Three Methods for Binding Your Own Scrapbooks

Scrapbooking has become one of the most popular crafts in the country. It's a great way to preserve your memories, organize and catalog photographs, and possibly create something that can be handed down as a family heirloom. While there are plenty of pre-made scrapbooks available, it can be fun to bind your own since you'll be able to fully customize your book. However, that means you need to decide on a binding method. Here are a few methods you should consider:

• Plastic comb binding. Plastic comb binding is the best way to bind your own scrapbooks for a few reasons. For one thing, comb binding is easy and it's affordable. You can get a comb binding machine for very little money and you can use the machine for other projects such as school assignments. Plastic binding combs are easy to find and there are numerous sizes available so your scrapbooks can contain up to 425 pages. Also, you can re-open a comb once your scrapbook has bound so you can add pages if you want. The one disadvantage to this method is that it's not as visually appealing as some other methods.
• Coil binding. Another option you may want to consider is coil binding. Binding coils are popular because they can bind long documents and they come in more than 50 different colors. Since there are so many colors available, it's easy to find one that matches your scrapbook paper. Also, coils allow you to rotate the pages of your scrapbook almost 360 degrees and they help the book lie flat. This can be very handy when you're working on your scrapbook. Coil binding does have a one drawback: you need to use coil crimping pliers to secure the binding. These tools can be tricky to use at first.
• Thermal binding. If you want to go all out and make your scrapbooks look their best, you should consider getting a thermal binding machine. A thermal binding machine can help you create scrapbooks that look like they're professionally bound. This can be helpful if you're creating a scrapbook to give away as a gift. However, there are a couple of drawbacks to thermal binding. For one thing, it's more expensive than other binding methods and your scrapbooks won't lie flat when they're open. So be sure to take that into consideration.

Binding your own scrapbooks is easy and the three binding methods mentioned in this article can help you create beautiful books. Naturally, every method has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, plastic combs are affordable but they don't look as nice as coils. Using coil crimping pliers can be tricky (at least at first). And thermal binding looks great but it's expensive. So it's up to you to decide which method will fit your needs. And rest assured that no matter which binding method you choose, you'll be able to create scrapbooks that you and your loved ones will treasure for years to come. Good luck and happy binding!

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Written by Jeff McRitchie
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