Stereo Cards for Printing with SPM’s Stereo Card Maker
A stereo card — two prints mounted side by side on a card, viewed through a stereoscope — is the format that made 3D photography a mass medium in the 19th century, and it is still the most satisfying way to share a pair. StereoPhoto Maker includes a Stereo Card Maker for exactly this. This tutorial covers preset and custom cards, corners and borders, and printing.
Build the card in SPM
- Open and align your pair first; a card fixes the geometry in print, so align before you lay out.
- Open the Stereo Card Maker and choose a preset card format, or set a custom size — custom card sizes have been supported since v6.27.
- Set the border and corner options (rounded corners are available) to match the classic card look or your viewer.
- Position the stereo window with extra care: on paper there is no adjusting it later.
- Export the finished card image at print resolution.
Printing choices
Home inkjet on matte photo paper is the forgiving route for first cards; a lab print on standard sizes (the maker’s custom sizes exist precisely so cards can match common print formats) gives a firmer card when mounted. The full printing workflow — paper, mounting, viewers — is in Print stereo cards at home, and the restoration side for antique cards is in Scan & restore vintage stereo cards.
Print one test card before a batch. Window placement and border widths that look right on screen routinely need one paper iteration.
Cards are viewed through a stereoscope: a classic stereo card viewer matches the prints this tutorial produces.
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