I think I'm going to switch from post bound to 3 Ring Albums

Tell me I will be happy. I've always been a little concerned about 3 Ring Albums looking a lot like office 3 ring binders. I'm tired of post bound because I hate messing with extending the posts and trying to get the pages to lay flat even with the chipboard strips to fill in.
I just looked at the Keeping Memories Alive Albums and really like the look of them. I know they say 12x12, but when you put the page protectors in, do they hang over the edges of the album? Does it hold standard 12x12 page protectors? Does anyone know if the Dollar Tree page protectors hang over the edge? Those page protectors are what I use and they have an extra strip between the hole strip and the paper pocket, which makes them a bit longer. Those who use them will know what I mean. About how many pages would you guess fits in the 3 ring? I know the amount varies depending on how many embellisments and how thick each layout is due to embellishments.
Thanks for the advice and thoughts! Also if you dislike 3 ring albums, would you mind sharing why?

3-ring is so much easier to work with. I've only used post-bound a few times, for gift albums, and I've hated them every time. The 3-ring binders make it easier to add and rearrange pages, and there's plenty of "give" so that lumpy pages can have their own space. They also hold a lot of pages without the hassle of messing with posts and spacers.

The Keeping Memories Alive albums are very nice. They don't look like office binders at all. The covers are nicely textured, padded faux leather and they have finished metal corners.

The page protectors you've been using with the postbound albums will be too long, because of the extra strip of width in them that allows them to (sort of) lay flat. I like C-Line and We R Memory Keepers page protectors. The American Crafts ones are nice too, very roomy for lumpy pages. They cost more than the Dollar Tree ones but I think you'll find they're a lot sturdier. (I bought the Dollar Tree page protectors once, found they wouldn't fit in my albums, and didn't like their flimsiness. I cut off the strip with the holes and use them for storing paper scraps.)

I would like to echo the part of your question about how many LO's will a 3 ring hold?

The fact that I CAN expand a post-bound to meet my needs is what I love most.

• MommaSaid Said:

A typical KMA album for me has 25 page protectors, each with two (back-to-back) moderately flat-to-lumpy scrapbook pages, for a total of 50. I've gotten as many as 60 - 70 scrapbook pages in a 3-ring binder, but those are pretty flat pages.

I changed all my post bounds to D-rings because I too was tired of post extensions and the albums getting too "fat." My fav albums are American Crafts D-rings, and I buy the American Crafts page protectors, too.

One more thing, I get 20 or more page protectors in the American Crafts D-rings. . .20 if I have lots of embellishments more if the LOs are flat.

I will never buy another post bound album after using the d-rings. They are wonderful.

• itsyscrapper Said:

I love mine. A few weeks ago I got them for cheap at TMs.

Thanks so much for the responses. I've really been excited about the idea of switching to D-ring for the reasons I mentioned before.
I got a postpound album today for a gift album I am doing. I just stuck the papers in each page protector as I coordinated them just to get an idea of how the patterns will go together. It's already giving me trouble and I'm taking it back tomorrow and getting a D-ring. This will be a wedding album so lots of people will be looking at it and it will get lots of handling at first. So, I know based on things I had trouble with tonight that it will not hold up like it should.
I hate that I won't be able to use the dollar tree page protectors though. I have been through over 100 of them and have had no trouble with them and have been happy with them. For just ten cents a piece, you can't beat the price.
Does anyone know what brand of d-ring that Michaels carries? I was there today but didn't look to closely at them. I can't find them on the michaels website.
I also usually put 25 pages 2 layouts in each in my post bounds, so that will not be a loss for me.
Thanks again, especially you animemama, lots of useful info.

you're welcome - glad i could help!

i've never used 3 ring albums but i've thought about it. my only concern is that two page layouts look disconnected because they aren't right next to each other. Is this a problem?

Bre

I love the d ring albums. Just cant figure out what to do with my old post albums, give them away I guess.

• animemama Said:

Thanks for the details! The album I'm making for DS (his entire year as a 2 YO) will probably be about 60 pages IF I can contain myself at that. I'm sure (or hopeful) that future albums won't be as thick so I think you've sold me a bit on trying 3-rings down the line.

I have decided to make the switch from post bound to three ring binders. I just bought one yesterday and will use it soon.

i have used them all.. my sons first year album is post bound, but with a 1.5" post. I got the biggest I could find. I love the post bounds for basically one reason, two page layouts.. might be a bit stupid really for me... but that is why i like them, if i had three ring binders or even albums, two page layouts are fine, you would just stick the pages together to get the full effect. Also, if you scrapbook out of order, binders are the best, because you can easily insert layouts at will... Good luck with your decision, and no matter what, you can always go back and change them, that is the wonders of binders/post bound albums...

i'm a prolific scrapbooker and i've always used 3 ring binders. the post bound/ strap hinge albums just don't hold enough without adding posts, etc, and when i tried to add posts, spacers, etc, it just didn't look right. too me, the two page layouts aren't affected enough to make me want to switch. those looking at my albums can just lay the right near the left and get the same effect as in a post bound album.

After reading all this, I am definitely switching to three ring binders. I was afraid they would look more like school or office binders. Now that I am assured they look good and work well, I will switch. The post ones are just way too unstable feeling if they are full and hard to add things to, especially if you want to add in the back. I may buy some special post albums if I am just doing one event in a book, but for trips and general scrapping, I am switching. Thanks for the advice, even though I wasn't the OP.

I love both, my only issue with my 3 ring binders is that sometimes, the page shifts. Like the bottom hole gets stretched and doesn't support the page..so it shifts up a touch.

but then again, I just may be overfilling them also

I have always used post. I actually never looked into D ring before (truthfully i didnt even know they made them) but there are some valid points here. maybe i should look into this. My 11 year old has 2 books that are full (and i am actually 7 years behind on his book) they are both orange leather post bound. since i will be adding any new pages to yet another book maybe this is something i should look into if i can find orange books (he loves orange)

I switched from the D-ring to the post bound albums. Reasons: 2-page layouts look disconnected, after time the page protectors tend to slump when the albums stand on a shelf, and the pages are not as secure in the post-bound albums. The albums are also larger than the post-bound and so tend to extend off the shelves I store them on.

The post-bound albums are a chore to deal with so I just buy the economy ones at HL and when they are full I start another - part two!

I like the post-bound the best. I will say that the 8 1/2 X 11 ring-binders are good, I just don't use that size anymore.

I don't care for the three ring binders. I don't like thick albums either so I just use more albums.

I tried the 3-rings, but I'm probably going to switch back to post-bound. 3-rings are way easier to use, but the following is why I'm thinking of switching back:

• Breee Said:

If you have any elements (pics, etc.) that are overlapping pages on your 2-page lo's, the 3-rings really don't work. However, I have heard of people sewing or stapling those 2 page protectors together so the pages sit next to each other. I haven't tried that yet, but I will try it before I completely give up.

• LateNiteScrapper Said:

I haven't seen the Michael's D-ring albums for years; when I've used D-ring for heritage albums, these were my favorite, too.

Michael's only had 1 D Ring, literally. One album, one color. I got it though. It is American Crafts, it was brown with a cloth cover. Here it is actually:

Janscraps, here's an orange 3 Ring album. Looks like the flowers are just part of the label, not the album. It's not D Ring though.

i like that! i think i will have to get one for Joeys next book. i have pages piling up and no where to put them lol