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Preserving personal and family history through scrapbooking has been a popular method since the 19th century, with commonplace books and friendship albums being early examples. Scrapbooks are often decorated and contain journal entries, photographs, printed media, and artwork. During the 19th century, scrapbooking was seen as a more involved way to preserve experiences than journaling or other writing-based forms of logging. The advent of modern photography allowed for the incorporation of photographs into scrapbooks, with photo albums being popularized in the US around 1860. The scrapbooking industry doubled in size between 2001 and 2004 to $2.5 billion with over 1,600 companies creating scrapbooking products by 2003. Marielen Wadley Christensen is credited with turning scrapbooking into an industry with businesses devoted to the manufacturing and sale of scrapbooking supplies. Scrapbooking is not just about preserving memories but also provides a strong social network for hobbyists who often get together to scrapbook. Basic materials for scrapbooking include background papers, photo corner mounts, scissors, a paper trimmer, art pens, archival pens, and mounting glues. Embellishments such as stickers, stamps, eyelets, brads, chipboard elements, lace, wire, fabric, beads, sequins, and ribbon are used to decorate scrapbook pages. Digital scrapbooking has grown in popularity due to the advent of scanners, desktop publishing, page layout programs, advanced printing options, and the ability to share finished pages online. Digital scrapbooking allows for a greater diversity of materials, cost savings, less environmental impact, and the ability to manipulate page elements without making permanent adjustments.Digital Scrapbooking Summary

• Digital scrapbooking is the process of creating scrapbook layouts using digital photos and graphics.
• Digital scrapbooks can be saved as keepsakes or printed in hardcover bound books.
• Early digital scrapbooks were uploaded to external sites, then moved to PC software, and now are moving back online.
• Online digital scrapbooking includes the use of web-based software to create layouts that can be downloaded as JPEG files.
• Scrapbooking crops are events where scrapbookers gather to work on their projects, share ideas, and learn techniques.
• The interest in scrapbooking is attributed to a passion for genealogy and photography/graphic design.
• The number of independent scrapbooking stores declined from 4,200 to about 1,200, and the number of scrapbooking manufacturers declined from 800 to under 250.
• Journaling is an important element of modern scrapbooks and can describe events, photographs, feelings, and emotions.
• Handwritten journaling is preferred by some, but many people journal on a computer and print it onto different surfaces.
• Sketches are hand-drawn layouts showing where to position photos, titles, journaling, and embellishments, and are used for inspiration.
• Sketchbooks have been published, and scrapbooking magazines always offer sketches as part of their content.
• Digital scrapbooking is a cost-effective way to create hardcover bound books.