General Forum

The natural way is to put the binder away like a book. The advantages of this way are the same that storing books this way give. But here is why I don't like it - the pages are heavy, and the tension on the rings causes problems for the rings, the pages, and the cards (the ones in the positions where the shift causes warping of presses them against a ring or something). Also, dust collects on the top row of cards where they are wide open to the elements. 

Storing them horizontally has its advantages, but I worry about the weight. and in order to stack them, you have to put something in the binder to raise the cover to level. 

I've thought about securing the binder shut with a strap or something and then storing them binding up. this distributes the weight of the page evenly on the rings, and it solves the dust problem. But it requires a modification to the binder. Another thought for storing the binder binding up would be to have a rod sticking out of the rack and then hang the binder on the rod. This would have the advantage of the weight being on the metal ring holder, But the tabs are in the way with most binders.

Any ideas that don't require special binders or binder or storage modifications?

If you ensure the binder is "full", but not overfilled, they can stand up like a normal book, no problem. Others have talked about hanging them in file cabinets and such, but yes, they require special binders and/or mods.

Also, ALWAYS use sheet lifters. Some are curved like this and tend to work well in smaller binders:

And some are flat and shaped like a boomerang and are better for larger binders (3"+ need these):

They help keep the pages firmly together as well.

Pile them in a stack and put a rubber band around them. 

The dust issue is the reason I have been converting mine over to zipper binders. 

i was looking for old books to get rid of, & a bunch on a bookcase that were standing up were all leaning over & all the books were bent.

now i’m laying everything down

https://imgur.com/a/QHOR11d

I store mine upright on book shelves. I noticed the dust issue some years back so now just drape a cloth across the top of the binders to protect them. Easy solution.

I did not even think about the dust...good point. I also do use those binder protectors that Vroomed posted. They are about $12 for 20 of them on amazon

I'd like to shelf my binders as well, but I notice that gravity (damn those laws of physics) pulls down the pages and may bend the bottom cards in the pages. At the very least it curls that bottom page, and it bothers me. Not sure what can be done to keep the pages from "sagging".

Okay going to order these immediately. 

Do you use them on both sides?  Or just the front?

I use them on both sides. I have stored in binders upright for years. I have 4+ ways of storing cards. In hindsight, after years of collecting, I sometimes wish I had done everything like this. I do have less expensive loose sets in 5000 count boxes. This would be the preferred way for those.