No matter what your scrapbooking style is, paper forms the background of every layout. And when you start adding up the cost of the paper used on every layout in every album you create, it can get pretty pricey. There is a way to cut down on your paper costs, though: free printable scrapbook paper. But be careful ... there are some considerations when opting to print your own paper from the Internet.

Free printable scrapbook paper is available in many corners of the Internet world. Although this is a less expensive and readily accessible option, don’t go down this road without first heeding a few warnings.

1. Remember that scrapbook paper you print will not be acid and lignin free unless the paper on which you are printing it is. You can purchase acid and lignin free paper for your computer, so if you are planning on printing your own paper, it will be a good investment for you to get some.

2. Free printable scrapbook paper may not yield the same 12" by 12"size that standard scrapbook paper comes in. Get creative though!

3. You may be limited in patterns and colors when you use free printable scrapbook paper backgrounds. Consider looking for digital scrapbooking paper, to which you can add your personal touch in a graphics program (a popular one is Adobe PhotoShop) and then print the one-of-a-kind design.

Where Can I Find Printable Scrapbooking Paper?

Sometimes you can find printable scrapbooking paper online that is free, with absolutely nothing asked of you but the few moments it takes to download it. In other cases, you may be required to take a short survey or sign up for a newsletter in order to get access to the free paper.

A good place to start is by entering the term "free printable scrapbooking paper" or something similar into a search engine such as Google. You’ll get a list of several sites, but start at the top of the search results page first -- you’ll have the best luck with these sites.

Try the first ten or twenty sites and see what you find. You may be surprised by the options!

After you’ve perused the results of that search, try searching for "free digital scrapbook paper". What you’ll find here are more sites that offer downloadable scrapbook paper.

And when you exhaust both of those options, check out some general scrapbooking websites. Many of the better ones offer free items, such as papers, to download.

Finally, free scrapbook paper may be no further away than your own computer. Many common software programs come with patterned templates meant to be used as stationery, but that can be printed out to serve as scrapbooking paper. And if you have a program like Adobe Photoshop, you can create your own paper by simply repeating a pattern on your document and then printing it on photo-safe paper.

The best tool at your disposal in scrapbooking is your imagination.

Although scrapbooking can be a costly hobby it doesn’t have to be, and if you are a little creative you can find lots of ways to print your own paper. Not only will that cut down on the cost, but you’ll be able to print just what you want!