Photo Albums

How a photo album holds your prints

Albums hold photographs in a few different ways. Slip-in albums have sleeves or pockets cut to a set print size, so a photo slides in without glue. Traditional albums have plain pages, and prints are held with photo corners, which lets you mix print sizes and add a caption alongside.

Other albums show a picture through an aperture, a window cut into card that gives the photo a neat border. Among ours, some have more than one aperture so photos can be grouped together, and a few have a single aperture for one favourite picture.

Matching an album to your prints and where it will live

Check your print size before you buy, since a slip-in sleeve fits only the size it was cut for. Some of our albums take 6 x 4in (15 x 10cm) prints, the usual size from print shops and photo kiosks. Shape matters too: some are portrait, and a few work in landscape or portrait.

Then think about where it will sit. An album left on a coffee table gets opened far more often than one on a bookshelf. Some of ours are freestanding, so they can stand on a shelf or sideboard. For style, you will find some in white and a few in blue, along with some printed or foiled finishes and a few woven ones. If the album marks a wedding or a birth, choose a finish you will be glad to see out for years.

A wedding photo album to give or to keep

A wedding photo album turns a memory card full of files into a short, chosen story of the day: getting ready, the ceremony, the speeches and the first dance. A smaller set of favourites, with a few guest snaps, is easier to enjoy than the whole lot.

Among our albums you will find some made for a wedding and a few made with couples in mind, a thoughtful gift from parents or a best friend. Paper is the traditional gift for a first wedding anniversary, so an album of prints from the day suits it well.

A baby photo album to mark a birth or christening

A baby photo album gathers the early pictures while the memories are fresh: the first scan, coming home, first smiles and first steps. Some of our albums are made to mark a birth, a few suit a christening, and some are gifts for a little one up to three years old, a keepsake for the family to look back on.

You will also find some that suit a nursery or a child's room. A baby album is a lovely present to take on a first visit, or to give grandparents who would like their own record of those early months.

Sorting your prints into a story

We find a little sorting first makes filling an album easier. Lay the prints out by date or by chapter, such as a trip away or a baby's first year, and keep the strongest from a run of similar shots so the pages never feel crowded.

Mix close-ups with wider shots to keep the pages lively, and leave some spaces at the end if the story is still going. If you print at home, let inkjet prints dry overnight before they go into sleeves, as fresh ink can smudge or stick.

Looking after the album and the photos inside

Keep the album out of direct sunlight, which fades prints, and away from radiators, fireplaces and damp corners, where heat and moisture can curl and mark paper. Store it upright or flat with nothing heavy on top, and avoid packing in so many prints that the spine strains.

Some of our albums are made from paper and card, so keep them dry and dust them with a soft, dry cloth rather than a damp one. Handle prints by their edges with clean, dry hands, as the oils in fingerprints can mark a photo over the years.