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| | Understanding Leather TypesGenuine, top-grain, bonded, suede…the words used to describe leather albums may sound interchangeable, but they are actually very different products. Exposures wants to help you make sure you choose the right albums for your family’s needs, so we’ve created this easy reference guide to leather terms.  Genuine leather: Leather made from the finest raw material—clean natural hides that have not been sanded to remove imperfections. The grain remains in its natural state. Some of Exposures’ finest albums are crafted from genuine leather, including the Italian-made Naturale and Antico albums.
|  Top-grain leather: Also know as corrected-grain leather, top-grain leather is fuzzy on one side and smooth on the other. The natural grain is sanded off the smooth side to remove any imperfections. An artificial grain and dye are applied to create the finished product. The result is a striking, smooth, colorful leather finish. Our best-selling Presidential Collection albums are made from top-grain leather, as is the handcrafted Italian Verona Album.
|  Bonded leather: Small bits of leather are formed into sheets to replicate an animal hide. The sheets can then be textured, dyed and given other embellishments. Bonded leather allows for a lower price than top-grain or genuine leather, while providing similar visual effects. The Metro Collection and Felicity Albums are among the albums crafted from bonded leather.
|  Faux leather: Imitation leather made of synthetic materials and designed to look real. Faux leather is used as an alternative to real animal hide. An excellent choice for items that will endure heavy use, faux leather allows a low price while providing life and durability that natural leather cannot. The Shelbourne Memo Album features a realistic-looking faux leather cover with ridged-spine detailing.
|  Leatherette: Synthetic leather manufactured using a combination of paper, cloth or plastic. It is used mostly in bound books. Because it’s not porous, it helps keep fluids from penetrating its outer layer. The Big Organizer Album carries 400 photos in a protective leatherette case.
|  Suede: The interior split of the hide, suede is fuzzy on both sides. It is less durable than top-grain leather. Suede is less expensive than top-grain leather, because many pieces of suede can be split from a single thickness of hide, but only one piece of top-grain leather can be made. The Suede Brag Book features understated, classic suede covers.
|  Pebble-textured: A raised surface is created on leather or faux leather to add detail and visual interest. The handcrafted Italian Quadrilla Album features pebble-textured leather.
|  Embossed: Patterns are stamped into or raised out of the surface of the leather using different tooling techniques. The Naturale Album is a striking example, with a real Italian oak leaf worked into the genuine leather. The D-Ring Album features an embossed alligator pattern on bonded leather, and the Vinlandia Album cover is lavishly embossed with a grapevine pattern. The variety of effects possible from embossing leather is virtually limitless.
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