Album Paper Weight Question

Another handy reference:

I use 24# paper , this works best for me . I don't double side my pages . If mounts are used they are trim close with a small edge around the stamp . There are very few covers in my collection .Paper cost and weight both are factors for me .

I am using Southworth 25% Cotton 24lb Ivory-granite. I like the look and my laser printer does a nice job.
I printed the basic (free pages) from Adminware and modified them to fit 8.5x11 better. No binder holes as I put the pages in clear protective sleeves. The paper is acid free and lingin free archival quality. Mounts go well with it. I use black mounts for used and mint. Page look, and presentation are consistent.
So far, I haven't found a better place to get mounts than mystic.
I got some mystic heritage albums free from our local club and they hold the sleeves perfectly.

Just a note that almost all copy paper made today is acid free due to the industry switching to alkaline processes using calcium carbonate. Something to keep in mind when basing a paper purchase on cost.

Mystic sucks. Not only is it hard to find what you want, but they charge almost $2 more per pack (I just looked up Scott 25s for both) than Global does.

Scott International album paper is definitely not 20# paper. Sorry to disagree with the comment above, but it's heavier than that -- at least currently. That's the weight of common printer paper. One problem here may be that for a long time Scott used a much lighter weight for this album -- which was a poor decision. It may have been 20#. That paper tore at the holes, there were complaints, and so they changed to the current weight they've used for at least the last 10 years or so. I'd guesstimate it's "around" 40-50# paper now -- but that is just a guess. It's pretty sturdy -- as is the paper in their Specialty album. I have no complaints.

By way of comparison, Lighthouse album paper is heavier weight than Scott, very nice paper but maybe a little too heavy for my taste.

As for stocking up on decades worth of paper, no collector is going to do that but if that means buy some extra paper to correct mistakes and add more pages later -- yes, maybe get one extra ream. If you don't have extra, you know you'll wish you had extra.

And yes consider the shade of white you are buying, but everyone's intelligent enough to do that, right? "White" does come in a surprisingly large number of colors!

And this is obvious, but be sure youi remember what brand and color (and weight) you purchased. I've thrown away the wrapper on some paper I bought and later had no idea. Save one ream or at least save the wrapper so you have a fighting chance of getting the same brand and shade again later if you need it. But also expect them to not stock it anymore! That does happen far too often.

Isn't paper fun?

Wow, when did THAT happen?? Granted, it's been a looooooong time since I worked at the copy shops...

So, this is all good information from everyone. I have also been using the Steiner pages.

I decided on using a 32# paper Ivory color, (single sided) I find that it works very nice with the mounts as well.

I originally wanted to start a Scott International album, but once I seen how the double sided pages were, it just wasnt for me.

I think (my opinion) the Steiner pages are very nicely laid out.

Someone already mentioned that paper weight in the US is all over the place, but I want to point out that you can't compare the basis weight (what it's called in the papermaking industry) across 2 paper "types." It's 500 sheets of that type, which is some standard size. Good luck fíguring out what your paper type is (like I don't know what "Bristol" means). We used basis weight when I used to make toilet paper and paper towels, and I assume we had some industry stardard paper type (& I don't remember the numbers anyway). GSM (grams per square meter) works for all paper types.

For the Scott International, sure, mine are old and thin and terrible. My White Ace is great card stock, most of us have probably gotten some stamps stuck to old white ace pages. Mystic Heirloom says its 70 lb, and the hingeless is even heavier. It does pull out the holes tho because it isn't the Scott-style stuck-together, it's just a 3 ring binder. I use Kokuyo One-Punch hole reinforcements (fantastic product).

Yes, GSM makes life simpler - I've had to have recourse to various guides on equivalents to follow this discussion. "Bristol" for thicker paper seems a term used in France more than in the UK, perhaps because "Bristols" is English slang for breasts.

I measured a Scott page (single side printed Madagascar) at 5.1 mils (0.13 mm). Scott paper is very smooth compared to many commercial papers.

I use #65 because everything gets a mount. Super sturdy. Each page also snug in a sheet protector.

Thick paper, a mount and a sheet protector? You'll be adding a magic eye next.

I used 110 lb cardstock in the beginning and have hundreds (thousands?) of those heavy pages. Later, I switched to 65 lb cardstock and am happy with the results. All pages are 8½" x 11", punched with three holes, and have paper reinforcements on the front and back. I use paper reinforcements as the plastic reinforcements tend to shed sticky adhesive on the posts of the binder. All pages are stored in Lighthouse Grande binders.

@GeoffHa, yeah, I know. I use the sheet protectors to keep the pages clean and also to be able to insert glassines behind the page where there might be some minor varieties, shades, or just some other extra that I want to keep there instead of other storage. Note that do this for my entire re-mounted worldwide collection which is well over 6000 Steiner-based pages. And that is only (generally)1840-1959. I'm planning a recount soon, but I have a large number that are still waiting to be mounted.