Articles : Tutorials - Scrapbooking

Photo Safe Scrapbooking Supplies

If you want your scrapbook album to be a keepsake for future generations, it’s important to make sure you’re using photo safe scrapbooking supplies.

General Tips for Buying Photo Safe Scrapbooking Supplies

When creating a scrapbook layout, the patterned paper, colored cardstock, and embellishments you use should be archival quality. This means that the materials have been analyzed to determine that their acidic and buffered content is within levels that will not damage your photos.

Most of the items you purchase that are specifically designed for scrapbookers should be safe to use with your precious photos. Since manufacturers know that scrapbookers want their albums to be around as long as possible, great care is taken to make sure the materials used to make paper and embellishments are safe for scrapbooking. However, picking supplies becomes more difficult if you wish to experiment with items normally used for card making and other types of paper crafts.

Reading package labels carefully is the best way to ensure that you’re buying photo safe scrapbooking supplies. Ideally, all of the supplies you purchase for your scrapbook should be labeled as acid-free and lignin-free. If you see the CK-OK label, this means the product has been tested by Creating Keepsakes experts for photo-safety.

Working with Dimensional Embellishments

Using brads, eyelets, ribbon, and other dimensional embellishments to add interest to your scrapbook pages is a great idea, but you’ll need to be careful when adding these items to your layout. When shopping for metal embellishments, look for coated metals with no rough or sharp edges. It’s also a good habit to check that bulky embellishments won't be rubbing directly against photos on the facing page once your layout is placed in your album.

Selecting Inks for Rubber Stamping in Your Scrapbook

Many scrapbookers enjoy using rubber stamps to create unique page embellishments for their layouts. However, it’s best to choose pigment ink whenever you are stamping in your scrapbooks. Dye-based inks are less stable than pigment inks and may fade over time. Pigment inks also have the advantage of being non-soluble.

Adding Memorabilia to Your Scrapbook

Memorabilia can add extra interest to your scrapbook projects. Unfortunately, items such as newspaper articles, magazine clippings, greeting cards, and travel brochures may cause your photos to deteriorate after time. When working with these items, you have a few different options to consider:

• Make copies of your photos so you don’t have to worry about potential damage to irreplaceable prints.
• Place the memorabilia on a separate page so it’s not touching any of your photos.
• Spray the item with a de-acidification spray to add a layer of protection.
• Scan the item, then print out a copy on acid-free cardstock.
• Soak original newspaper clippings in a shallow bed of distilled water for 20 minutes to de-acidify the paper.

 

Memorabilia Pockets are a safe place for you to store three-dimensional memories as well in your scrapbook.

If you are not sure if a certain memorabilia item is safe to use in your scrapbook, you may want to consider investing in a PH testing pen. This handy device makes it easy to see at a glance if a particular item may damage your photos.