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What Adhesive Should I Use?

ADHESIVE

To attach your documents and photos to the pages of a paper-page album, you'll need to select an appropriate adhesive. A double sided tape dispenser is a great choice, as are glue dots for memory books. Photo corners are the preferred method.
You should avoid most household glue like Elmer's Glue because the high water content will cause your pages to warp. You should also avoid using regular cellophane tape and rubber cement, because they are not pH balanced, and will deteriorate over time, losing their stick and leaving ugly brown marks on your pages and irreplaceable photos & documents.
If you choose to purchase an adhesive locally, look for the following markings on the package:
  • Acid-free
  • Photo-safe
  • Archival
  • Neutral pH
  • Or similar indications that the adhesive has long term archival properties.

  • Self adhesive photo corners come on a peel-off sheet.
    Just slip each corner of your photo into the triangular pocket
    Pull the photo corner away from the sheet while it is attached to your photo
    The back of the photo corner is coated with an archival "sticker" adhesive
    Place one photo corner on each corner of your photo
    Position your photo where you want it on the page, and gently press down on the photo corners to fix the photo in place
    Clear Photo Corners work the same way, but they are dispensed on a roll instead of a sheet.
    Clear photo corners are almost invisible, and give a more modern look.
    Glue Dots for Memory Books are great for larger photos and documents. They are little circles of double-sided adhesive, dispensed on a roll.
    Press one dot of the BACK of each corner of the photo by pressing it against the dot on the roll.
    Turn the photo over and position it on the page. Press the corners lightly to fix it in place
    Glue dots adhesive is permanent and doesn't show on the face of your photo at all.
    The Kolo Photo Tape Gun is a dispenser of double-sided tape
    To use the Tape Gun, just drag the tip along the back of your photo. It lays down a line of double sided adhesive.
    Applying a line of adhesive along all 4 sides of a rectangle is the best method to ensure a good stick.
    Once you have applied the tape, position your photo on the page and press gently with dry clean hands.
    An acid-free glue stick is a fast way to apply adhesive to the back of papers. We don't recommend the glue stick for photos, however.
    The damp adhesive doesn't adhere well to the slick, plasticized backing of many modern photos. But for papers, its great!
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