Glossary of Scrapbook Terms Tips
Read these 51 Glossary of Scrapbook Terms Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Scrapbook tips and hundreds of other topics.
STICKERS
Stickers are one of the most basic scrapbooking supplies. Scrapbooking stickers should be acid free, and lignin free (or photo safe such as Stickopotamus™). Traditionally scrapbooking stickers are made out of printed paper, adhere to your page with a sticky back and are very quick, and easy to use. More recently scrapbooking stickers have become more embellished - some sporting fiber, beads, wire, ribbon and other such products that give your scrapbook pages depth and texture. Stickers are a must for every scrapbooker and come in almost any imaginable theme.
JOURNALING
Journaling is writing down the who, what, where, when and why that goes with your photos. An important part of scrapbooking that is often never done for fear of ruinning a page with bad handwriting or a mistake or putting it off for later which never comes. Journaling in your scrapbook should always be done using permanent, fade and water proof writing tools. Using the computer to journal makes it easier for some to keep up with this important task.
PAGE PROTECTOR
These are protective plastic sleeves which cover your scrapbook pages. They are available in a variety of sizes and can be side-loading to cover scrapbook pages that are bound or top loading which means that the protectors themselves are usually incorporated into the binding and require that the scrapbook pages be slipped into them. Polypropylene and Mylar are two of the most highly recommended plastics for protectors.
PHOTO SAFE
A marketing term used for products sold for use with photos and memorabilia. Photo safe is an ambiguous term and one that is not regulated, and while it is probably preferable to select products clearly marked acid free, lignin free and PVC free, the term has gained wider acceptance in the last few years and if the product is from a reputable manufacturer it is likely truely photo safe.
ACID FREE SCALE
The Acid Scale goes from 0-14. 0 is very acidic while 14 is very alkaline. 7 is considered acid free but a pH value of 8 is preferable for use scrapbooks.
WAX PENCIL
A soft acid free pencil designed to write on glass, plastic and photographs. If used on the front of a print it will rub off but when used on the back will become permanent. Comes in all colours but blue is the colour used most often by scrapbookers. (Schwan All Stabilo - Aquarellable is a type of wax pencil)
POLAROID OR INSTANT PHOTOS
A photo that develops before your eyes. Until recently these were the least stable of photo types. They have improved but are still very prone to fading in light. Due to the nature of most of the prints they should not be cropped. Cropping may result in chemical seepage which will damage the print and may be harmful to skin and eyes.
RAG BOARD/RAG PAPER
Board or paper made from material other than wood, such as cotton, which is naturally lignin free, stable and durable.
CROPPING
Cropping is the trimming of a photo to remove unnecessary sections. Cropping should be done to improve a photo not just to make a pretty shape. Cropping also allows for more photos to be added to a page. When cropping some attention should be paid to maintaining the historical integrity of a picture. Never crop out anything that identifies the time period in which the photo was taken.
MAGNETIC ALBUMS
Also known as Peel and Stick albums these albums are not really magnetic. They have strips of adhesive on a backing card onto which the photos can be placed and then a page protector is used to cover the photo and any adhesive left exposed. Some magnetic albums have all three damaging components i.e. PVC, acid and lignin. Others are labelled as being photo safe. None-the-less they should be avoided as at the very least a fine layer of adhesive is placed onto the front of any photo put into a magnetic album.
POLYETHYLENE
A chemically stable, transparent, food safe plastic used in photographic preservation materials.
PVC (POLYVINYL CHLORIDE)
PVC is a common plastic which because it is chemically unstable releases a chlorine gas. When this gas settles onto a surface it turns into hydrochloric acid. This acid will cause photographs to fade and discolour.
CORNER ROUNDER
A type of punch which rounds the corners or photos and mats. A very important tool for those who are working with photos from the 70s and 80s which came processed with rounded corners. Comes in plain or decorative styles.
ACID FREE
Many papers can be considered acid free immediately after manufacture however unless they have been buffered, i.e. treated with a neutralising agent, chemical reactions with substances such as sizing or bleaching will cause the paper to become acidic over time. All plastic by it's nature is acid free however some plastic is unsafe for use in photo albums.
PUNCH ART
A decoration made up from punchies. The components may or may not have anything to do with the final art. For example, a flower may be made from overlapping heart shaped punchies in a circle with a small circle punchie in the centre. Freehand cut a stalk and place leaf punchies along it. Punch art can be simple to quite elaborate.
ALPHA CELLULOSE
The strongest and most stable of all plant fibres. Because of this stability it is used in permanent paper.
PAPER PIECING
The use of cut out shapes to produce a picture. Similar to applique, pieced paper pictures can range from very simple to complex, and can be a page decoration or constitute an entire layout.
LIGNIN-FREE
A product that contains no lignin. Lignin is either removed during processing to make paper safe or the paper is manufactured from a base material that is already lignin free such as cotton.
POWER PUNCH
Tool into which you can place a punch, apply pressure using a lever and create a punchie. A much easier way to create multiple punchies that using your thumb.
ACID MIGRATION
Acid migration occurs when something with acid is placed against an article that is acid free. Photographs mounted on acidic paper will weaken and crumble. Acidic memorabilia can be added to photo albums if encapsulated in polypropylene sleeves or placed on buffered card on a page underneath a protective sleeve.
LIGHTFAST (or Colour Fast or Fade Resistant)
Coloured paper or ink, which is resistant to fading with age or exposure to light, heat, and other unfavourable conditions.
ADHESIVES
Product used to attach photographs and other components onto a scrapbook page. Adhesive types include photo corners (clear plastic stick on style or paper "lick and stick" style) which are considered to be non permanent, photo tape, photo tabs, tape runner (all forms of double sided tape) which are considered permanent but in actuality articles can be removed with slight damage to the album page, and glue which can be considered permanent and not recommended for adhering photographs.
CIRCLE CUTTER
Scrapbook tool used to create circles from photos and mounting paper. Circle cutters vary in type from tower to template style, fixed blade to separate knife systems. Different circle cutters suit different people so it is best to try a few before you commit to one.
PHOTO SPLITS OR TABS
Double sided tape which should be acid free, lignin free and photo safe. Generally dispensed in one centimetre lengths. Considered permanent.
PHOTO CORNERS
A non permanent method of adhering photos to a page. Small triangles of plastic or card stock one for each corner are adhered to the page and the corners of the photo slotted in. The photo is held in place but may be easily removed for copying, etc.
SCRAPBOOKING
The tradition of taking photos, and memorabilia, and placing them in family keepsake albums along with relevant journalling.
HERITAGE PHOTO
A photograph that is of special significance due to its age, rarity or/and historical importance.
LAMINATION
The coating of paper with a thin, translucent plastic. Lamination is considered unacceptable as a conservation methods due to the high heat and pressure used during application and its irreversibility.
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| Christina Chan |
