Finding the best album
to keep your photos
TIPS & TRICKS
MANY OF US HAVE DONE IT: opened a photo album filled with precious and
irreplaceable photos, only to find yellowed pages and damaged photos. This is
all too common, and it may be happening to your old album as you read this.
What differentiates a high-quality photo album from those that won’t adequately preserve your photos? Here’s a look.
The cover of a photo album is certainly important, and conveys style,
quality and personality. But it also protects the pages from bending, warping
and general abuse. Look for a cover and spine that are sturdy. Some albums
have special “cap” bindings that are designed specifically for durability. Don’t
be shy about grabbing the album and feeling for yourself.
Gone are the days of sticky paper-backed adhesive album pages. Today’s
high-quality albums use polypropylene or Mylar pages that protect photos
from damaging chemicals—especially acid, which slowly destroys photos.
Standard configurations include a 100 percent polypropylene photo sleeve
and a paper page with polypropylene covers. If the pages contain paper, they
should be lignin-free, as lignin breaks down over time, emitting acid in the
process. Photo albums that claim to be acid-free should have pages with a pH
level between 6. 5 and 7. 5.
The expression “archival quality” is a good place to start, but make sure to
look for specific features, as they are not subjective. Finally, look for a photo
album manufacturer that stands behind its products and offers a satisfaction-guaranteed warranty.
Photo albums that incorporate high-quality materials might look just like
the cheaper options, but the differences are substantial. Not sure if your photos
are really protected? Don’t wait—go pick out a new high-quality album and
protect those precious photos today! A
Sturdy
cover
Special
“cap”
binding
In selecting a high-quality photo album,
look for these features.
Acid-free
photo
pages
CREATING A
PHOTO DISPLAY
ONCE YOU’VE framed those photos, why not
create a wall display? How and where should
photos be arranged? Consider where you
would like viewers’ eyes to focus.
Arranging a group of photos on a wall is an
excellent way to create an interesting focal
point in a room. First, lay out all your framed
photos on the floor to determine how you’d
like to arrange them. This way, you can move
them around without leaving holes in the
wall. The secret to creating a pleasing
arrangement is balance. Carefully measure
the distances between several pictures that
will hang in a row to be sure they are equal.
Four small pictures on the right of a large
picture can be balanced with two medium-size pictures on the left. Don’t rush this
planning stage. Measure and remeasure.
Some experts suggest that all frames and
mats should match to create a unified look.
Others suggest a more diverse approach with
frames and mats that are different sizes and
shapes, but that complement one another.
Pictures should hang just above eye level.
However, what is “proper” eye level is debatable. Some say eye level should be considered
as if viewers were standing. Others say eye
level should be considered as if viewers were
seated. Still others say that eye level should
be determined according to the primary use
of the room.
Basically, if most of the time people are standing in the space, such as a hallway, then eye
level should be directed at viewers who are
standing. In a room where viewers will spend
the majority of the time seated, such as a
living room, eye level would be from a seated
position. A
