12 x 12 versus 8.5 x 11 albums

Okay so I need a sounding board here. My DH just gets a blank stare when I try to talk to him.

Background info: I currently scrap 12 x 12. My oldest dd is 4 & she already has 11 albums (although her first 2 are 8.5 x 11) I LOVE 3 ring binder albums but hate paying the price- so I have postbound albums and most are convereted to the Pioneer strap covnertor for easy page additions. I also stock up on 12 x 12 albums when they are on sale so I have quite a few in my stock pile. I also scrap more than 1 photo per page.

So I am thinking if I switch to 8.5 x 11 it will cut down on space and be easier to store. I could use the 3 ring albums I prefer and they are much cheaper.

I would like to know everyones opinion of the pros and cons of each album. Where to purchase the 8.5 x 11 albums.

TIA

I use both. I started out with 8.5 x 11. The only thing about 8.5 x 11 is that the patterned paper is getting hard to find. If you don't mind cutting down larger paper, that's not such a big deal. I personally purchase my albums at Hobby Lobby when they have them 50% off. I don't think VA has HL, right?

I started out 8.5x11 and all my chronological albums are 8.5x11. It's less expensive. I use regular notebooks that I buy in bulk. The kind that lets you slip a piece of paper into the spine for labeling and a whole sheet in the front. I buy sheet protectors in bulk also.

I do 12x12 for other people and am currently working on my own wedding album.

The biggest benefit of 8.5x11 is cost and ease of scanning and duplicating.

For example, when my dd was having a baby shower her gift from me was a copy of her baby album. I took the album that I had already made years prior to OfficeMax and used their color copier. Cannot beat 39 cents a copy for color laser copies!

I also upload my scanned 8.5x11 layouts to Staples for them to print out. This is especially true also of my digital layouts. I don't have to worry with ink or toner cartridges. And they always have the latest equipment. If they goof, I don't have to pay for it.

I personally prefer 12x12 just because supplies are very readily available and 8.5x11 seems to be a little retro for me. Plus 12x12 is a square so it's easier to even things out and have a more balanced layout imho. 8.5x11 seems to small for me, but I don't mind 8x8... I think it's the whole rectangle vs. square issue. but I see your point about cost and storage space. Have you considered 8x8? that's even smaller and you don't have to lose the concept of a 12x12 the way you do with 8.5x11.

But then again, there are things you can do with 8.5x11 that you can't do with a 12x12 or 8x8... like portrait or landscape orientations. so that's something to consider, too.

Basically I think it comes down to what your personal prefernce is. If you think you're going to be just as happy with 8.5x11 los as you are with 12x12's then go for it. But if not, I would consider rationalizing your preference for 12x12 because this is something that is supposed to be fun for you and FOR YOU, so you should do what makes you happy.

Hope that helps. sorry I'm so long winded.

I only do 8.5x11. I wouldnt do it any other way. I can do both landscape and regular and I can use my scraps for cards

I use 3 ring binders and page protectors from Office Max.

Then I can spend more money on toys, not albums.

I do 8.5x11 for several reasons.
1. I can buy 12x12 paper, cut it down and use the scraps for cards or elsewhere on the page (works especially well if using solid colored background paper and then patterned paper for accents.)
2. 12x12 is too large and overwhelming for me. I do scrap many photos to a page but just can't get a handle on what size the photos need to be for 12x12 without them looking too large or too small. (I've been working on a 12x12 for my dad for over a year and it's been an incredible struggle for me to complete).
3. 8.5x11 is easy to scan and also the books are easier to store. They are also not as heavy when completed.
4. I use CM albums, as well as Mikes. A $20 album at mikes is often found on sale for $14. CM pages and protectors work fine with Mikes albums and vice versa.
5. I like to be able to do vertical or horizontal layouts instead of just square.

sorry to ramble so much.... Love 8.5x11 and wont do another 12x12 if I don't have to.

