Choosing your album is one of the most important choices you will make when scrapbooking. Many photo albums, old and new, do not properly protect your photos and, in some cases, they damage your photos. All albums sold on The Acre have been researched to ensure you are purchasing quality albums that are photo-safe.

Four important things that an album must have in order to be photo-safe are lignin-free, acid-free, buffered, and PVC-free.

- Lignin is a natural pigment found in trees. It is the thing in paper products such as newspaper that causes them to yellow over time. Lignin-free products keep your paper, pages, and pictures from turning yellow.

- Acid can discolor your pages and photos as well as deteriorate them. This is most noticeable in very old albums where the pictures have become one with the page and the edges look like they have been eaten. Acid-free products keep your photos and journaling safe for many generations to come.

- Buffered refers to a covering on album pages that keeps anything acidic from bleeding onto the album page and onto other photos and memorabilia. Most memorabilia contain acid, which can deteriorate your album page and other pictures surrounding the memorabilia. Buffered pages keep that deterioration from occurring.

- PVC is another type of material that can deteriorate your photos and pages. It is mainly seen in magnetic albums. It is the plastic overlay that covers your photos. It contains chemicals that can destroy your photos.

There are three main types of photo albums used today: Magnetic Albums Photo Sleeve Albums Scrapbook Albums Magnetic albums have been the most popular way to store and show photos for many years. They allow you to include memorabilia and different size photos. However, most of these albums are not acid-free and lignin-free. Many of the older albums contain PVC in the overlay as well. As explained above, this will lead to decaying photos. If you have any photos currently in magnetic albums, remove them and as time allows, put them in photo-safe scrapbook albums.

Sleeve albums allow you to slip photos into sleeves very quickly and easily. Many older sleeve albums contain PVC in the sleeves. However, many new sleeve albums today are PVC-free. The disadvantages to sleeve albums are that they usually only allow for one size photo, that there is not a good way to incorporate your personality into the pages, and that most of these albums do not allow space for journaling.

Scrapbook Albums come in many sizes, shapes and types. They have many different kinds of pages, bindings, and covers. And not all scrapbook albums are safe for your photos. All albums sold on The Acre have been researched to ensure you are getting albums that are photo-safe and of good quality.

Some advantages of scrapbook albums include journaling, photo-safe materials and a stronger binding. They also provide a creative way to display your memories.

Journaling is an added benefit that is very important in documenting your history. So many times we take out photo books and boxes only to start asking "Who is that?" and "What were we doing?" Older scrapbook albums allow for journaling, however, they most likely contain acid and lignin. Be sure to check any older albums you own to see if they are indeed photo-safe. Contact the company who made your album if you are uncertain.

Most new scrapbook albums are acid- and lignin-free. If the album uses any type of plastic it will usually indicate that it is PVC-free. If it does not indicate that, contact the company and ask or choose a different album. Albums that use pages as opposed to sleeves will usually indicate that the pages are buffered.

Binding is also an important element in a good quality album. The two most popular types of binding are post, and strap. Both allow you to expand your album to many pages. Be sure you only purchase albums with stainless steel parts. This will make your albums last much longer than albums with softer metal pieces. And, as always in scrapbooking, BE CREATIVE! Scrapbooks allow you the space and the freedom to add stickers, die cuts, or whatever else you want to liven up your pages and showcase your personality.

If you look at older photo albums around your home you will see many of the negative characteristics of albums. The pictures will look decayed or yellowed, your pages will not be as white as they were when you bought the album, and you won't always know the important thoughts surrounding the photo. Start taking the necessary steps to protect your memories. Scrapbook albums sold here on The Acre were chosen to help you create a lifetime of memories that will last many generations to come.