for business has become an increasingly popular way to attract attention, insert a changeable image in a static ad or poster and mesmerize customers with illusions of depth and movement. Businesses can capture swirling imagery on paper that mimics Internet images using Graphics Interchange Formats or GIFs to create looping images that capture events, art and company logos with dynamic graphic alternatives to photos and videos.
The Lenticular Printing Process Explained
Lenticular technology reproduces 3-D imagery that consists of various optical elements. Images viewed from different angles look remarkably different, and the technology can suggest movement, show completely different scenes, show progressive effects or make images seem to pop off the paper. Unlike the holographic images you saw as a child, lenticular printing
for business delivers sharp images, detailed views and amazing morphing characters. Although the technology has existed since the 1940s, advances in printing processes and substrate media create astonishing ghost images for alternate scenes or transforming pictures. Instead of static images of Miguel Cervantes and Aldonza captured in double exposures, you can watch Cervantes and Aldonza transform into their better selves, Don Quixote and Dulcinea.
The multistep printing process involves creating identically sized and pixellated images and combining them with a lenticular lens. Printers can offset different frames to create an illusion that suggests animation, short video or displays alternate images. Multiple images are digitally combined in one file in a process that is called interlacing. Machines can print the interlaced image on a substrate of synthetic paper or apply the image to the back of the lens where it is used for screen printing or lithography. Great precision is essential, or images won't align properly. Lenticular printing for business supports up to eight bits per pixel for each part of the interlaced image and a color palette of up to 256 precise shades.
Multiple companies offer lenticular printing for business online, and software is available for in-house printers. You can get the lenticular effect from Photoshop and inkjet printers, but choosing a professional printing company is essential for producing the kind of sharp commercial imagery that delivers glorious holograms, compelling art posters and marketing campaigns that are sure to impress. Quality lenticular images print on plastic and not plain paper. Production involves registering multiple images and adjusting parameters precisely, so the printing process is more expensive but produces long-lasting and striking results. View examples of typical lenticular images at World 3D's sample gallery.
Commercial Use for Lenticular Printing
Create stereoscopic effects and 3-D images without cheap cardboard glasses that color everything red and blue. You can create in-house store displays that stop traffic, save money by advertising two or more messages in one ad and create buzz at trade shows that prospective clients remember. Customers make impulse buys, and wholesale clients place large orders when advertising delivers unexpected charm or exciting drama.
Lenticular Printing for Business Cards
Lenticular business cards show animations, changes in colors and patterns and unforgettable messages that people keep and use. Printing on environmentally friendly plastic makes cards more durable and gives you a big advantage over your competitors. Other commercial uses for lenticular printing on cards include making flash cards for training employees and printing cards that display before-and-after images that show how your products or services work. Use cards to show the steps of assembling products or multiple ways to decorate rooms or configure furniture and office equipment.
Design Unique Indoor Advertising
Show your customers a unique take on products by demonstrating how they work. You could show how easily a leaf blower cleans a yard or create images of your product transforming a dirty home into a pristine environment. Demonstrate how toys transform, or show how foods look when they are being properly prepared according to recipes. Point-of-sale displays could feature moving images that mimic videos to promote books, movies, services and products. Use displays to show how to make repairs or save money. Support charitable causes by showing how clear-cutting in the Amazon forest causes devastating climate changes. One of the simplest benefits of in-house lenticular printing for business is the ability to display two separate ads in the same physical space. Create a step-by-step montage that shows cashiers how to examine currency to determine whether bills are counterfeit.
Deliver the Unexpected and Inspire Wonder
Not all commercial uses are about marketing, and creative companies can attract attention and build loyalty by using lenticular printing to inspire, entertain and reward customers and employees. Create an image of a shooting star or erupting volcano that stops passersby in their tracks. Create unique corporate gifts or customer loyalty handouts that astonish and amaze people. Large animated posters attract crowds and convince people to step inside, browse through merchandise and remember your business long after the rest of the day fades into oblivion.
Astonishing Impact of Lenticular Printing for Business
Holography produces a more pronounced 3-D effect than lenticular images, but scenes appear monochromatic. Lenticular printing delivers detailed imagery, bright colors and custom effects at reasonable prices without 3-D glasses, expensive holographic technology and specialized equipment. According to a Time Magazine article, 96 percent of readers remember 3-D lenticular ads, and 62 percent of readers stated that these ads made the sponsoring companies more appealing.
Investigate the benefits and creative excitement that lenticular printing for business could bring your company.