Why Print Photos?
In the world where almost all photographs are captured digitally, is there REALLY a need for printed copies?
If you by chance lead a minimalist lifestyle, you may be wondering the same thing. I used to think that printed photos only create clutter and it is also somewhat ephemeral and not meant to last forever (papers turn yellow over time, change in colours or print quality, etc.).
Whenever I’m feeling nostalgic, I can just literally access the photos on my phone or computer in seconds which will take longer if it were printed. With Google Photos, especially, almost all of my photos are right there at my fingertips and sharing with family and friends can also be done easily and quickly. So why bother? Printed photos are just not practical – or are they?
Well, turns out, when it comes to photos, especially your personal or family photos, not everything digital is always good. Sometimes having physical copies of your memories are better.
Let me share with you my top 3 reasons why I think we need to print our digital photos despite the clutter:
Reason #1: Less screen time
For me personally, printing my family photos start to make sense when I have a baby. As a new parent, I learned that screen time is strongly NOT RECOMMENDED for babies and I live by it. This means, if I want to show him meaningful memories that make up his small world or old photos of his mum and dad, I have to print them instead of showing them digitally.
Reason #2: Paper beats digital
Some studies show that physical material is more ‘real’ to the brain than digital images as it involves more emotional processing and it also produces more brain responses that connect with internal feelings and memory network. In conclusion, the studies suggest that tangible materials have a far greater benefit on us than digital files can.
Reason #3: Perfect bonding medium
Photos hold memories and they somehow bring moments back into our lives when we see them. When we see old photos with our loved ones, they often spark conversations about the past, inspire us to relive past milestones or experiences, all this eventually trigger positive bonding moments.
It is always a pleasure to learn about our family’s story, it helps us understand more about ourselves, gives us a sense of belonging and self identity. Printed photos are a perfect way to achive this.
How I Organise Printed Photos
Although printed photos are great, I try not to go overboard and fill my cabinet with too many photos or albums. In fact, I still store and organise most of my photos digitally and only print photos periodically. Besides printing my own photos that I took digitally, I have some loose photos from here and there and I also turn important family stories/journals into books.
Here’s how I organise them all:
For small photos taken from photobooth machines, passport photos, events, etc…
Throughout the years, we accumulated photos from various places and occasions. Those photos come in different sizes and shapes. I used to stashed them in a box but recently I decided to create a simple scrapbook system where I can easily display and organise them all in one big binder.
For large printed photos taken in attraction places like zoo, amusement parks,etc…
Attraction site’s photos are usually large and come in folder or odd-shaped envelopes. It’s difficult to display them together without looking cluttered, so I dedicated a magazine file holder to store them all in one place.
For photos that I took digitally…
Every year, I select 100-200 photos that I like and turn it into yearly photobooks. Those are the highlight or favourite moments of the year that I want to remember and share with family and guests (and of course, my baby) for years to come.
Photobooks are great as they don’t take up a lot of space as compared to traditional photo albums. It is customisable, easy to make, and also affordable.
I also make photobooks for every big trip that our family took together.
I try to make the photobooks in the same size and format every year so they look neat when put together. As my cabinet space is limited and with new photobook added every year, I try not to make each photobook too thick and keep it light so it’s compact and easy to carry. When the photobook is too bulky and heavy, it becomes a hassle to take it out from the cabinet and thus defeat the purpose of printing the photos to show them around.
For photos with lots of stories….
Besides family photos, I also plan to turn exciting journey or family milestones (pregnancy, baby’s first year, kid’s artworks, etc.) into books as well. This is different than normal photobook because it has more texts/stories to it and it is generated by using journaling apps.
Recently, I finally printed my pregnancy journal that I created from 280days app.
And currently, I’m using Day One app as a baby journal to curate daily photos of my baby as well as to record important milestones.
Using journaling app works for me because it saves time, can be used for logging in entries on-the-go to be printed later and more importantly, it doesn’t add clutter to the house.
Even if you don’t plan to print it out, you can always turn it into pdf files and keep your memories safely stored on your computer or in the cloud.
Our lives are fleeting and photographs can only captured tiny fractions of this precious little journey we all take. So enjoy your life, capture as many moments as you like, and then cherish and treasure the memories forever.
