What Size of Scrapbook Page Should I Use?

Jan.28, 2009 by Genesis Davies
Scrapbooking

There are several standard sizes of scrapbook pages, 12×12 inches and 8.5×11 are the more traditional sizes, but there are plenty of other ones available. Albums now come in 8×10, 5×7, 6×6 and 8×8. So how do you know which size will work best for your album?
The size you choose depends on a number of things. Let’s take a look.

What size of scrapbook page works for you?

Number of Photos and Embellishments

If you have hundreds of photos and plan to scrapbook them all, you might want to consider a larger album! 12×12 albums can be just right for holding 4-6 photos per page, depending on size and give you lots of space for journaling.

On the other hand, 15 photos won’t go very far in a big album, so you might want to work with a smaller size, like the 8×8, for journaling space or even the 5×7 if you have nothing much to write about. Each page will hold just one picture, so with the same amount of photos that would only fill 3-4 pages in a large album, you’ll have an entire scrapbook finished!

You may also want large pages if you enjoy embellishing.

Time Considerations

Do you have much time to sit down and scrap and embellish a page? If not, stick to smaller pages that will be done quickly. You’ll feel better when you spend 20 minutes and get five pages finished in that time! Smaller album pages allow you to work quickly because there just isn’t much room to embellish.

5X7 Scrapbook pages are quick and easy!

Cost

Again, smaller albums don’t need much in the way of papers and stickers, so if you are looking at buying embellishments, you’ll save a fortune by using small scrapbook sizes. The initial cost of an album, page protectors, etc. will also be less, though you will likely find it more cost effective in the long run to purchase larger scrapbook pages if you intend to be creating a lot of them!

What’s the Theme?

Some themes, like “Caleb’s First Year”, require a lot of space. If you’re going to be dedicating an entire album to your baby’s first year or even the first few years, opt for the biggest album you can find! You won’t regret it.
While a year of your baby’s smiling mug will require a lot of space, a shorter time period or a smaller event, like the birth of your little one, a trip to the beach or even a birthday party, fit perfectly into a smaller album. My sister made each of us (we’re four girls in my family) an album called “Sisters” for Christmas one year. Each 5×7 page was big enough for a photo of the four of us and she decorated the opposing page with poems, stickers and journaled memories, creating a very special, very tidy keepsake. It was just right for the size!

Printer Limitations

If you are planning to do a lot of digital scrapbooking, how are you going to print your pages? Not all printers are able to handle the 12×12 format, so you’ll be better off with the more standard 8.5×11 or even 8×10. It’s a good idea to check this when you buy a new printer, just in case. You never know when you might want to turn a page into a proper scrapbook sheet!

There are reasons to use just about every size of scrapbook album available. Which ones you choose (feel free to switch between various sizes for each project!), just make sure they fit what you’re doing and the amount of photos you need to accommodate.

You can find assorted sizes of scrapbook albums at Jo-Ann’s, both online and in-store. All examples in this article were created with digital scrapbooking kits from Atomic Cupcake.