Print Stereo Cards at Home: Paper, Mounting & Viewing
Printing your own stereo cards closes the loop that SPM’s Stereo Card Maker opens: digital pair in, physical card out, straight into a stereoscope. This guide covers the practical choices — paper, printer route, mounting — that decide whether the result feels like a card or a printout.
Prepare the file in SPM
- Align and window the pair with print in mind: no post-print adjustments exist.
- Lay out the card in the Stereo Card Maker — a preset format, or a custom size (supported since v6.27) matched to your paper and viewer.
- Export at the printer’s native quality; borders and rounded corners are part of the layout, not an afterthought.
Paper and printing routes
- Home inkjet on matte photo paper — the forgiving starter route; matte surfaces avoid the reflections that fight stereoscope viewing.
- Lab prints — order the card layout as one print in a standard size and trim; colour consistency beats home output.
- Card stock mounting — for the true vintage feel, mount the print on grey/brown card with a low-tack spray or photo corners; the classic cards were lithographs on exactly such stock.
Viewing and storing
A traditional stereoscope matches the classic card dimensions; handheld lorgnette viewers suit smaller cards. Store finished cards upright, sleeved if they matter — they are prints, with a print’s enemies (light, humidity, fingers).
You will want a viewer that matches your cards: a classic stereoscope-style card viewer is the traditional partner for home-printed cards.
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