Digital Scrapbooking Statistics (2026): 40+ Data Points on Market Growth, Community Participation, and Memory Keeping Trends
Digital Scrapbooking Statistics (2026): 40+ data points on market growth, community participation, and memory keeping trends
25 million Americans still scrapbook — and the industry serving them is on track to more than double in size within a decade. The digital scrapbooking market, valued at $3.5 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $7.5 billion by 2033 (Future Market Insights, Photo Printing & Merchandise Market, 2026). The broader photo printing and merchandise market sits at $26.4 billion, expanding at 5.1% annually. For this roundup, data was pulled from Creating Keepsakes, Future Market Insights, the Michaels 2026 Creativity Trend Report, the TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report (February 2026), and peer-reviewed research from Frontiers in Public Health. The audience is larger than most people assume, in a market growing faster than most analysts predicted.
Key takeaways
- 25 million Americans scrapbook, making it one of the most widely practiced paper crafts in the country (Creating Keepsakes, National Scrapbooker Survey — most recent available data)
- The digital scrapbooking market is worth $3.5 billion in 2025, growing at 12% annually toward $7.5 billion by 2033 (Future Market Insights, 2026)
- Analog hobby searches surged 136% in the six months leading up to the Michaels 2026 Creativity Trend Report
- TikTok nostalgia content hit 3.2 trillion views in the 12 months prior to February 2026, up 130% year-over-year (TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report)
- 65% of consumers prefer physical photo albums for long-term memory preservation, even as they capture photos primarily on phones (WifiTalents, Photo Printing Industry Data)
- 48% of Americans have 1,000+ photos on their phone. Most haven't printed a single one (Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025)
- Only 18% of Americans printed a photo in the last three months (Mixbook, 2025)
- 43% of Gen Z regularly print photos, and 55% say they want more printed keepsakes (industry survey data, 2025)
- Arts and crafts participation links to mental health improvements comparable to those from employment (Frontiers in Public Health, 2024)
- "Scrapbooking paper" hit peak search volume (100/100) on Google Trends in December 2025
1. Market size & growth
The digital scrapbooking market's growth isn't riding one trend. Post-pandemic reconnection to physical objects, more home photography than at any prior point in history, and a direct consumer desire to curate rather than scroll have all funneled spending into memory preservation tools. The broader arts and crafts retail market, valued at $47.35 billion in 2025, shows the same momentum. Within that market, digital scrapbooking is one of the faster-growing segments, outpacing the category average by more than double on a CAGR basis.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Digital scrapbooking market size (2025) | $3.5 billion | Future Market Insights, Photo Printing & Merchandise Market, 2026 |
| Digital scrapbooking market size (2033, projected) | $7.5 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Digital scrapbooking CAGR (2025–2033) | 12% | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Photo Printing & Merchandise market (2026) | $26.4 billion | Future Market Insights, Photo Printing & Merchandise Market, 2026 |
| Photo Printing & Merchandise market (2036, projected) | $42.1 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Photo Printing & Merchandise CAGR | 5.1% | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Global arts & crafts market (2025) | $47.35 billion | Research and Markets, Arts & Crafts Market Report, 2026 |
| Global photo printing market (2025) | $26.61 billion | Coherent Market Insights, Photo Printing Market, 2025–2032 |
| Global photo printing market (2030, projected) | $33.26 billion | Coherent Market Insights, 2025 |
The $3.5B to $7.5B trajectory is aggressive for a reason. The broader photo printing market grows at 4.6–5.1% annually. A 12% CAGR for digital scrapbooking means a segment taking share from physical craft supply spending while also growing the total category. Tools like MyScrapBook Studio sit in that gap directly — software replacing physical craft materials while producing the same emotional result.
