Need a Custom Microscope Slide? Let Carolina Prepare It for You!
Did you know that Carolina’s Microscope Slides Department can make custom prepared microscope slides and slide sets? Our staff regularly creates custom prepared slides for a variety of customers. Maybe you have wanted a particular slide but couldn’t find it in the Carolina™ Science catalog or online. You probably thought you had to look elsewhere, but that is certainly not the case!
Our Microscope Slides Department has made a variety of custom prepared slides. Unstained tissue samples and custom-stained samples are some common requests. If you need a sample stained a particular way, or left unstained, please contact us. An example of a special slide request is when a museum requested multiple specimens mounted on one slide to use in an exhibit. Although unavailable through our catalog offerings, we were happy to produce this slide for the museum. Another interesting request came from a major university that needed slides with samples of the blenny fish showing the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome.
Whether you have to provide the sample of the specimen for the custom slide depends on the request. Our staff has access to many specimens, but if you need a very specific specimen, such as the blenny fish samples, you may need to provide them. An example of a custom specimen that we were able to provide was a request for a serial section of fetal mice. We provided the specimens and prepared the slides for the customer.
Maybe you are working on a project or preparing to teach a course and you need a specific set of slides. Our Microscope Slides Department can help! One of our customers wanted to create a forensic reference set but couldn’t find the type of slides he needed. He contacted us and we sourced all sorts of powders that were then used to prepare an Unknown Powders slide set for him. Although we provide many different kinds of slide sets, sometimes customers have requirements that our standard sets don’t address. Our staff is happy to custom group the prepared slides needed for your coursework.
Custom slides don’t have to be just for science. One time a graduate student who worked in a lab wanted to propose to his girlfriend, who also worked at the lab. He called and asked us to make a special slide with the words “Will you marry me?” mounted on it. That was an especially fun slide to prepare. (She said yes!)
How to order a custom slide or slide set
If you want to order a custom slide or slide set, there are only a few steps that need to be taken. First, be aware that it may take 4 to 6 weeks to prepare the slide, depending on specimen availability. Next, email the Microscope Slides Department with a complete description of the slide or slide set needed. Be sure to include: type of specimen; any special staining requests; any specific part of the specimen that should be highlighted; quantity of slides needed; date needed (if you have a specific event or class that will need the slide); contact person’s name, phone number, address, and email address; and any other pertinent contact information.
When the Manager or Asst. Manager contacts you, he or she will confirm the type of slide needed, when it can be completed and shipped to you, the charge for the preparation, and your shipping address. He or she may ask more questions to confirm the type of slide to be prepared.
Carolina's Promise
For 70 years our mission has been to provide educators with top-quality microscope slides. To fulfill that mission, we depend on our experienced, professional staff’s commitment to finding new and innovative ways of meeting your needs at an affordable cost. We welcome the opportunity to prepare custom slides and sets to your specifications. Contact us today for your custom order.
How to contact us
- Email Karen Jones, Microscope Slides Manager, at karen.jones@carolina.com
- Email Brian Sykes, Microscope Slides Assistant Manager, at brian.sykes@carolina.com
- Call 800.227.1150 and ask for the Microscope Slides Department