about layout sizes ie square,8x10,5x7 etc.

I'm having a great time doing my scrapbooking and have even met a few other guys on this forum. So far I've completed 4 layouts, all pretty basic but with each one I learn so many more skills.

But I am confused about layout sizes. It seems that a square layout is the favourite amongst scrappers but why?

Its really difficult getting square photoframes so I'm guessing its to do with album sizes.

I suppose it all depends on where and how you want to finally display the print . The only problem is when I start out with a layout I most often don't have a clue where it will be displayed.

Can anyone shed some light on how they decided what size LO they start out with.

Thanks Ed

Of course everyone has their favorite size, but I do all of mine in the 8 x 10 size. That way I can print them out on my printer and it's not that expensive even with the priemum paper. After I print them out, I put them in regular inexpensive 8 1/8 x 11 photo albums you can get at Walmart.
12 x 12 albums would be nice, but I would need to get a new printer, and the photo paper is more expensive. The smaller size seems easier to transport around and show people.

Welcome back BigEd!

I do my layouts in 8.5x11 and print them borderless to put in albums of that size.

Paper scrapping is traditionally done in 12x12 and I think that has carried over into digi-scrapping. There are alot of folks who will scrap in a square format, usually at 12x12 and print at a smaller size (8x8, 6x6) due to printer limitations (except for those lucky people who have 12 inch printers).

To a certain extent, I think there may be advantages of using a square format instead of a rectangular one. When working with a rectangular format, I am always aware of "dead space" that I need to fill or work with. I find myself usually using a landscape mode which seems to be more visually appealing than portrait to me, but then I struggle trying to figure out how to lay things out. If the format was square, it would be simpler.

Someday when I get a 12 inch printer I will probably switch to a square format.

Just my opinions!

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Scott

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I just send my prints to a pro photo lab. they can print any size and the quality and color is perfect! Yes, square is popular, but it's not just 12x12 anymore. there is also 8x8 and 6x6 album available, which are great gift albums or to take when traveling. I give my daughter her copy of her pages in 8x8 while I keep the 12x12's for my album. Too expensive to do two 12x12's of each page.

the nice thing about 8x8 is that I can print it as an 8x10 and cut the 2 inches off the bottom. And I do those at Sam's.

Printing in high quality at home is just more expensive than having my lab do it. And the quality is always perfect.

Again it's just up to you and how you want to store and display them, how many prints you'll want to make of each, etc.

I did 8.5x11 for a lady and her 6 kids books.

So it's what ever you like, budget, quality, etc!

Good luck!
Laura

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Laura Vanderbeek

http://www.vanderbeekimages.com
http://www.skrapbookdesign.com

I do 8x10 since it is a standard photo size and easy to have printed professionally. I tried to switch to 8x8, as many of the DTMs here scrap that size, but I found it too limiting for the journaling and size of photos I like to use. Like Scott, I do miss 'squareness' and will likely switch to 12x12 in a couple years once wide format printers are inexpensive.

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Im an 8x8 scrapper. I buy the 8x8 albums. When i first started i was a landscape A4 scrapper and everyone thought i was weird ( this is 5 years ago) but I find the portrait size offends my sense of symmetry when i am trying to design a page, which is why i swapped to 8x8 ..the square shape satisfies that for me.
You can still use 8x10 frames though and it can look quite good. I use the dead space to print up a seperate piece witha title or name or whatever on it. Big W and K mart have 8x8 frames sporadically so usually i grab a few when i see them
If I remeber rightly you are Aussie like me though i am in NSW and you are in Vic I think ( if i am wrong just ignore me lol) You can get 8x8 albums thru this place in Australia

http://www.grant.com.au/index.php?PC...V=Primary&CDO=

Anyway hope that helps

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