2. Participation & community
The "25 million US scrapbookers" figure gets cited constantly, and it's probably an undercount of the actual current audience. It comes from a Creating Keepsakes national survey last significantly re-cited in 2022–2024, with underlying research that predates 2010. The real number today is almost certainly higher, given the documented explosion of memory-keeping content on TikTok and Pinterest since 2020. What the data confirms: scrapbooking is a mass-participation hobby.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US scrapbookers (most recent available data) | 25 million | Creating Keepsakes, National Scrapbooker Survey (most recent re-citation: 2022–2024) |
| Adults who participated in at least one craft activity in the past year | 37%+ | Frontiers in Public Health, 2024 |
| Estimated share of British population engaged in arts and crafts | ~20% | Frontiers in Public Health, 2024 |
| Gen Z who print photos regularly | 43% | Industry survey data, 2025 |
| Gen Z who want more printed keepsakes | 55% | Industry survey data, 2025 |
Note on the 25 million figure: The original Creating Keepsakes survey predates 2010. It is widely cited as the most recent available benchmark, not a current-year measurement. Current participation is likely higher.
Scrapbooking sits at an unusual demographic crossroads. The core community skews female and millennial-or-older, but the digital revival is being led by Gen Z, who are printing more photos than Boomers according to recent survey data. That demographic flip is what makes digital tools relevant in a way physical craft stores aren't. If you're newer to the hobby, here's a practical place to start.
3. Nostalgia & memory keeping trends
The nostalgia wave driving scrapbooking is documented behavior, not vague cultural feeling. It shows up simultaneously in search data, social media engagement, and retail sales. Michaels' 2026 Creativity Trend Report has the clearest numbers: analog hobby searches up 136% in six months, junk journaling (a directly adjacent hobby) up 63% year-over-year. On TikTok, nostalgia content reached 3.2 trillion views in the year leading up to February 2026, a 130% increase. Demand for memory-related content extends well past the scrapbooking audience.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Analog hobby search growth (6-month period preceding Michaels survey) | +136% | Michaels, 2026 Creativity Trend Report |
| Junk journaling search growth (YoY) | +63% | Michaels, 2026 Creativity Trend Report |
| TikTok nostalgia hashtag views (12 months preceding Feb 2026) | 3.2 trillion | TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report, February 2026 |
| TikTok nostalgia hashtag view growth (YoY) | +130% | TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report, February 2026 |
| Gen Z consumers who want brands to bring back old aesthetic styles | 80% | Amra & Elma, Nostalgia Marketing Statistics, 2026 |
| Consumers more likely to purchase nostalgia-evoking products | 75% | Amra & Elma, Nostalgia Marketing Statistics, 2026 |
| Consumers who find nostalgic advertising comforting | 62% | Amra & Elma, Nostalgia Marketing Statistics, 2026 |
| Nostalgic content emotional response uplift vs. non-nostalgic | 2.4x | Wharton Behavioral Lab (via Amra & Elma, 2026) |
Analog hobby searches up 136% in six months is the number that matters most here. Not nostalgia as aesthetic — actual search intent. People looking for ways to make things by hand. Scrapbooking, journaling, and memory keeping are direct beneficiaries of that shift.
4. Digital vs. physical preferences
65% of consumers prefer physical photo albums for long-term preservation. Meanwhile, 64.3% of all photo printing sales happen online, and 48% of Americans haven't printed the thousand-plus photos sitting on their phone. That gap between strong preference and near-zero follow-through has been growing for years. Digital scrapbooking cuts through that friction — you get the emotional satisfaction of a finished album without needing to print anything first.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Consumers who prefer physical photo albums for long-term preservation | 65% | WifiTalents, Photo Printing Industry Data |
| Photo printing market: online segment share (2025) | 64.3% | Cognitive Market Research, Photo Printing Market Report |
| Americans with 1,000+ photos saved on their phone | 48% | Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 |
| Americans who have never printed a smartphone photo | 31% | Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 |
| Americans who printed a photo in the last three months | 18% | Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 |
| Gen Z who print photos regularly | 43% | Industry survey data, 2025 |
| Gen Z who want more printed keepsakes | 55% | Industry survey data, 2025 |
The 31% who have never printed a smartphone photo — despite taking thousands — are not people who don't care about their memories. They're people who haven't found a low-friction way to do something with them. That's a large and reachable audience.
