How to Pick the Best Photo Albums for Old Photos

Do you enjoy displaying old family photos? There’s a beautiful and practical way to do it! The key is in finding the right type of album for storing your old photos! A well-chosen album not only protects your precious memories from fading and getting damaged but also transforms them into a lovely display that you and your guests can enjoy for years to come.

With so many styles, sizes, and materials to choose from, searching for a good album might feel rather overwhelming. We’ve narrowed down the list to the 5 best types to choose from. Now, let’s see which photo album for old photos works best for you.

Best Photo Albums to Preserve Photos for Future Generations

There are lots of different types of photo albums to suit any taste. To choose the right one, you should consider your needs, desired materials, and layouts. They also come in different styles. For example, classic photo albums complement the nostalgic mood of old family pictures, while others are more modern and simple in design.

The aesthetic is not all that you should take into account though. You need to make sure your album is functional enough to preserve old photographs in good quality. Excited to see some popular options? You’ll find the perfect one below, whether you prefer traditional or modern photo albums.

Traditional Photo Albums

Nothing beats good old fashioned photo albums when it comes to preserving family memories. They allow you to fix photos in place using an adhesive of your choice. But they typically offer photo corners to mount the pictures. Good news: there’s no plastic layer to stick to old photos. Bad news: pictures in standard albums are not protected from dust. However, you can enhance protection if you store old photos with other conditions in mind, such as the album storage place and temperature.

Archival Photo Albums

To make sure your pictures stand the test of time, it’s better to use an archival, or acid free, photo album. Archival quality means that your photo collection is resistant to deterioration or loss of quality.

Such albums with special photo pages are commonly used by professional archivists for dealing with antique things. They protect pictures from fingerprints and dust, maintain their high quality, and are completely transparent which makes viewing easy. But these are rather standard photo albums, typically with no eye-catching design.

Slip-In Photo Albums

If you prioritize easy organization, then you might like slip-in photo albums. In this kind of photo album, one inserts pictures into pockets made of polypropylene.

Even though photos may stick to the pockets, slip-in albums are perfect for keeping your prints dust-free. It’s essential to purchase the one that fits the size of your photographs since there are albums with different size pockets.

Drymount Photo Albums

For including different sized photos, a drymount photo album would work best. What makes it different is glassine tissue pages placed between each album page. Here, your pictures do not stick between pages when the album is closed.

Besides, it has a vintage aesthetic, so you can enjoy viewing images with a sense of nostalgia. However, your photos might get dusty over time.

Digital Albums

Wondering what to do with photo albums when you have too little space at home? A digital album is your answer! This way, you no longer have to worry about dust or longevity of old pictures. Once you digitize and organize your photos, they’ll be with you forever. It’s the best way to store printed photos long-term, especially if you use reliable backup services or tools.

A digital photo gallery opens up new horizons - you can share it online with relatives living far away from you, create slideshows, make photo collages, and so on.

By the way, many physical albums are set up for specific sizes. And making a digital photo album is an easy way to avoid this issue. You’ll be able to include photos in different shapes and sizes.

Word of Advice

To compile pictures into a digital photo album, you should digitize your old photos first. By following the link, you’ll discover some go-to methods to make digital copies without compromising the quality of your images.

How to Store Old Photo Albums

Lots of factors affect the longevity of your photo collection. We’ve compiled some tips to help you preserve it in a good condition. Let’s see some of the best ways to store photo albums to make sure all special moments are passed on from generation to generation.

Protection from Light You don’t want to see your memory fade away, do you? In this case, you need to keep photos out of direct sunlight - it’s the main reason why colors fade.
Temperature and Humidity You should find the most temperature- and humidity-stable place in your house to store old photo books. This will help you avoid deterioration.
Archival Boxes There are special archival boxes that you can use for storing photo albums. Just make sure the boxes you purchase are archival for real and the term is not for marketing. What makes an archival box different from a simple one is acid-free materials.
Plastic Containers Using weather-proof containers made of plastic is one of the most popular storage ideas. It is ideal for avoiding physical damage, dust, and insects. However, plastic cannot protect old photo albums from humidity, high temperature, or light. This method is effective only if you store your photo archive in a dark and dry place.

That’s not all! You can find more tips to preserve old photos in an album by following the link.

These were the 5 best photo albums for preserving photos that will allow you to keep pictures safe and sound. To make the best pick, you need to consider conditions like humidity and temperature, containers’ materials, and your personal preferences. The storage tips we’ve shared will also help you.

So, choose the photo album types you find the most fitting, gather your pictures, and organize them properly to share family memories with your descendants.