Skip to main content

Sawyer & Kodak Carousel Prep for Slide Scanning

Use this quick guide to move slides safely out of Sawyer reels, keep Kodak carousel slides in order, and set everything to landscape so your scans read perfectly.

There are two basic types of carousels. The Sawyer type holds 100 slides. Slides are “stuck” in the reel and harder to remove because the projector ran the reel on its side—more like a ferris wheel than a flat carousel. If we need to remove slides prior to scanning, there’s a small add-on fee (optional on the order form).

Sawyer carousel with slides secured in the reel prior to removal
Close-up showing why Sawyer slides are difficult to remove

Kodak Carousel Prepping for Scanning

Most people used Kodak carousels. Kodaks held either 80 or 140 slides. Slides are loose in the wheel and a top ring holds them in place.

Kodak carousel with ring removed showing loose slides
Kodak carousel ring that secures slides in the tray
Example of 80-slide Kodak tray prepared for removal and stacking
Example of 140-slide Kodak tray ready for transfer to stacks
Carefully lifting slides from Kodak carousel to maintain order
Neat stacks of slides after removal from Kodak tray
Close-up of a properly aligned stack to keep sequence
Another example stack showing consistent landscape orientation
Stacking slides gently to avoid jams and edge damage
Keeping all frames consistent before boxing and shipping
Final check of stacks prior to scanning

Rotate “portrait” slides to landscape in the tray. In the example below, the camera was turned for a portrait shot and the slide was rotated in the carousel to project correctly. Please rotate such slides so all frames sit landscape in the tray. Don’t worry—after scanning we rotate your images to view correctly.

Portrait-oriented slide that should be rotated to landscape in the tray
Landscape orientation maintained across a stack for smooth scanning
Final stack organized and ready for shipment to our lab

Ready to have your carousels scanned?

We’ll carefully remove, align, and scan at 4000 ppi—then rotate the final images for perfect viewing.

Start Your Order