General Scrapbooking Terms

Even though you might know a lot about scrapbooking, you might stump over a term you hear or read.

Here is your perfect spot to look up that term that you've never heard before!

All terms are alphabetical so just scroll down until you find the letter and term your looking for!

If you don't see a term here that you would like, please let me know and I'll put 'er on up!

A

AAM

• all about me
• usually referring to an album about one's self

ABC Album

• an album assembled using layouts representing each letter of the alphabet

Acid

• a chemical substance with a ph of less than 7.0 that causes paper fibers to break down and crumble
• found in various supplies used to organize photographs
• causes photographs to deteriorate, discolour and become brittle

Acid Free

• materials tested to have a ph level of 7.0 or above
• all items used in memory books and scrapbooks should be acid

Acid Migration

• transfer of acidity from acidic materials to another less acidic material through physical contact or acidic vapors
• e.g. newspaper clippings cause discoloration where they are placed and on the items they touch
• a de-acidification spray should be used on acidic papers or items should be photocopied on acid free paper

Acidic

• containing acid or with a ph level lower than 7.0

Acrylic

• water soluble paint made from pigments and a plastic binder

Adhesive

• a bonding agent used to affix two or more items together available in many different forms such as liquid, paste, gel, solid sticks, tabs

Adhesive Foam

• adhesive pieces used to secure items to your page while adding dimension

Adobe Photoshop

• software for editing photographs and graphics

AF/LF

• acronym for acid free and linen free

Album

• a book used to store photographs, memories and scrapbook pages

Alkaline

• opposite of acid added to materials containing acid to neutralize the acid having a ph level of 7.0 or higher

Altered Book

• collaging, stamping, embellishing or altering a found book to reflect an artistic idea

Analogous Colors

• colors that are next to each other on the colour wheel

Archival Quality

• indicates materials have undergone laboratory analysis to determine their acidic and buffered content are within safe levels for long term preservation of photos : assumes materials should be permanent, durable and chemically stable
• industry has not agreed on a definition for archival quality, so variations exist for determining a products archival properties

Art Stamping

• process of creating artwork with rubber stamps

Avatar

• the little picture posted under your name in message boards and galleries

B

Beading

• ornamentation with beads

Binding

• enclose or fasten a book between covers

Bleed

• a feathery effect that occurs when too much ink or paint is absorbed by the paper

Blending Pencil

• tool used to blend colored pencils to create different shades of a color

Bone Folder

• flat piece of bone or plastic, round at one end, pointed at the other
• used for scoring and folding paper;Border
• the decorated margins of a scrapbook page

Brag Book

• small album used to show off pictures of a specific theme, usually children and grandchildren

Buffering

• process of adding an alkaline substance to material to make it acid free and protect the item from acid and environmental pollutants

Buffered Paper

• paper that has had a buffer (often calcium carbonate) added during manufacturing process to give it a ph level of more than 8.5, making it acid free

C

Cardmaking

• creating greeting cards

Cardstock

• term for thick, sturdy papers available in a variety of weights

CAYA

• acronym
• come as you are

Chalking

• technique used to enhance your pages, embellishments, die cuts with chalk

Chemical Stability

• having the ability to resist chemical degradation over time and/or upon exposure to light, pollutants and inferior storage

CK OK

• Creating Keepsakes Okay
• scrapbooking seal of approval
• items are considered safe to use in scrapbooking

Coated Paper

• paper with a finishing layer on one or both sides

Collage

• an artistic composition made up of various materials (paper and found objects such as glued to a flat surface

Colorfast

• a pigment or dye that is resistant to environmental exposure, such as light, acid, heat and other atmospheric conditions

Color Wheel

• shows color relationships and placement

Complementary Color

• each primary color (red, blue, yellow) has a complementary (opposite) color made by mixing the other two (red and green, for example)

