I haven't made any album pages in several years. Most of my computer time goes into writing my memoir or working on web pages. But I was seriously "into it" for a time, using Apple's Pages app and a laser printer. I could do the same thing today with my inkjet printer, and in colour if I wished.
I've always tried to make album pages fit my collection, rather than the other way around. I soon found when I rediscovered stamp collecting in my mid-30s that albums were too restrictive. Too often I had ordinary stamps which weren't represented by spaces in the album, and of course albums never provide spaces for multiples, varieties, cancellations, or on-paper stamps.
I should add that I disagree with your assessment of black mounts. I've almost always used black mounts rather than clean mounts. All you need to do is trim them so that they don't cover the rectangles around the space for the stamp. When I've gone to a lot of trouble to create attractive album pages, I don't want the mounts to sabotage my efforts. (I would suggest buying a guillotine-type trimmer that's designed specifically for stamp mounts.)
Some collectors have commented on my "excessive" verbiage, but one of my primary reasons for collecting is the inherent historical value of stamps and covers. I'm more interested in that history than in the stamps and covers themselves, and my write-ups are one way I can keep that history in mind.
Great pages Bobstamp, I hope to be able to make pages like this sometime.
Regarding the use of black mounts Im not a fan, but the way you use them, with accurat cutting and placing, it is 1.st class.
Im readin this on my phone, but have to come back to read them (your pages) properly on a PC.
"I've always tried to make album pages fit my collection, rather than the other way around. I soon found when I rediscovered stamp collecting in my mid-30s that albums were too restrictive. Too often I had ordinary stamps which weren't represented by spaces in the album, and of course albums never provide spaces for multiples, varieties, cancellations, or on-paper stamps."
How very true.
JohnnyRockets if you are looking for other pages to use as an example, perhaps take a look at the very nice US Pages put out by Don (51Studebaker).
Another suggestion would be to look at some of the albums on the AlbumEasy albums page. Created by different people they might offer some ideas. I can particularly recommend Bill Weston's albums, perhaps have a look at some of the smaller ones like BC & Vancouver Island.
Clive
  2 Members like this post. Login to Like.
"AlbumEasy - Free software for creating custom stamp album pages"
"1) Do you use a trimmer for your mounts? I guess that gives them a completely perfect fit for the stamp?"
I do use a trimmer, like this one:
"2) Also, how did you mount that envelope on the page?"
I used archival, self-adhesive polypropylene corner mounts that I bought from the Creative Memories scrapbook supply company.
Only one time in nearly 20 years have I had trouble with a mount sticking slightly to a cover; it was released and cleaned with a drop or two of lighter fluid.
I tried adding another comment or two to my previous post, but the edit function isn't working.
JohnnyRockets asked if the trimmer provides a "completely perfect fit for the stamp". Answer: No, not automatically! I normally put the stamp in the mount, then trim the mount close to the edges of the stamp, working VERY CAREFULLY!
Many collectors just use scissors or a straight-edge and an Exacto knife to trim mounts. The asymmetrical mounts on their pages convince me that a trimmer is the best tool to use. This has to do solely with appearance. I don't see any point in spending bigger bucks on well-centred, post-office-fresh mint stamps, or on used stamps with great cancellations, only to display them in sloppily cut mounts.
The biggest drawback to using mounts as far as I'm concerned is the tendency of the stamps to "wander" within the mounts, even drift outside the mounts on occasion. I've always used the heaviest paper I could find that would work in my printer; light-weight paper is subject to bending, which always seems to shift stamps within their mounts. These days I also use polypropylene sheet protectors, which also help keep the stamps in place.
I will also use the sheet protectors as you mention and I think I would also like to use the mounting corners. They seem to really be the ticket!
I know exactly what you mean with using inappropriately sized mounts and the stamp kind of "floating" around inside the mount.
LOL, like you mention, "carefulness" is key when trimming... I have looked at the mount trimmers and they do look pretty neat, and although they aren't super cheap, they may fit into the stamp budget at some point.
I, like you, have determined the thickest paper that my printer can take, and actually I like the results that it gives.
So we'll see how it all shapes up... Right now, I am pleased with the page that I have created in AlbumEasy, and I think I have the supplies I need to put it all together.
The only way I've been able to get straight, clean, professional-looking cuts for mounts was to use that exact guillotine cutter that Bob showed. (From Showgard.)
Instead of putting the stamp inside the mount and then cutting it, I would measure the width of the stamp and then add 2-3mm in order to determine the cut for the mount. That seemed to provide the most nice-looking margins, imo. (For narrower stamps, I'd do 2mm. For wider stamps, 3mm. Souvenir sheets would take a little more.)
Login to Like this post
"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"
I'm not sure what to say about which model, 601 or 605.
As for the strips, what I found helpful starting out was the assortment pack. That gives you a few of most of the "stamp" sizes (as opposed to the ones for souvenir sheets). You'll be able to see what you use the most of and just order more packs of those particular sizes.
I'm not necessarily recommending this seller (although I have used them successfully), and this price is a lot higher than I would've expected (but I haven't bought mounts in a long time), but this is the assortment pack:
I've been using the Leuchtturm Stamp Mount Cutter 180 for about three months and have trimmed about 2,000 mounts with it over the period so that stamps in mounts would work with the sometimes narrow spaces provided in the International album pages. It has worked very well and tremendously better than my attempts using scissors where I managed to slice the perfs off of one very nice $10 stamp and slice a major sliver off of another rather ordinary mint stamp not to mention the somewhat angled cuts of the mounts that sometimes resulted before I bought the proper device for making proper width mounts from strips or single mounts.
