Although it’s true that most memorabilia cannot be scanned and added to a photo book, that doesn’t mean that they need to be put aside. In fact, all you need is a simple thing called a memorabilia pocket and even the tiniest of trinkets can become an integral part of any photo book.
Spicing up the story
Even though they aren’t designed to hold too many things – or even thicker three-dimension objects for that matter – memorabilia pockets still only have advantages. The most obvious benefit of such a pocket is their ability to properly organize your keepsakes; without it, smaller details that might be essential in completing the story of the photo book would instead be scattered around your home, ultimately resulting in many of them disappearing forever. Simply put, the additional pocket ensures that memorabilia is kept safe exactly where it belongs.
However, there is another advantage of having that small pocket: providing extra significance to the whole story. Granted, photo books can effectively convey your message solely via photos – provided that they are organized coherently – but being physically in contact with the very objects that were there when those photos were taken can make any story more vivid and, therefore, more relatable to the reader.
A limited medium
Memorabilia pockets are indeed useful when it comes to taking a trip down memory lane and they can be applied to any printed photo book with a strong enough cover, but remember that they still have their limits. For starters, these pockets have a fixed place within the book, located at the back of either the front or rear cover. The reason for this is that memorabilia pockets require a sturdy surface in order to keep items safe, which is also why they cannot be used on soft cover photo books or added to one of the book’s pages.
Additionally, the physical attributes of the pocket also need to be taken into consideration, meaning it cannot be bigger than the book itself and cannot hold too many objects otherwise it may either get damaged or prevent the book from being closed. This limitation may seem unfair at first, but it can in fact be turned to your advantage. Just put the most important memorabilia into the pocket or, better yet, keep the pocket for less significant items and leave space for the truly important trinkets during the photo book editing process so that they can be glued into the book later on.
Availability
The bad news is that it’s quite likely that you’ll end up with a DIY method when it comes to such keepsake pockets, as the only photo printing company offering such an add-on for its hard cover photo books is Shutterfly. The good news is that Shutterfly’s 7×7 pockets are not only cheap – costing only $1.99 each –¬ but they also have adhesive strips to firmly attach themselves to the back of the chosen cover as well as a resealable front flap to further protect your memorabilia from dust and damage. The only thing to pay attention to is the fact that Shutterfly currently doesn’t offer memorabilia pockets as separate items, meaning that they need to be requested when placing a photo book order.
The DIY approach, on the other hand, provides customers looking for keepsake pockets with a bit more freedom. Online stores like Amazon offer self-adhesive pockets in various sizes and shapes, giving a better selection than Shutterfly. But even if you can’t find what you are looking for, creating your own memorabilia pocket is easy, requiring only a piece cut from a transparent binder pocket and adhesive tapes to hold the pocket in its place and seal its bottom.
Daniel C.
Adam B.