Corner Rounder

• small trimmer that rounds the edges off of paper or photographs

Corrugated Paper

• thick, wavy cardstock

Crop

• to trim unwanted parts of an image
• altering the boundaries of a finished photograph by trimming or masking the photograph
• can be done manually with scissors or paper cutter or using image editing software
• a scrapbook party where people work on their scrapbooks, share layouts, brainstorm new ideas
• party hosted by a scrapbook expert who shares techniques, products and information with the group

CS

• acronym
• cardstock

D

De-acidify

• process of removing acid from paper, materials to prevent deterioration

De-acidification Spray

• spray that neutralizes acid in newspaper clippings, certificates and other documents

Decorative Ruler

• ruler with a special edge for designing decorative borders on scrapbook pages

Decorative Scissors

• scissors with a decorative pattern for cutting

Degradation

• process of material breaking down from its current state to a deteriorated state e.g. yellowing of papers

DH

• acronym
• darling or dear husband

Die-cut

• paper designs cut from a die-cut machine
• paper is placed in the die and pressure is applied to cut the image out

Digital Image

• an image composed of pixels or dots

Double Mount

• to place a photograph on two background papers

DPI

• measures the resolution of an image
• the more dots (or pixels) per inch, the sharper the image

Dry Brushing

• applying paint on a brush and then removing most of the ink before using the brush to apply the color
• helps eliminate bleeding of colors

Dry Embossing

• produces a raised image by pushing the image up from the underside

Dye

• soluble, colored substance that is added to materials for coloring purposes
• dye colors are less stable over time than pigment colors

E

Embellishment

• any scrapbooking extras such as stickers, die-cuts, metal pieces, wire, etc that enhance the pages

Emboss

• to create a raised surface by applying heat or pressure

Embossing Gun

• a heat tool that directs hot air to a precise area
• forced heat melts embossing powder, creating a slightly raised surface for the design

Embossing Powder

• a fast melting powder that delivers rich colors and solid surface bonding
• used to create a raised image on paper

Encapsulation

• a method of displaying three-dimensional memorabilia and protecting nearby items from acid contained in the memorabilia

Ephemera

• printed matter of passing interest e.g. vintage postcards, stamps;Epoxy:two resins that when mixed together, harden to form a strong bond

Eyelets

• a small metal ring designed to reinforce a hole
• in scrapbooking, eyelets are used to rivet components to the page, for design purposes, or to feed ribbon and fiber through

F

Fiber

• a slender, elongated, threadlike object that provides substance or texture

Fine and Chisel Pens

• a pen with a fine tip is 0.5mm and a chisel tip is 6.0mm

Focal Points

• element of a design where lines converge
• the eye is naturally drawn to the focal point in an image

Fonts

• different typefaces

G

Gel Based Rollers

• pens with pigment ink

Gift Album

• a compilation of photographs and mementos created with a person or event in mind

H

Hand Tinting

• process of applying colors with oils and dyes to the surface of a black and white photograph, giving it the appearance of a colored photograph

Heading

• the title or caption that explains the theme of a layout

Heat Gun

• same as embossing gun
• used to heat items for embossing

Heritage

• traditions passed down from generation to generation

I

Idea Books

• books featuring one aspect of scrapbooking such as a specific theme or product

Ink Jet Printer

• printers that spray ink onto a page
• be careful – inks are not always waterproof or suitable for archival pieces

Intensity

• strength of a color based on how true it is to a primary color

J

Journaling

• text on a scrapbook page giving details of photographs
• includes any words you write in your book or on the scrapbook page, from titles and captions to long descriptions, poem or stories
• can be handwritten or printed on computer
• thought to be the separating point between scrapbooks and photo albums

K

L

Lamination

• permanent bonding of two layers of plastic film to one or two sides of a flat item

Layout

• grouping of pages in your scrapbook that go together, one page or more
• arrangement of heading, journaling, and photographs together

Lightfast

• term describing a material not affected or faded by sunlight, fluorescent tubes and light bulbs

Lignin

• substance that binds wood fibers together, and contributes to breakdown of paper
• paper with high levels of lignin are very acidic and therefore cause materials to become yellowish and brittle

