diff --git a/volume-cartographer/apps/src/vc_render_tifxyz.cpp b/volume-cartographer/apps/src/vc_render_tifxyz.cpp
index 77cdf9e814..b25c5dda7a 100644
--- a/volume-cartographer/apps/src/vc_render_tifxyz.cpp
+++ b/volume-cartographer/apps/src/vc_render_tifxyz.cpp
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 #include "vc/core/render/ZarrChunkFetcher.hpp"
 #include "vc/core/util/QuadSurface.hpp"
 #include "vc/core/util/Surface.hpp"
+#include "vc/core/util/Geometry.hpp"
 #include "vc/core/util/Tiff.hpp"
 #include "vc/core/util/Zarr.hpp"
 #include "vc/core/util/StreamOperators.hpp"
@@ -265,6 +266,12 @@ static void genTile(QuadSurface* surf, const cv::Size& size, float render_scale,
     surf->gen(&points, &normals, size, cv::Vec3f(0,0,0), render_scale, cv::Vec3f(u0, v0, 0));
 }
 
+// Set once from --flip-normals before rendering starts; read by every
+// prepareBaseAndDirs call. grid_normal's right-handed normals point away from
+// the scroll centre when text is readable, so renders that want the normal to
+// point into the scroll enable this (see issue #1044).
+static bool g_flipNormals = false;
+
 static void prepareBaseAndDirs(const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f>& pts, const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f>& nrm,
                                 float scale_seg, float ds_scale,
                                 bool hasAffine, const AffineTransform& aff,
@@ -274,6 +281,7 @@ static void prepareBaseAndDirs(const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f>& pts, const cv::Mat_<cv
     dirs = nrm.clone();
     if (hasAffine) applyAffineTransform(base, dirs, aff);
     normalizeNormals(dirs);
+    if (g_flipNormals) flip_surface_normals(dirs);
     base *= ds_scale;
 }
 
@@ -1063,6 +1071,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
         ("scale-segmentation", po::value<float>()->default_value(1.0), "Scale segmentation")
         ("rotate", po::value<double>()->default_value(0.0), "Rotate output (0/90/180/270)")
         ("flip", po::value<int>()->default_value(-1), "Flip: 0=V, 1=H, 2=Both")
+        ("flip-normals", po::bool_switch()->default_value(false), "Negate surface normals so the offset (w) direction points the opposite way (e.g. into the scroll); see issue #1044")
         ("zarr-output", po::value<std::string>(), "Output path for .zarr (optional)")
         ("tif-output", po::value<std::string>(), "Output path for per-slice TIFFs (optional)")
         ("quick-tif", po::bool_switch()->default_value(false), "Fast TIF: PACKBITS + zero low nibble")
@@ -1228,6 +1237,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     float scale_seg = parsed["scale-segmentation"].as<float>();
     double rotate_angle = parsed["rotate"].as<double>();
     int flip_axis = parsed["flip"].as<int>();
+    g_flipNormals = parsed["flip-normals"].as<bool>();
     const bool quickTif = parsed["quick-tif"].as<bool>();
 
     // --- Load affines ---
diff --git a/volume-cartographer/core/include/vc/core/util/Geometry.hpp b/volume-cartographer/core/include/vc/core/util/Geometry.hpp
index 37829c43fe..4cc497b736 100644
--- a/volume-cartographer/core/include/vc/core/util/Geometry.hpp
+++ b/volume-cartographer/core/include/vc/core/util/Geometry.hpp
@@ -10,6 +10,13 @@ cv::Vec3f grid_normal(const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> &points, const cv::Vec3f &loc);
 // 1 <= row <= rows-2 and 1 <= col <= cols-2 (no clamping inside).
 cv::Vec3f grid_normal_int(const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> &points, int row, int col);
 
+// Flip surface normals in place (negate each vector). grid_normal uses the
+// right-handed convention N = dP/dU x dP/dV, which points away from the scroll
+// centre when the text is readable; some renders need the opposite direction.
+// Invalid normals (NaN sentinels, as produced by grid_normal) are left
+// untouched so validity is preserved.
+void flip_surface_normals(cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> &normals);
+
 
 // Bilinear interpolation at fractional coordinates
 cv::Vec3f at_int(const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> &points, const cv::Vec2f &p);
diff --git a/volume-cartographer/core/src/Geometry.cpp b/volume-cartographer/core/src/Geometry.cpp
index edfec27bec..fa426bfe34 100644
--- a/volume-cartographer/core/src/Geometry.cpp
+++ b/volume-cartographer/core/src/Geometry.cpp
@@ -100,6 +100,22 @@ cv::Vec3f grid_normal(const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> &points, const cv::Vec3f &loc)
     return normed(n);
 }
 
