Quick Question For Steiner Page Binders

I was just curious how well 8.5 x 11 pages fit in Scott Specialty Country (the green ones) binders, or in the blue binders?

I'm currently using Vario's binders, but was just eyeballing the Scott and wondering.

Any issue with the pages in there?

As long as they are 3-ring binders, the pages will fit. But, the binders are big (wide) so your pages will long extra small.

Steiner has a pretty good listing about paper on his site. I personally have custom cut paper at 9 X 12 in order to eliminate the extra small that Chris refers to above. The 8 1/2 X 11 look pretty sloppy in the large binder.

The main problem with that, in addition to having to find custom paper, is the additional need for a special wide-bed printer.

I have started a small airmail collection in which I put my 8.5 X 11 pages in good quality page protectors. This helps the pages look bigger in the binder.

They'll go into a Scott 3-ring binder, but they'll sure look lost in there. Either find a way to print on Scott-size paper or put your smaller sized pages into 8.5 x 11" binders. Lighthouse makes just about the best binder for that size pages, the Vario F. It comes with a slipcase, has a padded cover, and looks very professional. In my opinion, only the 3-ring system inside lets the binder down since I don't find 3-ring binders appealing for stamp collections. But that's just me. If you do, use the appropriate sized binder and look at the Vario F, in particular, rather than office supply store binders which, to me anyway, are unimpressive.

I agree wholeheartedly with Drew, I have Steiner pages (larger Specialty sized...) in the Lighthouse Grande F binders in slipcase. I don't have the same reservations about 3 hole punched personally, they look a class act even if the collections are "grande".

Another quick question for Steiner page binders - how many pages in sheet protectors can be housed in a normal size binder, e.g Lighthouse Vario Classic? Obviously it will vary according to the chosen paperweight and if one is using mounts or not - so how many pages can you accomodate with the set-up you are using?

Blaamand - I have Vario G binders. I think they are a little different than Vario Classic.

I counted ~180 pages (70 lb text), and I use mounts.

I suspect you could get 1/3 to 1/2 with use of sheet protectors.

Best guess: 60 to 90 pages.

I get 136 Steiner pages, in my Standard Australian A4 "Officeworks" 4 ring binder $5.95.

Thank you gents!

@Jim - are you printing on letter size pages and holepunching?

@Rod - Are you using sheet protectors in your binders?


I wished I could print on lettersize paper and manage without sheet protectors, but lettersize does not fit European printers and regardless the lettersize format does not match very well with Grande varo pages. A4 fits even worse. So I am left with two options
1) A4 in sheet protectors. The sixe of the sheet protectors will make A4 fit with the Grande pages. However I am concerned the protectors will fill the albums too quickly and be awkward/slow for taking pages in and out. And generally the stamps look better without that shiny plastic.
2) Alternatively I am considering an improvised solution - by sticking the pages on Grande Vario interleaves by double-sided tape. Then the pages will match very well with the Grande Vario pages and the stamps are not covered behind the protectors...but will it work ?
Has anyone tried this?

Yes Jon, premium, heavy weight.

By the way......received your Postcard in today's mail....Thank You very much




I find that surprising, mine you cannot hardly tell they are behind plastic apart from the feel.
I use my albums a lot, and the plastic works wonderfully well, without
fingermarks or any soiling whatsoever.

Caveat : I do not use heavy weight album pages, then, I am not sure that would work.

You can get the protective sheets in various reflections. The glossy ones are crystal clear while the low glare do cut the clarity a little. I use the lower glare ones.

Sheet protectors are an experiment in this situation. 'Archival safe' is meaningless, there is no industry standard OR oversight. Manufacturers use the term as a form of marketing to dup consumers into buying their product. I have never seen a single archival holding at a major library or other respected organization use sheet protectors. History teaches us that Crystal Mounts were sold as being 'safe' for almost 20 years before we found that they actually damaged stamps. Every one of us has slightly different environmental conditions, it is impossible to say that just because something has worked for one of us for a few years that it should be safe for everyone else.

It is great to experiment with new things but please keep an extremely close eye on your stamps. (Of course this does not matter as much if your stamps are common material.) The prudent thing to do if you have rare material is to not experiment by storing them long term in sheet protectors.
Don

Jon,

Interesting thought, I briefly thought about that...a lot of extra work and cost if you have a large collection.

I believe I read (maybe on another forum) that Mitchell (aka AntoniusRa)had (somehow) attached 8.5x11 inch Steiner pages onto larger blank Scott Specialty pages for part of his collection. Might work, but not very cost effective in my opition.

Yes.

Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Wow, lots of response on this one, thank you all

Low-gloss sheet protectors will definitively make them more attractive, as long as they still provide a clear view. Will try those. Thanks Angore and Rod (I suppose the low-gloss is what you are using Rod)

@Don - Thanks for always keeping us on the safe side! Personally I will use Lighthouse mounts anyway, so the stamps should probably be safe even inside the sheet protector.



Yes it would be some extra work, but then I would not need the extra work and 'pain' everytime I would otherwise need to maneuver the pages in and out of the sheet protector. I'm concerned that removal/replacement of pages would work as a threshold so this somewhat lazy collector would be less likely to bother about replacing stamps with better copies etc

I need to do some experimenting but would appreciate the experience you already have.