Another Question XD! Why are acid free photo albums so expensive?

Question

Well, I'm really into preserving my pictures lately. Past few weeks ago I just found out that regular paper in some photoalbums has acid and can cause damage to pictures. When I looked up companies online to purchase from, they were h**l expensive! like $40 or $50 per an album.

I have alot of pictures. Is it wise to get like two or three of them? I I went to kolo.com. and another website.

Also do you suggest photoalbums that have moveable refills or a photoalbum that has a spine like a normal book does?

Thanks again!

Answer 1

I like Amybeader's excellent answer, but I would like to add that another option is a binder with archival plastic sleeves.  You can fit a lot of pictures in them.  It's how I store my negatives and slides.

Answer 2

The acid free albums wont harm the print or negatives that you store in them.  

Answer 3

(1) the process to make the materials acid free (also sometimes called Archival quality) is a lot more expensive than the process to make standard cheap paper and similar materials. So the albums are going to be a lot more expensive.

(2) You take a lot of pictures. If you are seriously interested in preserving them, and HAVE to PRINT them, go through and pick out just the best ones to be printed. Do not print everything, instead if you are using a digital camera (vs. a film camera), burn your pictures to a CD or DVD, label the CD or DVD and keep the pictures that way. You can then remove them from your computer, but always pull copies from the CD or DVD later if you want to print them or edit them.

(3) The movable refills have the advantage that they are movable, so you can obviously add more, or move them to a different album. The spine type may be a little sturdier. Personally I think it's whatever you like the most.