Scrapbooks and photo books are two time-honored ways to keep treasured memories safe for many years to come. They can both be a personal diary of special events in your life, or even beautiful gifts to give to loved ones. But which is better: scrapbooking or photo books?

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking means taking a physical paper book with blank pages and filling those pages with memories. This might include photos, travel papers, art, stickers, or even dried leaves or other gifts from nature. A scrapbook is a great way to preserve a special day, event, or time in your life. When you flick through, the lovingly decorated pages are packed with nostalgia to take you back to those treasured moments.

Pros

The only limit is your creativity.
You can use any materials you like.
It's a fun way to organize photos taking up space in storage.

Cons

It can be time-consuming.
Some crafting skills and knowledge are required.
Scrapbooks can decay and fall apart over time, making storing and preserving them a real challenge.

Photo books

Photo books are professionally made, durable books where every page is either a single photo or a collection of photos decorated with text, stickers, and other embellishments. Just like scrapbooks, they preserve memories in a creative and unique way. But the primary difference is that all those creative decisions happen virtually online and can be easily changed and edited — plus, you can print multiple copies of the same book!

Mixbook allows you to create your photo book exactly how you want it, choosing themes, text fonts, and decorations that match the topic of your scrapbook. It's easy to use and retains the magic of scrapbooking while saving time and mess.

Pros

Start from endless creative ideas, including themes from popular designers like Martha Stewart.
Editing is simple if you change your mind or you’re not happy with your first design.
Photo books are high-quality and long-lasting.
Replication is easy so you can make as many copies as you like.
Photo books have a professional finish while being convenient and simple to create.

Cons

You need digital photos — however, it’s usually very simple to scan or digitize old photos.
Photo book creation removes the “hands-on” approach preferred by some and may not be as customizable.
You can't add physical items and mementos to a photo book.

Choosing Between Scrapbooks and Photo Books

There are a number of factors to consider if you’re trying to choose between scrapbooks and photo books.

Personal Style

If you like the shabby chic, bohemian style, then scrapbooking could be for you. Scrapbooks are, by their nature, often a little rough around the edges and that’s what adds to their charm. Of course, as you become more practiced at scrapbooking, your efforts may become more artistic and professional-looking!

You can tweak your photo book design online until it’s exactly as you like it, and the result will always be crisp and professional, yet still carry your own creative flair.

The Cost

Defining the cost of scrapbooking is tricky, as it really depends on how many scrapbooks, what quality, and the different types of creative materials you’re going to include.

Photo book cost changes depending on the type of cover, paper, and what size book you choose.

Time Commitment

When it comes to scrapbooks vs. photo books, there’s no denying that scrapbooking is a huge time commitment. But, it also can be a mindful experience. You'll also need to devote time to setting up your crafting table with your books, pictures, glue, stickers, and other decorations ready to get creative. You’ll more than likely be there for several hours. Some people love this so much, there’s actually a National Scrapbook Day!

Photo books, on the other hand, needn’t take much time at all. With online photo book creation, you simply upload your photos, choose a theme such as travel or sports, and arrange your book of memories exactly how you want. It’s quick and easy, and there’s no spilled glue to worry about!

Creativity

Both scrapbooking and photo books allow you to explore your creative side to the max. Use glitter, sparkly or color-changing glue, or stickers to add personal touches to scrapbooks. With photo books, you can add text in any font imaginable, digital stickers, and change the layout at the touch of a button.

Current Scrapbook Trends

Sites like TikTok and Instagram are packed with scrapbooking trends for you to try out. Popular looks include snippets of text pasted across images, fabrics like lace or natural products like feathers and dried flowers glued onto pages, and several small images pasted around a central, larger picture.

Top Tips

Get organized: Keep your scrapbooking materials together in a safe, dust-free place.
Explore seasonal stores and hobby websites for decoration ideas.
Consider including ticket stubs, receipts, or other non-photo memorabilia.

Gorgeous Photo Book Themes

The number of photo book themes is constantly expanding. On Mixbook, you can start from scratch and design everything yourself—just like you would with a physical scrapbook. But you can also choose a starting theme, such as a year-in-review photo book, or one dedicated to your favorite season.

Top Tips

Take some time choosing your theme
Use the keyboard shortcuts to quickly undo, redo, or unselect objects you’ve picked up by accident
Look down the left-hand side of the photo book editor for stickers, text, and different backgrounds to enhance the creativity of your photo book and make it truly unique

Scrapbooking vs. Photo Books: Choose What’s Right For You

Scrapbooking can be a great hobby to fill empty hours or to do with other family members or friends. You can get as crafty as you like and include just about any decorative materials you can think of.

Photo books have the same versatility as scrapbooks but with the added benefits of durability and the ability to produce two or more identical copies if you want to share the same memories with multiple people.

Our top life hack when it comes to scrapbooking vs. photo books? You can take old scrapbooks from over the years and digitize them by turning them into long-lasting photo books!

Become a Mixbooker and start your journey with digital scrapbooking or creating stunning photo books today.