Your Guide to Page Protectors for Scrapbooking: Everything You Need to Know About Page Protector Sizes, Materials, Configurations, Brands and More
Page protectors are basically clear plastic sleeves that hold your scrapbooking layouts or photos. You insert these page protectors into your scrapbooking albums, and the page protectors hold your pages, protecting them as you and your loved ones look through your albums. There are many different styles and configurations of page protectors. Many of them are designed for use with one specific style and size of scrapbooking album, but there are also options that work with multiple brands of scrapbooking albums. Some of the most common options include top-loading or side-loading page protectors, clear or nonglare page protectors, and polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester (Mylar) page protectors.
If you’re making scrapbooking pages that you want to last for your entire lifetime, and perhaps even for years beyond your lifetime, it’s beneficial to use page protectors. Page protectors are helpful for protecting your photos and scrapbooking layouts from harm. Any time people look through your scrapbook albums, there’s a danger that they’ll get fingerprints, dirt, grime, or dust on your photos. Aside from that, there’s also the danger of spills, tears, scratches and general wear and tear.
Some page protectors — in particular, the Project Life style pocket page protectors — can also help you to organize your photos and present them in the way you want to.
Pocket Page Protectors for Scrapbooking
If you want to make scrapbooking layouts using a large piece of cardstock or patterned paper as the base, you’ll want to opt for single-pocket page protectors that are sized for the album you’ll be using.
If you are hoping to complete your scrapbooks quickly, and you don’t want to invest a lot of time in making layouts, you might want to consider opting for pocket page protectors. These page protectors are designed to hold multiple photos or other elements.
Here you can see an example of one of the most popular configurations for 12″x12″ page protectors:
Popular Page Protector Sizes
Page protectors are available in different sizes and configurations. There are 12″x12″ page protectors, 8.5″x11″ page protectors, 6″x8″ page protectors, 8″x8″ page protectors (these were popular in around 2006-2009 and possibly even before that, but they are getting harder to find now), 6″x6″ page protectors, 4″x6″ page protectors, and other sizes, too.
6″x8″ Page Protectors for Scrapbooking
I’m currently scrapbooking using a variety of 6″x8″ binders and albums, so I have tried every type of 6″x8″ page protector I could find. I’m in the process of reviewing all of them. If this page size appeals to you, I invite you to check out my overview of 6″x8″ page protectors HERE.
8.5″x11″ Page Protectors for Scrapbooking
8.5″x11″ is a popular size for scrapbooking binders and albums. There are many brands making albums and page protectors in this size. I’ve tried a few of them and can highly recommend the following 8.5″x11″ page protectors for scrapbooking:
I highly recommend Echo Park My Story Book page protectors in the 8.5″x11″ size. These are really thick, sturdy, high quality page protectors that do not come with page inserts. I’m using some of these in my Heidi Swapp Storyline albums, and they fit fine; they also fit well inside standard 8.5″x11″ binders.
These are available for sale at Amazon and possibly from other retailers too.
12″x12″ Page Protectors for Scrapbooking
12″x12″ is one of the most popular sizes for scrapbooking albums and layouts, so it is also one of the most popular sizes for page protectors. When you buy a 12″x12″ scrapbooking album, one of the first things you’ll want to check on is whether that album comes with any page protectors. You’ll also want to find out how many page protectors it is capable of holding. You’ll often find that your album comes with some page protectors, but it is capable of holding more — so you might want to consider buying some page protector refill packs to maximize the number of pages you can put in your album.
Scrapbook.com has the best value I’m aware of on 12″x12″ page protectors for scrapbooking. If you like to make scrapbook albums in this size, you’ll want to consider stocking up on their bulk packs of 12″x12″ scrapbooking page protectors. You can also get variety packs of various pocket style page protectors in the 12″x12″ size./P>
I can also highly recommend the Echo Park My Story Book brand of page protectors, which are available in a wide variety of sizes and configurations. In the 12″x12″ size, you’ll find various configurations of pocket page protectors for both standard and unusual photo sizes. You can shop for them at Scrapbook.com HERE and Acherryontop.com HERE.
Heidi Swapp is also making Storyline refill packs available for 12″x12″ sized scrapbooking albums. While I haven’t actually purchased these in the 12″ size, I have been thoroughly delighted with the 8.5″ x 11″ version of these; I’m positive you’ll be happy with them if you decide to give them a try.
So there you have it: Those are the most important points you need to know about page protectors for scrapbooking. I hope this information is helpful to you as you create your scrapbooking albums and projects.
Over to You:
Which scrapbooking page protectors are your favorites, and why? IF you have insights to share with us, you are invited to leave a comment in the comments area below. Thanks for your interest!
Posted By: Amy Solovay
This page was last updated on 3-10-2022.