Studio Calico

Hello Lovelies and welcome back to Finish It September! I thought it would be a good opportunity to do a product review of scrapbook Page Protectors, so that is what we are going to do today! You can watch my video here.

As I was working through the details of this product review I wanted to be clear about the features that were important to me when choosing which page protectors to use in my scrapbook albums. I have used so many over the years and on the surface it might seem like all are just the same, but there are distinguishing features that, once you are aware of them, might sway you. These are the features I have compared:

1.  Size of the pockets. Some brands use 3×4 pockets that are true to size. Other brands make those pockets just a bit smaller, at 2.97″, in order to accommodate the seams of the page protector. Most brand name pocket page cards are also cut down to the 2.97″ width, and many digital designers size their digital cards the same. So it is important to know what your favorite brands do in this regard. Any card can be cut down a bit, although I know some people get frustrated by that. Others might feel frustrated by having cards that are too small, or fit loosely in the pocket.
2. Strength of seams. This is something that is a concern if you use lots of dimensional products on your pages, or if you have small children. It definitely can be frustrating to purchase a pack of page protectors and have them rip as you are sliding your cards in and out of the pockets!
3. How they look. How they look in your albums, how they look when used with other brands, and also how clear are the page protectors. I have a set of protectors from We R Memory Keepers from several years ago that are blue tinged! They may also be different sized depending on how each brand accommodates the seams, which means some might be wider than others.

These are the things I have taken into consideration in this product review, so let’s take a closer look at each brand I have reviewed. This is by no means comprehensive, I am sure there are many I have missed. These were just the brands I am most familiar with and have access to.

Scrapbook.com (link to purchase)

This brand is relatively new to the page protector and album side of our industry, and promises to be a welcome source for this product. I ordered a new pack of page protectors from Scrapbook.com just to see how they are, because I had never tried them before. My opinion of these is that they probably need a bit more reinforcing on the pocket seams but they are a good product. Here is what I found:

• Nice page weight, feel pretty good in your hand, fairly clear.
• Pocket tore a bit when I pulled on it.
• Consistent pocket page sizes, sized for 2.97″ cards
• A bit larger than Project Life page protectors.
• All design styles available.
• Reasonably priced at $0.39 each on sale.

Becky Higgins Project Life (link to purchase)

Obviously, we don’t really know what the future holds for this brand, however they are the page protectors I am most familiar with and offer a good comparison point. They are an excellent option and are still available so here is what I know about them, having used them for so many years:

• Nice page weight, they feel great in your hand, and are clear pages.
• I have never had pages tear from Project Life, I know this is something she has worked hard on.
• Pocket sizes are fairly consistent but there is always one 3×4 pocket that is a tiny bit smaller.
• All design styles available for a limited time.
• Reasonably priced at #0.49 each, when you buy the Big Pack.

Simple Stories  (link to purchase)

I have used these off an on for years and love that they have a slightly different variation of the traditional Design A. They also have a page protector with the 6×8 photo which is great for when you want to use a larger photo for emphasis. Overall I love using this brand!

• Great selection of page protectors and different varieties that other brands don’t have.
• The 6×8 slides in sideways, just for your information.
• Clear pockets, excellent page weight.
• Strong seams, appear to hold up well.
• Slightly larger than the Project Life page protectors.
• Page styles available are slightly different than Project Life branded.
• Downside: Simple Stories it seems is retiring their 12×12 page protectors so these will not be available for much longer.

We R Memory Keepers (link to see availability)

These have long been favorites for me, and are probably ones I buy most often because I purchase their albums most often. Here is what I find:

• Trusted brand, not going anywhere.
• Great quality with strong seams and clear pages.
• I have one batch that is blue but that seems to be a one-off.
• Good variety of options.
•  Limited page styles are available, standard Project Life Design A is not.
• Affordable at $0.32 each for 12×12 pages.

Echo Park (link to purchase)

This is also a brand I am not particularly familiar with but have used in a pinch. They call their divided page protectors Photo Freedom and have limited options but it is a brand that is available. Here is what I found:

• Great quality, trusted brand.
• Clear pages, feel good in the hand.
• Three styles available, full 12×12, all 3×4 pockets, and the Design A style.
• A bit more expensive at $0.54 each for divided page style.

Hobby Lobby / Paper Studio (link to purchase)

I discussed in my video my reluctance to share this brand because of some of their business practices, but they are a readily available brand in many states and can be a reasonable option for many. Here is what I found:

• Page protectors are light and thin overall.
• Fairly good clarity.
• Full 3×4 pockets so Studio Calico cards, for example, will float a bit.
• Larger than Project Life pages.
• Standard 12×12 and divided Design A style available.
• Expensive at $0.60 each, although you can use your coupon for 40% off, which would make them $0.36 each.

Studio Calico (link to purchase)

This brand is sort of the industry standard for page protectors and they have come quite a long way over the years! I love using this brand and always find their quality to be above average. Of course they have gone to the 9×12 size which means making a decision to go smaller. Here is what I found:

• Great quality page protectors that hold up over time.
• Look great in albums and have a great clarity.
• Sized for Studio Calico cards (and of course, Ali Edwards as well).
• Consistent pocket sizes.
• Options available are in 3×8, 6×8, 6×12, and 9×12. The 9×12 protectors are available in four different styles, a full page, a modified Design A, (9) 3×4, and (9) 4×4.
• Expensive at $1.05 each.

I hope this has been a helpful resource to you as you navigate different page protector options that are available. Of course none of this is designed to be comprehensive, there are brands such as Creative Memories and Close To My Heart that I have not reviewed but I encourage you to try any and every brand and find your own favorites. My main purpose in writing this post is to show that there are other options out there, and while it is a bit sad to see Project Life not offer physical products for the foreseeable future, we wish Becky Higgins all the best in the future and are incredibly thankful for her contributions to this craft. As a long-time Project Lifer, I am incredibly thankful to have a way of memory keeping that helps me document my own family life in very powerful and meaningful ways!

Chat soon!

~Theresa