What steps do I need to take to prepare my slides?

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The first slide in each of your groups should identify the side of the slide that you would view the slide from if it was sitting on a light table or you were holding it up to the light of a window.  Most slides are labeled on the "screen side/non-viewing" from the lab that processed your slides.  If your slides are not labeled, you should label the first slide in the group and then ensure that all slides within the group are uniform.  The "screen side" of the mount is: The side that sometimes has "This side toward screen" printed on it. Typically the side that has the company name on it -- Kodak, Fuji, etc. If you make a mistake with this step of the process, we will most likely catch and correct it.	Screen side of slide  (below) Viewing side of slide (below)
Note: All slides enter the scanner with the same orientation. Please do not arrange the slides so that the portrait slides are stacked at a 90° angle to the landscape slides. Use the illustration on the right as a guide. We will rotate the digital scans back to the correct orientation before burning them to disc.  The only exception to this is if we can not determine the correct orientation which is sometimes the case with artwork and flower close-up shots.
When preparing your slides we recommend that you create groups of about 50 slides.  Stack the slides from one group in front of you with the viewing side of the mounts facing up.  Arrange the mounts so that the top of the image is at the top or the left (for portrait photos).  Slides of different sizes (35mm, 126, etc) must be grouped by size within each group due to the crop sizes needing to to be set for different film size. The slide at the top of the stack is slide #1 and should be marked accordingly.  You do not need to mark a number on each slide if you don't want to -- just the first slide.
Be sure to secure each stack of slides with 2 rubber bands to make sure that they don't get mixed up during transportation.   Take a small piece for  paper for each stack and write the sequence number of each stack so that we understand the order in which the groups are to be arranged on your discs.
This block of instructions pertains to Silver and Gold orders only.  Bronze II service does not include folders for each group of slides. The number of folders allowed under the Silver and Gold service levels is an AVERAGE of 1 for every 50 slides.  If you require additional folders for your project they will be billed at a rate of $4.00 for each additional folder. Create an instruction sheet that will outline the group sequence and the name of each group.  These names will become the folder names on your CDs and Data DVDs.  If you order the DVD Video Slideshow, these names can also appear on the top left portion of each image as it is displayed in the video.   Please type the instruction sheet or make sure that the your handwriting is very legible.  We will not be responsible for errors from handwritten instruction sheets Due to folder naming restrictions and space available, you must limit the group/folder names to no more than 32 characters including all spaces.
Here's an example of an instruction sheet if you are NOT ordering the DVD or PC Slideshow: Note: For Silver and Gold orders only.  Bronze II orders are placed into a single folder. If you do not want folders for your scanned image files, you do not need to provide an instruction sheet. Group / Folder Name Slide Count     Group 1 1954 William & Eunice Wedding 47  Group 2 1956 Mary’s Birth 21 Group 3 1956-58 Family and Friends Connecticut 45 Group 4 1958 Christmas week 40     Group 5 1959 Joe’s Birth New York 25 Group 6 1962 Vacation at Disneyland 60 Group 7 1963-68 Vacations in Florida 101     Group 8 1975 Living in Houston 53 Group 9 1975 California 80 Group 10 1980 New House in Jersey 34 Total slides 506   Here's an example of an instruction sheet if you are ordering the DVD or PC Slideshow: Note: For Silver and Gold orders only.   Title = Smith Family Photos Jump Points for Video Jump Point Name Group / Folder Name Slide Count #1 1954 - 1958         Group 1 1954 William & Eunice Wedding 47  Group 2 1956 Mary’s Birth 21 Group 3 1956-58 Family and Friends 45 Group 4 1958 Christmas week in Chicago 40 #2 1959 - 1968         Group 5 1959 Joe’s Birth New York 25 Group 6 1962 Vacation at Disneyland 60 Group 7 1963-68 Vacations 101 #3 1975 - 1980         Group 8 1975 Living in Houston 53 Group 9 1975 California 80 Group 10 1980 New House in Jersey 34 Total slides Total slides 506 We will need the following information if you are sending your own music for your Slideshow.  Keep in mind that the music layout is controlled by the Slide Show Jump Points.  For example, a music track cannot span from JP1 to JP2.  We cannot synchronize a single song track by group/folder.  If you need that type of control, you will need a jump point for every group/folder.  Please make sure that the number of Jump Points on the order form equals the number on your instruction sheet.  Sequence of Music that I am providing.  Jump Point #1 Frank Sinatra, tracks 3, 1, 10, 5, 4   Bing Crosby Track 2 Jump Point #2 Barbra Streisand, tracks 7, 1, 2, 6, 5 Jump Point #3 Barry Manilow, tracks 8, 11, 3, 5  Barbra Streisand, track 4
For added protection we strongly recommend that you place the slides in Ziploc bags.  By doing so you will eliminate the chance that your slides will pick up moisture or dust  from the packing material during shipment.   Package the bags of slides in a shipping box with foam peanuts or newspaper for cushion.  If you are not comfortable with doing your own packaging, your local UPS, Staples, Office Max, Kinko's, or Fed-x stores will do the packaging for you for a small fee .  We recommend that you do not ship in soft containers such as a padded envelope.
To avoid additional handling charges Do not ship slides to us:
in Airequipt cases
with metal clips on slides
thrown in a box or envelope
poorly secured in box
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Mounts with loose stickers, mounts that are bent, or mounts that are falling apart will jamb in the scanners and may incur additional cost.  If your slide mounts cannot be processed, we will notify you and you will have the option of having the slides returned un-scanned or we can remount them in new mounts for a cost of  $0.50 each.  While it is rare (about 1%), we occasionally do need to re-mount a few slides.  If you are not sure about your mounts, lay them on a flat surface, one at a time.  If all four corners do not touch the surface or your mount has come unglued and film can slide out of the mount, your slide cannot be scanned without remounting them first.  If you want to do the remounting yourself, you can purchase slides mounts from us for 20 cents each plus $4.00 shipping and handling.  Just give us a call and tell us how many mounts you need and have your VISA or MasterCard ready.  Please allow 3 business days for receipt of your mounts.

Please ensure that you include the completed order form with your package.  This will ensure that we process your slides per your instructions and get them safely returned to you.