Lignin Free

• paper product having a max of 1% lignin

Liquid Adhesive

• liquid adhesive is best for small items, diecut letters and embellishments

M

Magnetic Albums

• peel and stick albums where photos are placed on strips of adhesive on a backing card and then a page protector is used to cover the photo and uncovered adhesive
• many of these albums are damaging to photos
• not okay for scrapbooking

Masking

• a technique used to get the effect of stamped images behind each other, in front of another

Master Family Album

• holds photographs of everyone in the family and family documents, typically in chronological order

Matte

• surface has no glossy finish

Matting

• process of creating a frame around pictures using cardstock and/or patterned paper

Memorabilia

• certificates, documents, and other items that tell a story
• includes souvenirs, mementos, pictures, stamps, any item that remind you of an event or time

Mixed Media

• use of several media (paints, papers, rubber stamps, inks) to create a layout

Monochromatic Color Scheme

• employs different values of the same color

Montage

• work of art incorporating photographs into a collage

Mosaic

• technique where you cut small objects from paper or pictures and put them together to create a collage

Mount

• to adhere a photograph, embellishment or other item to another piece of paper
• a wood or plastic piece that forms the handle of a stamp

Mounting Squares

• small squares of double sided tape-like adhesive

Mulberry Paper

• paper made up of long fibers that look like feathery pieces

Muted Colors

• subdued tints or shades of colors that tend to be more suitable for backgrounds

Mylar

• a protective clear polyester covering for photos and album pages

N

Neutralize

• process of making a solution ph neutral

Non-Bleeding

• an ink that does not spread from its original mark on the paper’s surface

Non-Permanent Mounting

• process of mounting an item to a page without adhering it permanently

NSBR

• acronym “non scrapbook related”

O

Opaque

• any surface that does not allow any light to pass through and therefore cannot be seen through

P

Page Exchange

• participants are invited to create a page to share with other scrapbookers
• each person brings enough copies of an original page to trade with others

Page Protectors

• PVC free plastic sleeve or cover that displays and protects pages for preservation

Page Toppers

• phrases and/or images meant to be used as titles at the top of pages

Paint Pens

• pens with soft brush like tips
• the amount of ink dispensed is controlled by the pressure that is applied to the tip

Paper Crimper

• tool used to corrugate paper or cardstock

Paper Piecing

• multiple layers of paper (die cuts or punches) put together to create an artistic design or image

Paper Tearing

• process of tearing paper instead of cutting so that the edges are rough looking

Paper Trimmer

• Paper cutting tool used for making square cuts and straight lines by placing paper against edge and moving down a blade
• used for trimming paper and photographs

Patterned Paper

• paper with designs repeated on the entire page

PH Level

• measurement to tell how acidic or basic something is
• scrapbookers want items with ph of 7 or higher

PH Testing Pen

• pen containing an indicator dye that when applied to a surface of a material discolours to show the surface’s ph level

Photo Corners

• small triangle pieces of plastic or cardstock with adhesive on the back for attaching photograph corners to a page
• allows you to adhere a photo to a page without applying adhesive on photograph
• non permanent method

Photo Safe

• term used by manufacturers to indicate their products are safe for use with photographs
• not currently regulated

Photo Tinting

• method of applying color to a black and white photograph

Pigment

• a dry, powdery agent that possesses color
• non water soluble substance
• generally more stable than ink

Pixels

• short form for picture elements, which make up digital albums
• the more pixels or dots per inch (dpi) the better the resolution

Polyester

• clear, inert, strong, long-lasting plastic used in preservation products

Polyethylene

• soft, chemically-stable plastic used in the manufacturing of preservation products

Polypropylene

• clear, flexible, chemically-stable plastic used in the manufacturing of preservation products including scrapbook page protectors

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

• substance used in plastic pages of old magnetic photo albums that deteriorates and harms photographs over time
• generally referred to as vinyl

Post Bound Albums

• albums that are held together with metal posts that run through the pages

Pre-Embossed Paper

• paper with a raised design

Product Swap

• a scrapbookers’ swap meet where the host gathers up duplicates of products or tools that he or she is looking to trade with others

