Technology description

Lenticular printing (as defined by www.wikipedia.com)  is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles.

This technology was created in the 1940s but has evolved in recent years to show more motion and increased depth. Originally used mostly in novelty items, lenticular prints are now being used as a marketing tool to show products in motion or communicate a strong message. Recent advances in large-format presses have allowed for oversized lenses to be used in lithographic lenticular printing.

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The manufacturing process first consists of creating a lenticular image from at least two existing images, and combining it with a lenticular lens. This process can be used to create various frames of animation (for a motion effect), offsetting the layers at different increments (for a 3D effect), or simply to show a set of alternate images, which may appear to transform into each other. Once the various images are collected, they are flattened into individual frame files, and then digitally combined into a single final file in a process called interlacing.

From there the interlaced image can be printed directly to the back (smooth side) of the lens, or it can be printed to a substrate (ideally a synthetic paper) and laminated to the lens. When printing to the backside of the lens, the critical registration of the fine "slices" of interlaced images must be absolutely correct during the printing process or "ghosting" and poor imagery might result.

The combined lenticular print will show two or more different images simply by changing the angle from which the print is viewed. If enough images are used, taken in a sequence, one can show more complex special effects, from impressive 3D depth up to a video of a few seconds.

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The main quality factor for of the interlaced image is its printing resolution. Using a rasterisation process (RIP) specifically dedicated to lenticular printing allows interlacing of a much larger number of images, which dramatically increases the final special effect result. Photogram is one of the only lenticular manufacturers on the market to possess such a technology (the “DRIP” technology).