5. Platform & search trends
Search and social data for memory-keeping hobbies shows steadily rising interest with strong seasonal spikes. Google Trends data for "scrapbooking paper" hit peak score — 100/100 — in December 2025, with secondary peaks in May (80/100) and August (87/100). Pinterest's published trend data from 2023 showed paper crafts surging: origami up 175%, quilling up 60%. TikTok's nostalgia data from February 2026 confirms the trajectory continuing.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| "Scrapbooking paper" Google Trends peak score (December 2025) | 100/100 | Google Trends |
| "Scrapbooking supplies" Google Trends score (August 2025) | 87/100 | Google Trends |
| "Scrapbooking supplies" Google Trends score (May 2025) | 80/100 | Google Trends |
| Pinterest: paper crafts/origami search growth | +175% | Pinterest Trend Report, 2023 |
| Pinterest: quilling search growth | +60% | Pinterest Trend Report, 2023 |
| TikTok #memories hashtag total views | 54.2 billion | TikTokHashtags.com, 2025 |
| TikTok nostalgia content growth (YoY) | +130% | TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report, February 2026 |
December peaks make sense — holiday gifting and year-in-review motivation are obvious drivers. The May and August secondary peaks are more interesting because they're not explained by the calendar. They suggest a non-seasonal, growing baseline of interest in memory keeping that persists across the year.
6. Future projections
The embedded photo album segment — physical and digital products designed for long-term memory storage — is growing at 12.6% CAGR, faster than most adjacent categories. The market was $3.85 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit $11.7 billion by 2033. The arts and crafts broader market is heading toward $50+ billion. Nearly every adjacent market points in the same direction.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Digital scrapbooking market projection (2033) | $7.5 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Embedded photo album market (2025) | $3.85 billion | DataInsightsMarket, Consumer Trends in Embedded Photo Album Market, 2025 |
| Embedded photo album market (2033, projected) | $11.7 billion | DataInsightsMarket, 2025 |
| Embedded photo album CAGR | 12.6% | DataInsightsMarket, 2025 |
| Photobook and album market (2025) | $3.51 billion | Fortune Business Insights, Photobook and Album Market, 2025 |
| Photobook and album market (2034, projected) | $5.61 billion | Fortune Business Insights, 2025 |
| Global arts & crafts market CAGR | 7.1% | Research and Markets, Arts & Crafts Market Report, 2026 |
The embedded photo album market growing at 12.6% CAGR is the data point worth sitting with. Products people buy specifically to preserve and display memories — not photography infrastructure — growing faster than almost everything around them. As digital tools get better and cheaper, they pull users away from physical photobooks. The audience overlap between "buys photobooks" and "would use a digital scrapbooking tool" is large, and tools that handle both ends of the workflow — digital creation and physical output — will take the most of it. If you're curious what that looks like, here's how digital scrapbooking skills typically develop.
Digital scrapbooking by the numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US scrapbookers (most recent available) | 25 million | Creating Keepsakes, National Scrapbooker Survey |
| Digital scrapbooking market (2025) | $3.5 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Digital scrapbooking market (2033) | $7.5 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Digital scrapbooking CAGR | 12% | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Photo Printing & Merchandise (2026) | $26.4 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Photo Printing & Merchandise (2036) | $42.1 billion | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Photo Printing CAGR | 5.1% | Future Market Insights, 2026 |
| Global arts & crafts market (2025) | $47.35 billion | Research and Markets, 2026 |
| Global photo printing market (2025) | $26.61 billion | Coherent Market Insights, 2025 |
| Analog hobby search growth (6-month) | +136% | Michaels, 2026 Creativity Trend Report |
| Junk journaling search growth (YoY) | +63% | Michaels, 2026 Creativity Trend Report |
| TikTok nostalgia views (12 months to Feb 2026) | 3.2 trillion | TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report, Feb 2026 |
