When you've used every page in your memory album, it's scrapbook refills to the rescue!
How to Choose Scrapbook Refills
Once the scrapbooking bug gets hold of you, you'll find yourself filling up pages in your album faster than you could ever have imagined. Sooner or later, you'll run out of empty sheets, and then what do you do? You buy more!
In order to choose the right type of scrapbook refills to work with your album, you need to know exactly what you have.
Scrapbook Styles
Memory books are available in three basic styles. Most scrapbook refills will not work with every style because the pages are secured in different ways.
- Post-bound: This type of scrapbook album uses a post and screw set up to hold your pages in place. Work on your design outside of the book, and when you're ready to add a new page, just unscrew the cap, slide your page into a protector and mount it over the posts. Screw the cap back on and you're finished. You can even add post extensions to fit more pages.
- Strap-hinge: Pages are attached in this style album by threading two straps through a set of small metal hinges on the back of each page. Pages lay quite flat, so you can work on your layouts right inside of the album if you wish. When you're finished simply slip a page protector over your finished work.
- Three-ring: This scrapbook style is very similar to the standard school notebook. It employs large D-rings to hold your pages in place. The size of the rings determines how many pages you can comfortably fit in the album, so it is not expandable. These albums are very easy to work with, but some croppers do not care for the amount of empty space between open pages.
Album Size
Although a 12x12 inch size scrapbook seems to be the album of choice for a good deal of croppers, it's not the only game in town. Scrapbooks are available in many sizes.Other popular choices include:
- 6x6 inch: This size works well for a "brag book" since it is far more easily transported.
- 8x8 inch: This size album works particularly well with children's themes, and is a good size for beginners to work with since a simple design will fill the page quite nicely.
- 8 1/2x11 inch: This memory book is very versatile, and it's extremely easy to find scrapbook paper in this size.
Shop for Page Refills
Depending on what type of album you've purchased, you can find refills at your local craft store or purchase extra pages from an online retailer.
Get Smart Products
Get Smart Products (formerly Archival USA) offers the following refill kits:
- MBI 6x6 inch White Scrapbook Refill Pages: This mini album refill set includes six top-loading protectors, page inserts and extension posts. Two page holes are spaced 3 1/8 inches apart.
- Pioneer 8x8 inch White Memory Book Refill Pages: These versatile scrapbook refills will fit all three types of memory albums. A total of three page holes are spaced 5 3/4 inches apart, and every sheet is photo safe and acid free.
- Pioneer 8 1/2x11 inch White Memory Book Refill Pages: This set comes with five white page inserts and five seamless, top-loading page protectors. Page holes are spaced 4 1/2 inches apart and the set comes with post extenders.
- MBI 12x12 inch White Scrapbook Refill Pages: With holes spaced 4 1/4 inches apart, these refill pages will fit most post-style memory books. The set comes with 6 protectors and page inserts, and extension posts. All materials are archival quality.
