@KristineB While I never paper scrapped but occasionally - very rarely - will make a little paper something with my photos I think the best thing about Digital is you can use supplies over and over AND make anything almost work for you. No need to hoard anything! Wrong color? you can change that. Too big? you can resize it. Paper too busy or two flat? blend it with another one! Want lots of certain letters? Fonts can give you 27 or a million of a letter you want. And if something looks 'off' there's the godblessit CMD-Z (or Cntrl-Z on a PC) Poof! it's gone. And I'm not even talking about all the things you can do with software. OMG While I have an iPad Pro, I cannot draw a straight or crooked line and my eyes are too old to seriously consider Procreate. Do I own it though? of course! My granddaughter can use it without any teaching (!!!Kids!!!) when she visits or visited I should say... and one day when the Apple stores reopen to humans a friend and I plan to take one of the free classes. I know software but have no natural artistic talent and she has the talent but no ease with computer kinds of things. A good pair, right?
Hi Kristine, and welcome to the Lilypad! You've gotten lots of good advice here already. My favourite things about digi scrapping is that if you make a mistake, you can quickly undo it and try again. You can cut your papers into all kinds of shapes and you still have the original paper to reuse over and over! And elements can be used unlimited number of times. So it really becomes affordable once you start to build your stash of goodies. I print bound books at Shutterfly when they have their unlimited pages sale (I usually buy a 20-page lay-flat 12x12 hardcover book, usually for 50% off, and then add up to 91 more pages for free!).
Hello @KristineB and welcome to The Lilypad! I paper scrapped from 1996 to 2008 when I switched to digital scrapbooking. At the time, my son was 3 years old and he was into everything, and digi scrapping allowed me to be creative and not worry about him messing up a layout or getting into paints and stamps or get hurt with tools. I started with Photoshop Elements. You can find a trial version of the software at Adobe's website. That way you can check it out before investing. I currently use Photoshop Creative Cloud, which is a subscription based service. I generally print with Shutterfly when they have sales, but I've also printed my 12x12 pages as single prints through Persnickety Prints (an online printing service that makes fabulous prints) and sliding them into page protectors just like I used to with my paper layouts. I absolutely adore scrapping this way. I can create loads of mixed media layouts without the mess. I can stop a layout and come back to it later. I can reuse supplies. It's easy to share my layouts online. Someone mentioned my scrapbooking process video channel: Watch Cheryl Scrap. If you've watched paper scrapbooking process videos, this is similar, but just shows my process in Photoshop. I also have a playlist for Watch Cheryl Scrap LIVE! At least once a month, I host a live scrapbooking session that I record. You can join in on the first Wednesday of the month or you can just watch the recordings. Between all of us, we can help get you started creating. Don't hesitate to ask questions as there's usually always someone around that can help.
It looks like you've gotten lots of good advice. There are lots of great things about digi! You can reuse supplies, print multiple pages or books of what you've created, scrap instantly without having to leave your house to shop...and so much more! I've printed quite a few of my digital pages in book form or single page form. I have a review here (although it probably should be updated a bit) of different ways I've printed. http://www.scrappingwithliz.com/2014/01/printing-digital-scrapbook-pages.html