Itoya Original Art Profolio

Itoya The Original Art Profolio Presentation Book

$15.49

9.5

Value/Pricing

8.5/10

Functionality

10.0/10

Usefulness

10.0/10

Durability/Quality

9.5/10

Pros

• Top notch quality - they are durable and I've never experienced manufacturing flaws
• My preferred method for storing art. Also quite useful for storing other things like awards, certificates, autographs, etc.
• I mostly use the 9" X 12" and 11" X 14" sizes, but there are quite a few options to choose from. I count 16 different sizes on Blick
• Art looks good inside the portfolio - it's not obscured or anything
• In my experience using these over the last five years, it does a great job of protecting artwork

Cons

• They are a bit on the expensive side, especially as you start to look at the larger sizes. The quality is excellent enough you can call it a strong value though
• If you're concerned with extreme durability, these might not be for you. The top where you insert pages does not seal. And I haven't tried to rip a page intentionally, but I imagine you could rip it if you tried hard enough. Not an issue for me, but they are not indestructible

Go Check it Out

These art portfolios are listed at retailers by quite a few name variations, so I actually had some difficulty figuring out a correct title. Itoya is always the brand, but they may be called some variation of “The Original” or “Original Profolio” with other modifiers like presentation book, portfolio, and art book. Regardless of the exact name on the listing, this review is about Itoya-branded, top-loading art books with 24 pages, clear sleeves, black inserts, and spine inserts (model IA-12-9). I originally found these when browsing art supplies at a craft store. Now, five years (and over 100 drawings) later, they’ve become my go-to method for storing finished artwork. I’ve filled four books with art so far, and have a couple others in progress. I also use them to store various paper awards, certificates, and other such things.

Since these Itoya portfolios are my default art storage, it’s pretty obvious I like them quite a lot. I’ve never had an issue with manufacturing quality or any other flaws. I typically store two drawings per page; one on the front, one on the back, so that all drawings are visible. But I have tested to see how well it handles stacking multiple pages together. Although it naturally makes the portfolio thicker, there are no issues stacking four or five pages on each side (10 per page or so). The pages are durable and have provided excellent protection for my artwork. There’s a very handy partial sleeve within the front cover that has an opening for business cards. And the spine allows for an insert to help you stay organized.

In terms of price, they are a bit on the expensive size – around $15 each. But this is really a case of “you get what you pay for.” The quality is excellent, making the value proposition fairly strong.

Availability Notes: These are available at many retailers. I usually get them from Blick or Amazon though.

Manufacturer Description:

• Sold Individually as 1 Each
• Archival Safe
• 9″ x 12″
• 24 Sleeves
• Clear Sleeves/Black Cover

Just slide your artwork into Itoya’s crystal clear “pocket” pages for a highly organized, customized, and professional presentation.

Itoya Original Art Profolios are made of durable, lightweight recycled polypropylene, protecting artwork and documents from virtually any damaging office, household, or environmental elements. They’re acid and PVC free.

Designed to lie completely flat while open, each book contains clear pocket pages with black inserts. The spine pocket allows for easy labeling.

Portfolio Dimensions – The Sizes noted for presentation cases, portfolios, binders, and refill pages are the sizes of the artwork they are intended for, not the actual outer dimensions of the product. For all dimensions, see the Item Specs tab.
Format Note – The first dimension (H–Height) shown in the table below refers to the bound side.