Digital vs. Paper

As a fan of everything book related, I have an undying hate for e-Readers.  There's absolutely no way you will ever get me to switch from beautiful, brand-spanking, itching to be read books to a dinky little tablet.  So you'd think this hate for digital would overflow into other areas as well, say for instance, scrapbooking.  But at this point I'm not so sure.  

I've always stuck to the paper, scissors, and stickers route of scrapping.  That is to say, scrapping in the only really making cards and a few other accessories because scrapbooks stress me out sense.  But in the last few days, I've worked in Shutterfly, Costco and iPhoto and I have to say, there are some definite benefits to the whole digital revolution.

Likes:

Time - I was able to knock out a 60 page book in iPhoto in just a few hours where that same book would have taken me months to finish regularly.  There is something to say about a quick turn around.

Cost - Digital accessories in programs like Shutterfly or Snapfish are much less expensive (i.e. Free!) and endlessly re-usable than stickers or Cricut cartridges.  The books themselves are a little on the high-side though, so you have to be careful when adding additional pages. Plus, the cost of printing out photos or using ink to print them yourself, is virtually eliminated since you're only paying for the photos in the books you're creating which is covered in the overall price.

Look - In the end, when all pictures and accessories have been added, the final product looks a whole lot more professional than anything I could have done.  However, there are some serious scrappers out there that could scrap circles around these programs.

Dislikes:

Accessories - Stickers and Cricut cartridges are just more fun to browse at the Michael's or AC Moore than clicking on a digital element in Shutterfly.  And hoarding them is so much more satisfying.

Software and Hardware - To use all the great elements you see as free printables all over the web, you need a program like Photoshop to create in, which is a bit expensive and has a steep learning curve.  If you're planning to stick to Shutterfly or Snapfish or iPhoto, you have to be content with the elements they have and how each of these elements work.  It's frustrating not being able to make certain things work the way you want them to.  Never really a problem in paper crafting.

Thrill of Creativity - Let's be honest, one reason we all love to make things is showing those things off to our friends to make them jealous.  A digital album just doesn't have the same affect as a beautifully created handmade with love album you've slaved over for the last few months.

So I suppose, in the end it's a toss-up.  I like the idea of digital for quick, down and dirty albums, like Project Life.  I personally think Project Life would send me over the edge even in digital, but I can see where it would be a thousand times simpler in a program like Shutterfly.  But for the big stuff, you just can't beat some super cute Cricut die-cuts and some awesome stickers.  There's something about being "retro" that wins out every time!