Use these tips from Jeanne English and Al Thelin, authors of Saving Our Scrapbooks (Creating Keepsakes), to salvage old albums:
• Creating backups: Make color copies of the pieces you want to use, or scan them into a computer. Print with permanent powder toner and printer ink on acid- and lignin-free paper. To back up old photos, have a professional photo lab or restoration service make new negatives and prints.
• Rescuing photos: For glued-on photos, place the page face-down on the table. Use a blow dryer on the lowest setting to soften the glue, then slowly peel the paper from the back of the photo with a knife. Use dental floss and a knife to lift photos from magnetic-album pages.
Safe Scrapbooking Do’s and Don’ts
Golden Rule
Don’t cause any permanent damage to your irreplaceable images.
Do…
• Use scrapbook-safe materials.
• Use copy photos, placing originals in storage.
• Enhance the value of your album by labeling images.
• Use photographs that are of good quality.
• Create a lasting work that future generations can enjoy.
Don’t…
• Use magnetic albums with adhesive pages.
• Crop original photographs.
• Write on the front of images.
• Include images that are of poor quality or in disrepair.
