How to store instructions?

[ChrisXY]

I have a bunch of them. Like 400. In different sizes, from super small mini micro sets & polybags to big ones.

Of course I googled it, found some articles and YouTube videos but none was good in my eyes.

Using 2 oder 3 clip binders and putting every instuction into a plastic sheet is good, but instructions fall out and if you store the binder upwoards like intended the instructions have their full weight at the bottom. They will "warp". So best way is to store those binders horizontally flat. Still doesnt solve the problem of instructions to fall out. But what about the tiny ones? Using a full plastic sheet for a 2x2cm instruction doesnt make sense. And some instructions are either bigger then A4 plastic sheets or thicker that they don´t fit...it´s a pain in the... :-( Also I would like to store all the small ones together in one, but they interfere with eachother and that could lead to damage...

Also card boxes where you hang the instructions can´t be good as the weight also is here towards the bottom.

What is the perfect storage?

Edited August 27 by ChrisXY

[Stereo]

I just stack them flat on closely spaced shelves, so none of the piles are more than 10cm high, arranged in set number order so I can find them (eg. a pile of 42000 to 42140 of all the A4 size ones).  I don't have a huge amount of tiny ones but I put the quarter and eighth sheet size ones in a little tray that I can pull out of the shelf if I want to look.

Edited August 27 by Stereo

[dartmar]

I use ring binders and plastic sheets but I use 4 different sized plastic sheets for the different sized instructions so they stay nice and straight. 

[MAB]

There is a huge range of choices. Ring binders with inserts, or box files, or old LEGO boxes to store them by theme, or a filing cabinet with hanger files, or a shelving system, or plastic drawers, or tubs with fitted lids, etc. It really depends how many you have, how much space you have, how often you want to access them, how much you want to spend on storage, what condition you want them kept in, and no doubt other factors.

[ChrisXY]

8 hours ago, dartmar said:

I use ring binders and plastic sheets but I use 4 different sized plastic sheets for the different sized instructions so they stay nice and straight. 

I have found now that there A4 sheets that are halfed or quarted (insert always from the top). But how to do you prevent that the instructions dont fall out of the pocket? Those sheets are not very strong in my opinion.

[JesseNight]

10 hours ago, dartmar said:

I use ring binders and plastic sheets but I use 4 different sized plastic sheets for the different sized instructions so they stay nice and straight. 

This is exactly what I've always been doing as well.

[dartmar]

15 hours ago, ChrisXY said:

I have found now that there A4 sheets that are halfed or quarted (insert always from the top). But how to do you prevent that the instructions dont fall out of the pocket? Those sheets are not very strong in my opinion.

To be precise I use  A4 plastic sheets for pictures. I use those for my instructions. I also use a coinsheet for the smallest instructionsbooklets. Also my ring binder have four rings so the sheets always stay straight.  

[Yoggington]

Honestly, I'm not too pushed about keeping them pristine, and they are not something I retrieve too often. So a box is better than a binder for my use case.

Shoeboxes are perfectly sized for a fat stack. I store them by size, so one box has the tiny and small, one box has the mid-size city books, another three boxes of A4 size.

Edited August 30 by Yoggington

[Justin]

On 8/28/2025 at 12:51 PM, JesseNight said:

This is exactly what I've always been doing as well.

That's also been my preferred choice for storing instruction booklets. It's better than letting the booklets sit around, only to be thrown away by accident without knowing...

[RockoUper]

For storing LEGO instructions, try using ring binders with plastic sleeves, file boxes, or magazine boxes. These methods help keep manuals organized and easy to access. For more tips, check out the Eurobricks guide.