| TikTok nostalgia growth (YoY) | +130% | TikTok, Feb 2026 |
| Consumers preferring physical photo albums | 65% | WifiTalents, Photo Printing Industry Data |
| Americans with 1,000+ phone photos | 48% | Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 |
| Americans who never printed a smartphone photo | 31% | Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 |
| Americans who printed a photo in last 3 months | 18% | Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 |
| Gen Z who print photos regularly | 43% | Industry survey data, 2025 |
| Gen Z who want more printed keepsakes | 55% | Industry survey data, 2025 |
| Photo printing online segment share | 64.3% | Cognitive Market Research, 2025 |
| Adults engaged in crafts in past year | 37%+ | Frontiers in Public Health, 2024 |
| British population engaged in arts and crafts | ~20% | Frontiers in Public Health, 2024 |
| Gen Z wanting brands to restore old aesthetic styles | 80% | Amra & Elma, Nostalgia Marketing Statistics, 2026 |
| Consumers more likely to buy nostalgia-evoking products | 75% | Amra & Elma, 2026 |
| Consumers who find nostalgic advertising comforting | 62% | Amra & Elma, 2026 |
| Nostalgic content emotional response vs. non-nostalgic | 2.4x | Wharton Behavioral Lab (via Amra & Elma, 2026) |
| Pinterest paper crafts/origami search growth | +175% | Pinterest Trend Report, 2023 |
| Pinterest quilling search growth | +60% | Pinterest Trend Report, 2023 |
| "Scrapbooking paper" Google Trends peak (Dec 2025) | 100/100 | Google Trends |
| Embedded photo album market (2025) | $3.85 billion | DataInsightsMarket, 2025 |
| Embedded photo album market (2033) | $11.7 billion | DataInsightsMarket, 2025 |
| Embedded photo album CAGR | 12.6% | DataInsightsMarket, 2025 |
| Photobook and album market (2025) | $3.51 billion | Fortune Business Insights, 2025 |
| Photobook and album market (2034) | $5.61 billion | Fortune Business Insights, 2025 |
| Artists who say art helps them feel relaxed | 21% | Jackson's Art, UK Creativity Survey, 2025 |
| Creatives who say art boosts confidence | 20% | Jackson's Art, UK Creativity Survey, 2025 |
Methodology and sources
All statistics here draw from primary surveys, market research aggregators, social platform trend reports, brand research, and peer-reviewed academic literature. Where primary methodology is not disclosed by the original source, that limitation is noted inline.
Sources:
- Creating Keepsakes, National Scrapbooker Survey — Source for the 25 million US scrapbookers figure. Most recent industry re-citation: 2022–2024. The original survey methodology predates 2010; treat as a floor estimate, not a current-year measure.
- Future Market Insights, Photo Printing & Merchandise Market Report, 2026 — Digital scrapbooking market size, CAGR projections, photo printing market data (futuremarketinsights.com)
- TikTok Global Trend Intelligence Report, February 2026 — Nostalgia hashtag views, YoY growth rates
- Michaels, 2026 Creativity Trend Report — Analog hobby and junk journaling search growth data
- Research and Markets, Arts & Crafts Market Report, 2026 — Broader arts and crafts market sizing
- Coherent Market Insights, Photo Printing Market Analysis, 2025–2032 — Global photo printing market size and growth (coherentmarketinsights.com)
- Cognitive Market Research, Photo Printing Market Report — Online segment share of photo printing
- Fortune Business Insights, Photobook and Album Market, 2025 — Photobook market sizing and projections (fortunebusinessinsights.com)
- DataInsightsMarket, Consumer Trends in Embedded Photo Album Market, 2025 — Embedded photo album market growth
- Frontiers in Public Health, "Creating arts and crafting positively predicts subjective wellbeing," 2024 — Participation data and wellbeing findings (frontiersin.org)
- Jackson's Art, UK Creativity Survey, 2025 — Mental health benefits statistics (jacksonsart.com)
- WifiTalents, Photo Printing Industry Data — Physical album preference statistics
- Mixbook Consumer Survey, 2025 — Photo printing behavior and phone photo volume (mixbook.com)
- Amra & Elma, Nostalgia Marketing Statistics, 2026 — Nostalgia consumer behavior aggregation. Amra & Elma is a marketing agency compiling industry research; underlying primary sources vary. (amraandelma.com)
- Pinterest Trend Report, 2023 — Paper craft search growth. Most recent publicly available Pinterest trend data at time of publication.
- Google Trends — "Scrapbooking paper" and "scrapbooking supplies" search volume index, 2025
Last updated: April 2026. Updated quarterly.