Stacking Your Slides From The Bottom Up
We want to show you how to get your slides stacked, organized and oriented correctly for scanning. This is a confusing subject for many people so we hope that this helps.
Our examples on this page cover building your stack from the bottom up. You start with the very last slide in each “show” or “chapter” and build your stack upward. The top slide will be the first slide in the show or chapter.
NOTE: “Chapter” means that different stacks of slides will be put into separate folders once they are converted to images.
Determine Front and Back of Slides
For consistency, the side of the slide with the logo is the “front.” If you hold a slide up to the light and see a sign in the picture, the text will read backwards from the back side. Don’t worry—your final scans will read correctly when viewed or printed. We just need everyone to reference slides the same way while organizing.
Rotate Portrait Slides Before Stacking
When the camera was turned on its side, the slide is “portrait.” Rotate portrait slides to landscape inside your stacks so they scan consistently. We rotate final images as needed so they view correctly.
Numbering & Simple Storage
Waxed paper, aluminum foil, or plastic baggie boxes are the ideal size for keeping stacked slides organized. Use a clearly marked divider between chapters—no rubber bands needed. Number each slide within a chapter starting at #1 (e.g., Chapter 1: #1–#45; Chapter 2: #1–#32, etc.).
Ready to Digitize Your Slides?
Follow the steps above and we’ll take care of the rest—every scan includes careful handling and quality checks.