archival, photo safe-acid, lignin and PVC free." The features that you should know about this album used an the example is that it holds 300 4圆 inch photos in plastic sleeves, three per page, with a memo area. I chose red because it is pretty, and I like that color (see Question 3 below!) but there are many colors available. It is a Pioneer brand archival photo album (available at the link on Amazon), and is a pretty popular brand on the site. ![]() To the left is the photo album we'll evaluate. I think it's easiest to explain some of the choices of features by giving you an example as I list several subquestions to ask yourself. ![]() ![]() Question number 2 focuses on some important features that differ between albums, to make sure the one you choose works best for how you want to use it. Once you've narrowed down your search of the best photo album for you to those which are archival quality, then this is where you really get to start making choices that suit you.įor the next two questions there really aren't right and wrong answers, just things to consider. Question 2: Does This Album Have The Features I Want Most? It may look cute now, or be cheaper, but you'll regret it later, even if that regret isn't evident for 20+ years. If the photo album you're thinking about doesn't state it is these things mentioned above you should assume it does not meet your criteria, and steer clear of it. When purchasing an album for storing your family's memories, long term, you're looking for these criteria: What You're Looking For With An Archival Photo Album The safe plastics to use for photos are polypropylene, polyethylene and Mylar. But these types of plastics also breakdown and produce acids which harm the photos, including making them sometimes stick and adhere to the plastic making it impossible for them to be removed. In the past lots of albums with sleeves or pockets for photos were made of PVC plastic, or a similar poor quality plastic covered each page of the album to "protect" the photo underneath. As the acids cause this damage to the paper itself it also damages other things that paper is touching, like the precious photographs you've placed in the album.Īvoid albums with poor quality plastic. This causes the paper to turn yellow, and then brown. But over time the lignin in this type of paper breaks down and releases acids. Lignin is a type of chemical compound, found in wood, that is often used to make paper stronger. Steer clear of albums made with pages or covers that are not acid and lignin free. Similarly, do not purchase photo albums with the magnetic backings either. Plus, it can cause the photograph to disintegrate because of the chemicals within it. The adhesive which causes the photo to basically be lightly glued to the page eventually yellows and becomes brittle, and can make the photos extremely difficult to remove, perhaps ripping the fragile paper if you ever try. Types Of Albums To Avoidĭo not buy albums with adhesive backing. The damage is slow to show but it will happen. But adding photographs into an album that is not archival quality will eventually be something you, or future generations, regret. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be a consideration for manufacturers of some of these items. It's actually really aggravating, because once you put pictures into a photo album your plan is for those photos to stay there, permanently. Lots of albums available at stores are not what are termed "archival," or actually safe to store photos in long-term. Question 1: Is This An Archival Photo Album? These questions will help you make sure you consider all the options first though, so you're happy with your purchase. You'll find that these questions have some hard and fast rules in them, such as albums I absolutely believe you should NEVER purchase.īut for the most part there is no right answer, just choosing from various options, so what is the "best" album is not the same for everyone. Therefore, I've forumulated three big questions, some of them with subquestions, you can ask yourself when making the choice of albums to make sure you're choosing the best photo album for you.
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