The box it came in was marked No. 319 565 for its part number. Although the device has what seems to be a simple design made out of plastic with a metal blade it has worked very well when placed on a stable table for cutting purposes.
I have used it with both Scott/Prinz mounts and with Showguard mounts. The Scott/Prinz mounts are a bit more substantial than the Showguard mounts and a bit clearer but both types of mounts work well. Neither peels off of the paper used for Scott International or Specialty album pages so once applied they need to stay in place. For this reason I prefer using clear mounts so that even if some stamps are removed leaving the mounts behind the album still looks decent and you can see the content under the mount.
and just to add...
Once you have used a cutter to cut mounts straight, don't forget to mount them straight on your pages. Back when I was doing exhibits, I employed a table top drafting board and t-square. I'd use low tack tape to tape the page to the board straight. Then I'd line up the mounts on the t-square.
I forgot to mention the style of mount that I prefer. I'm not sure who makes what, but one type is closed only at the bottom, which is the one I prefer. The others are closed at top and bottom, and the backing is split horizontally across the middle. They can't be precisely cut to the height needed for stamps that are too small for them, and I found them to be very difficult to handle.
Here are a few more "album pages" which are actually sheets from four of my exhibits. But, really, what's the difference between an album page and an exhibit sheet? No difference at all in my world.
Note that not one of the exhibit sheets is on white or cream-coloured paper, which is most exhibitors use. I believe that exhibits should be judged on the philatelic material that is being exhibited and on the knowledge of that material that the exhibitor possesses. What does the colour of the mounting paper have to do with that? Not much. However, it seems to me that the colour of the paper can enhance the exhibit's raison d'être for the exhibit.
• This sheet is from a revised version of my first exhibit, "In a Time of Need: 1939-1949 — Wartime & Postwar Austerity in Great Britain". I chose the sepia paper in recognition of the wartime practice in Great Britain of recycling paper without removing ink, which resulted in very "off-white" paper, often with bits of ink showing as inclusions. Many British wartime covers are made from such recycled paper.
• This sheet is from my Battle of the Atlantic exhibit. Blue paper seemed to be the obvious choice for an exhibit about wartime activity at sea.
• Light blue paper seemed to the right choice for this exhibit, "Triumph & Tragedy," about the KLM DC-2 airliner Uiver (Old Dutch for "Stork"). For some reason, the scanned image doesn't reproduce the actual, somewhat darker colour of the paper. Anyway, the Uiver won 1st place in the 1934 London-to-Melbourne MacRobertson International Air Race, establishing the Douglas plane as the first truly modern airliner. Then, on its first commercial flight from Amsterdam to Java it crashed in the Syrian Desert west of Baghdad:
Finally, I chose green paper for a Vietnam War exhibit which I never completed . Some sheets, used to introduce new sections, have a printed bamboo motif; others are plain green. I used the same paper for an exhibit about my own experiences in the war: "37 Days in Vietnam — A hospital corpsman’s story".
Note that I don't use any borders on these exhibit sheets, thank to a tip from Calgary exhibitor Jon Johnson, who pointed out to me that you often need as much room as possible to include multiple items or larger-than-average covers on an exhibit sheet. He's right!
"I have used it with both Scott/Prinz mounts and with Showguard mounts. The Scott/Prinz mounts are a bit more substantial than the Showguard mounts and a bit clearer but both types of mounts work well. "
I find the Showgard stiffer so better for self-adhesives (lay flat) and the Prinz/Scott mounts have black backs (not translucent). I have not noticed any real difference in clarity. I prefer Prinz/Scott since more sellers sell them (like Global Stamps), slightly less expensive,and come in more sizes.
I make my own pages with Word Perfect, easy to use. Using thicker printer paper and placing them when finished in black Lindner Sheet sides, both sides are usable. The advantage is that if you ever want to redo or change a page there is no considerable cost. I do not wet the mounts to stick them to the paper, using a glue-stick I lightly touch the corners of the mounts so they can be removed easily. This is done with a knife or any sharp object. I do not like spending to much money on accessories where I can use this saved money to buy more stamps.
There was a time when I used the Lindner Blanko system ( a sample below), here again removing a sleeve usually meant damaging the sheet. So again in my opinion it is more satisfying to make your own sides.
On a note your collection should be something you like to look at, over and over.....again. What others think is not that important as long as you are satisfied with it.
By the way, all of the Canadian stamps I bought from sellers on StampoRama. Sure am happy I found this site.
For my covers collection I use the Lindner postcard sides, 2 Pockets on each side. I simply print a description of the cover and place it beside the cover. A inexpensive and easy way.
For my theme collection "Birds" I use a very simple method since this is a never ending collection. A large frame a short description at the top, finished. Using office sleeves and binders that cost about €3,00. In 2 1/2 years I have made 9 Binders full, Many pages with only one stamp and have 7 large stock books that I still have to make pages for. So I emphasize on keeping it simple and inexpensive.
It's great to see all of the cool pages that members have created. When I was a teen in the 1970s, I somehow acquired "Showcasing Your Stamp Collection," by C.E. Foster. It gave advice on how to produce pages by hand, which was the only option available to the non-professional at the time. When I returned to collecting in 2007, I chose to continue making pages by hand for three reasons. First, I wanted a consistent look between the old and new pages. Second, I find creating pages by hand to be very relaxing. Finally, a slow rate of page production encourages a slow rate of acquisition, which may leave me enough money with which to eat in my (fast-approaching) old age.