I find the comic book ones good for up to about 3 yards. For more than that, I have used one on each end and folded up towards the middle. They get full though and it's not as easy to cut a piece off. But generally I don't buy more than a yard or two of any one fabric unless I expect to use it as a backing for a specific quilt.
I like the comic book size. It fits well on a bookshelf. And I love sorting mine by color. And it is very easy to see what I have! The fabric bolts from a fabric store would be too big for me though. But if you have a large amount of big pieces, maybe you could do some of each?