I use almost every size of scrapbook. I have 6 x 6, 8 x 8, 8.5 x 11, and 12 x 12. I also have a couple of scrapbooks that are Hallmark's odd size between 8.5 x 11 and 12 x 12. (My sister works for Hallmark, and started my love of scrapping by giving me my first memory album.)

The two smaller sizes are "brag books," and the two larger are memory books. My mother and MIL each have a 6 x 6 "grandma's brag book" overflowing with pictures of their beautiful grandchildren.

There are lots of pros and cons to each size. I love 12 x 12. It's such a traditional size. Easy to space out layouts, easy easy easy.

8.5 x 11 is great, too. Best one to copy, scan, and print. I have a 3-ring binder that a friend of mine covered in fabric and lace, and it was originally a photo album. I emptied out the photo pages as I scrapped the pics, but because the album was a gift from a dear friend, I couldn't bear to part with it. So I turned it into a scrapbook.

The smaller sizes you can scan, copy, and print, too...but when you copy or print them you have to crop them back down to the original size. However, I found that these sizes work wonderfully as "coffee table books." Left arranged on neatly on the coffee table, guests pick them up and leaf through them. (Also, my children love sitting and looking at pictures of themselves, especially my four-year-old daughter.)

So there's lots of pros to each size of scrapbook. I think it's more a personal preference.

I only do 8.5 x 11

I like the way that this size resemble a magazine. The 12 x 12 has always looked odd to me.

I like the way "novices" can turn the pages of a 8.5 x 11 easier. They don't wiggle around like 12 x 12.

They store easier.

They fit "normal" sized printers, scanners...

Size doesn't really matter as much as creativity. I do 12x12 and 8x8. On the 12x12 it does get overwhelming at times but remember this, "White Space" I read an article about the need to cover an entire page, not neccesary. It's ok not to cover the WHOLE page, I have seen many LO's w/lots of White Space and they look really nice. The 8x8's are filled w/special people in my kids' life and I will give these to them after they learn to take care of their personal belongings. Personal preference is what it's all about and having fun. Mix'em up, who cares, it'll be fun that way too. I don't care about the the ease of storing them or the weight, I just care about what's inside.

• spend2much Said:

I wish I could feel the same way! My problem is we are a military family and we move often, hence the ease of storage and I certainly don't want to have to put my albums in storage is we have to move overseas.

i never thought about making an 8.5 by 11 lo horizontal. thanks girls! haha

Stcikly a 12x12 girl here. I did one album in 8.5x11 and found it so hard to work in the smaller and uneven medium. KWIM?

I found an old travel album that I made years ago, before I learned about keeping items archival safe. I had to redo it. I had done several 12x12 albums, but this one was an 8.5x11. It was hard to fit everything that I wanted to on these pages after working with 12x12's. I prefer the 12x12 albums.

Since storing them is a problem, is there anyone in u'r family u can trust to keep them safe 4 u till u settle down, like maybe u'r parents? When there's a will, there's a way.

The one size that I just don't seem to care for is the 10 x 10. K&Co makes it, I think, because I've run across it at Target. MM may make it, too, I don't remember.

You don't get enough usable scrap after trimming pages down to fit. At least with 8 x 8, you get 4 inches of usable scrap (when you trim down a 12 x 12 sheet). I love to use leftover scraps on the same page. But then, I use up all of my scraps! Every last one!

8x8 r easier than 10x10. I sometimes do an 8x8 then just lay it over a 12x12 and leave white space. I too like to use all my scraps. I used to keep them in a seperate container but then decided to put them back into the pack where they came from

I think the only album that I have not made is a 8 1/2X11. I lovemaking 12x12 pages and I also love to make mini albums for something different!

• DoDi Said:

ditto. My first 3 scrapbooks are 8 1/2x11. I figured I would try 12x12 and now I'm hooked. When I do 8 1/2x11 for my inlaws it feels weird. Like I can't get everything on a page.

Good luck, I hope you figure out a good storage solution.