+void flip_surface_normals(cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> &normals)
+{
+    for (int y = 0; y < normals.rows; ++y) {
+        cv::Vec3f* row = normals.ptr<cv::Vec3f>(y);
+        for (int x = 0; x < normals.cols; ++x) {
+            cv::Vec3f& v = row[x];
+            // Leave NaN sentinels (invalid normals) untouched so validity is
+            // preserved; this mirrors the renderer's normalizeNormals skip.
+            if (v[0] != v[0]) continue;
+            v[0] = -v[0];
+            v[1] = -v[1];
+            v[2] = -v[2];
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 template <typename E>
 static E at_int_impl(const cv::Mat_<E> &points, const cv::Vec2f& p)
 {
diff --git a/volume-cartographer/core/test/CMakeLists.txt b/volume-cartographer/core/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 8da0146b2b..75b49091d6 100644
--- a/volume-cartographer/core/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/volume-cartographer/core/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -327,6 +327,7 @@ vc_add_test(NAME test_plane_surface)
 vc_add_test(NAME test_compositing)
 
 vc_add_test(NAME test_quadsurface_basics)
+vc_add_test(NAME test_flip_surface_normals)
 
 vc_add_test(NAME test_load_json)
 
diff --git a/volume-cartographer/core/test/test_flip_surface_normals.cpp b/volume-cartographer/core/test/test_flip_surface_normals.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..66d2fc51c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/volume-cartographer/core/test/test_flip_surface_normals.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+// Unit tests for flip_surface_normals (issue #1044 core helper).
+//
+// grid_normal uses the right-handed convention N = dP/dU x dP/dV, which points
+// away from the scroll centre when text is readable. flip_surface_normals
+// negates each normal so renders can point the offset (w) direction the other
+// way, while leaving NaN-sentinel (invalid) normals untouched.
+
+#define DOCTEST_CONFIG_IMPLEMENT_WITH_MAIN
+#include <doctest/doctest.h>
+
+#include "vc/core/util/Geometry.hpp"
+
+#include <opencv2/core.hpp>
+
+#include <cmath>
+#include <limits>
+
+namespace {
+const float QNAN = std::numeric_limits<float>::quiet_NaN();
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("flip_surface_normals negates every finite normal")
+{
+    cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> n(2, 2);
+    n(0, 0) = cv::Vec3f(1.f, 0.f, 0.f);
+    n(0, 1) = cv::Vec3f(0.f, -2.f, 3.f);
+    n(1, 0) = cv::Vec3f(-4.f, 5.f, -6.f);
+    n(1, 1) = cv::Vec3f(0.f, 0.f, 1.f);
+
+    flip_surface_normals(n);
+
+    CHECK(n(0, 0) == cv::Vec3f(-1.f, 0.f, 0.f));
+    CHECK(n(0, 1) == cv::Vec3f(0.f, 2.f, -3.f));
+    CHECK(n(1, 0) == cv::Vec3f(4.f, -5.f, 6.f));
+    CHECK(n(1, 1) == cv::Vec3f(0.f, 0.f, -1.f));
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("flip_surface_normals is its own inverse (applied twice = identity)")
+{
+    cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> n(1, 3);
+    n(0, 0) = cv::Vec3f(0.37f, -1.5f, 2.25f);
+    n(0, 1) = cv::Vec3f(-9.f, 8.f, -7.f);
+    n(0, 2) = cv::Vec3f(0.f, 0.f, 0.f);
+    const cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> orig = n.clone();
+
+    flip_surface_normals(n);
+    flip_surface_normals(n);
+
+    for (int x = 0; x < n.cols; ++x)
+        CHECK(n(0, x) == orig(0, x));
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("flip_surface_normals leaves NaN-sentinel normals untouched")
+{
+    cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> n(1, 2);
+    n(0, 0) = cv::Vec3f(QNAN, QNAN, QNAN);
+    n(0, 1) = cv::Vec3f(1.f, 2.f, 3.f);
+
+    flip_surface_normals(n);
+
+    CHECK(std::isnan(n(0, 0)[0]));
+    CHECK(std::isnan(n(0, 0)[1]));
+    CHECK(std::isnan(n(0, 0)[2]));
+    CHECK(n(0, 1) == cv::Vec3f(-1.f, -2.f, -3.f));
+}
+
+TEST_CASE("flip_surface_normals on an empty matrix is a no-op")
+{
+    cv::Mat_<cv::Vec3f> n;
+    flip_surface_normals(n); // must not crash
+    CHECK(n.empty());
+}