Often in my videos and blog posts, I will refer to a particular item as being in my "Scrapbooking Top Three" and I wanted to do a post about those three items. These are also the three items about which I receive the most questions. So, I'm going to go over which three items are in my Scrapbooking Top Three, tell you a little bit about them, and go over why I feel they are so important in my scrapping.
1. Epson Photo Stylus R1900: (wide format printer) I love this printer. This is an extremely high-quality color printer. The pictures I get from this printer are so much better than anything I ever had developed before from local print labs. It has crisp, brilliant colors, sharp edges, great skin tones -- it really made me a believer in the quality of home photo printers.
In addition to producing gorgeous photos, this printer has revolutionized my scrapping. Because of this printer I now understand Adobe Photoshop Elements. I know how to resize, change colors, and apply effects to my photographs. I also use odd shaped photos in my scrapbooks. I love making collages. And I can print out my digital scrapbook pages since the printer candle handle up to 13" across and several feet in length if you're using a roll of paper.
I use Epson Ultra Premium Photo Luster paper in the Super B size, and it produces gorgeous prints!
I just love this printer. I produces beautiful photos, I always have something to scrap, and I am more creative in my scrapping because of the unlimited options for picture sizes. And, yes, I did pay over $500.00 for it -- that price is not a mistake. It was worth every single penny.
2. 3M ATG 700: (tape runner) If you've been watching my videos or reading my blog for any length of time, you're sure to have heard me mention this gun. "ATG" stands for "adhesive transfer gun" and the gun is, very simply, a large tape runner. The ATG has been trusted by professional framers and photographers for years and it has begun to filter into the scrapbooking industry.
Despite costing $40.00, the ATG holds a place in my Scrapbooking Top Three for being THE BEST tape runner in terms of quality AND value. The adhesive comes off the roll easily and smoothly, is super strong and very economical. These refills are the cheapest on the market, so the gun will pay for itself in adhesive savings. It will also never get lost on your desk under a pile of supplies.
I wrote in detail about the 3M ATG 700 in this post, and gave a tutorial on altering the ATG in this post and this post. If you want additional information on the 3M ATG 700, please check out those links.
3. Rotatrim Professional M15: (paper trimmer) I've heard a paper trimmer that actually cuts straight every time referred to as the Holy Grail of scrapbooking. We all search high and low for a trimmer that cuts straight every time. Well, for me the search is over -- the Rotatrim M15 is it for me.
Like the 3M ATG 700, the Rotatrim has been in use for many years by professional photographers, graphic designers and other artists and design professionals. This baby is huge and it's solid and I love it. I stumbled across it when I ran into a problem caused by my Epson R1900. Since the paper I use in the Epson R1900 is 13" across, I had to cut all my photos out with a ruler and an X-Acto knife -- very time consuming. So I was in search of a trimmer wider than 12".
This trimmer is solid. It cuts straight every time. It comes in a variety of sizes (the "15" in "M15" stands for "15 inches" or the length of my trimmer). You can cut chipboard and acrylic and the tiniest slivers off of cardstock and patterned paper. It is everything a trimmer should be.
For most scrappers, the Rotatrim Professional M12 is sufficient. The only reason I needed the M15 was because of my oversized photo paper. The Rotatrim Professional M12 is usually available for around $200 + free shipping on Amazon.com.
I don't think it is a coincidence that all three of the items in my Scrapbooking Top Ten are not inexpensive and that I had to save for them. I also don't think it is a coincidence that none of them were developed by scrapbook manufacturers. These are high quality, long lasting products that have been proven to perform consistently in other industries. And, yes, I did pay a premium for that kind of quality, but these items will last forever and have already saved me quite a bit of time, money and energy in my scrapping.
Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.
I have an ATG too.. and I love it! TFS!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower and a long time scrapbooker. I was curious if you've already covered or wouldn't mind sharing some insight on the best suggestions for storing your supplies. Do you have a station? Do you use a certain style/size of bins for stacking?
ReplyDeleteI'd be grateful to hear your opinion on this.
Thanks!
Katie
Hi, Kekibird!
ReplyDeleteI have a large desk where I keep my trimmer, my light and my tool bag (which is on a lazy susan). Everything else is stored in my closet. You can see it all here in the video I did of my scraproom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SnHbCAToZ0
If you have any more questions afteryou've seen the video, I am happy to answer!
Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.
I love my ATG gun as well! It is such a relief not to be running out of adhesive mid way through projects like I used to. I certainly need to look into a new cutter as mine does not seem to cut straight anymore (or is it me?)! Does the Epson printer use a lot of ink? I love printing my pics at home but ink is a crazy price unfortunately. Take care, Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, I'm not sure about the Epson printer's ink usage compared to other printers since it is my frst photo printer. I don't feel like it uses a great deal of ink. I have replaced certain colors more than once (blue goes fast around here between the sky, the ocean, etc.), but there are some colors that I've yet to replace (orange) and I've been using it super heavily for six months now.
ReplyDeleteI like that each color is a separate cartridge so I can replace just the one that's out. I watch until Epson has a sale on the inks and paper & then I buy them then and keep them until I need them. So far it hasn't felt like I've spent much on inks and aper, but, again, I've not had another photo printer to make a comparison.
Good luck on your quest for a paper trimmer that cuts straight! I doubt the problem is you -- they all seem to lose their straightness after a while. I don't even want to think about how many trimmers went to the great crop in the sky before I got the Rotatrim.
Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.
Kathryn: Thanks so much for responding. We're moving in 3 weeks and I'll have more room than I know what to do with. I plan on creating a space for my scrapbooking/card making needs. I'll watch your video and get some ideas. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteKatie
Katie,
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your move! There are tons of great scraproom videos on YouTube. My space is great for my needs, but it is designed to maximize functionality. It's not very cute looking, but it is great for me. Have fun planning you new space!
Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.