Punch

• tool used to cut shapes to be used as embellishments on a scrapbook page

Q

Quilling

• paper ornamentation using fine pieces of paper curled to duplicate various shapes and images

R

Red Eye

• red color that appears in the pupils in a photograph when a flash is used

Red Eye Pen

• pen used to take red eye out of flash photographs

Repositionable

• type of adhesive that allows you to reposition an item on your page for a certain period of time

Reversible Adhesive

• an adhesive that can be undone

Roller Stamp

• stamp mounted on a wheel to make a continuous pattern on a border

Rubber Stamp

• a detailed, intricate design cut out of rubber and mounted on wood or foam
• design is made by applying color to the rubber and imprinting it on the page

S

Scrapbook

• album used to display photographs, memorabilia and journalled memories

Scrapbooking

• tradition of mounting and preserving pictures, and memorabilia in an artistic and archival manner with relevant journaling

Secondary Colors

• colors created by blending primary colors
• orange, green and violet are secondary colors created by combining red, yellow and blue

Self Healing Mat

• a mat you can cut on that maintains its form

Serendipity Squares

• squares made by creating a torn collage of scraps on a background paper, then cutting it into squares and mounting it on cardstock

Setter

• tool used for setting eyelets

Shabby Chic

• sanding, crumpling and distressing paper to give it an old look and feel

Shade

• made by adding black to any color

Shaker Box

• type of paper piecing where a thin PVC free page protector is combined with paper piecings to create an open window pocket
• window contains beads, confetti, mini punches, etc. that can be shaken

Shape Cutter

• Tool designed to cut shapes, can be adjusted to create different variations of the shapes

Sheet Protectors

• folded plastic used to slip over finished scrapbook pages to protect them from external factors
• side or top loading
• must be acid free

Spiral Bound Album

• album with wire binding wound through the pages at the spine in a circular pattern

Sponging

• transfer of ink or chalk to paper using a sponge instead of a brush

Spray Adhesive

• aerosol spray adhesive to ensure an even layer of adhesive over a large area

Stamp Positioner

• a see-through tool that allows you to position stamp images precisely where you want

Sticker

• an adhesive decorative accent usually made from paper

Stitching

• to fasten or join with or as if with stitches

Strap Binding Album

• album secured with plastic straps that run through a holder directly on the pages and keep the book in place

Stylus (dry embossing tool)

• a wood/metal/plastic stick used to deboss paper

Swap

• people looking to exchange or trade items with other scrapbookers in an organized fashion

Swivel Knives

• similar to craft blades but with a rotating blade makes them great for cutting along curves, for templates

T

Tape Roller

• device used to distribute tape on the back of photographs and paper embellishments

Tape Runner

• a dispenser containing small pieces of double sided sticky tape

Template

• a stencil pattern used as a guide to trace shapes

Tertiary Colors

• blends of primary and secondary colors (intermediate colors)
• colors such as red-orange or blue-green

Theme

• the overall emphasis of a page or scrapbook

Theme Album

• an album devoted to one idea e.g. birthdays, wedding

Three Ring Album

• rings that snap apart for easy page insertion removal

Tint

• made by adding white to any opaque color

Title Sheets

• pages made of a series of premade titles

Tone

• shade gradations from white to black or from light to dark

Tote

• bag used for organizing and carrying your scrapbook supplies

Transparency

• a transparent object that is viewed by light shining through it from behind or by projection

Triad

• group of three colors that form a triangle on the color wheel

U

V

W

Walnut Ink

• ink crystals from walnut shells
• very versatile water soluble colorant

Watermark

• translucent design or name easily visible when a sheet is held to light

Water Soluble

• material that can dissolve in water

Wax Pencils

• soft pencils designed for use on photographs

Wet Adhesive

• adhesive that is applied while still in its liquid form and then dries to a solid form

X

X-Acto Knife

• tool with a straight blade to cut intricate designs

Xyron Machine

• machine that applies adhesive to pages
• some xyron machines also laminate or attach a magnetic backing

Y

Z