Featured FAQ

What is lenticular and what does that odd name mean?

Lenticular images are digital files that have been specially prepared and then printed onto a lens material. This material is a special plastic made up of lenticules, hence the name lenticular printing.  The image, viewed through the lenticules, appears to move as it is turned, creating dramatic animation or depth.

VIEW OUR LENTICULAR INFOGRAPHIC
Lenticular Infographic

FAQs

Common lenticular questions and printing information.

Our minimum order is typically 500-1,000 pieces on small format and as few as one on large format. A minimum job at any size is usually about $2,500. You will find that the price drops significantly as quantity increases. We have yet to find an order too big to eat. We have produced jobs as big as 10 million units and would love to do so again!

Ahh, the key question. The best way to get a quote is to call and let us know the details of your project, especially size and quantity. What’s in the image (even the number of frames) doesn’t affect the price. Call us and we’ll get you a quick and accurate quote.

Until we get the opportunity to speak with you (since we love to provide straight answers) minimum orders are about $2,500. Smaller jobs (2,500 pieces) are usually a little under $2 per unit. Mid-size orders (15,000+) are usually well under $1. Large orders (50,000) are usually well below 50¢.

The smallest size (that will look good) is about 1.5″ square. If a lenticular is smaller than that, fine lines will begin to break up under the lens. The largest size we can produce via litho is 26″x 38.″ However, we can now produce panels as large as 48”x 72” and we can tile those into even larger displays.  We can likely help no matter what size you are looking to produce.

This part is easy. All we need from the client are digital files. If it’s a two-frame (flip) we need two digital files. If it’s a three-frame, we need three digital files. We trust the trend is becoming clear. Think of a lenticular as an automatic “flip book.” What you provide are the pages of that book. Whether the pages contain pictures, text or drawings doesn’t matter to the flip book.

If you want us to produce a 3D lenticular, all we need is a Photoshop file that has each of the elements of the image on separate layers.

Please include a 1/8″ bleed. For 3D images, please include a 1″ bleed left and right and 1/8″ bleed top and bottom.

See? Easy!

For more information, check out the Lenticular Design Guidelines page.

Typically, about three weeks from the time we receive your artwork to when we ship the final product.

What? You need it faster? We love a challenge! We understand that your client just called you with this, and that they need it yesterday. We realize it’s always a rush, and we do our very best to meet our clients’ deadlines. You’ll find we’re very good at it.

The answer to this question varies from project to project and depends on what it is you’re trying to convey with your image. That said, we believe that you should use the fewest images possible while still showing what you want to show.

Think of the lenticular as a pie.
Each frame is a slice of the pie. The more frames you use, the smaller each slice will be. This means that each frame will be less clearly viewed and will “ghost” with the frame before and after it. This isn’t so bad if you’re trying to show a baseball swing. But if you’re trying to display images that are very distinct from each other (more like a slide show), the slices (i.e. frames) need to be more distinct. Short answer: The right number of frames to use is usually somewhere between 2 and 12.

Yes. Lenticular animates better up/down than it does left/right. The only time it should be necessary to do a left/right animating image is when the lenticular is a stable display and people are walking by it (as in a point-of-purchase display). If you need this for your project, you will probably want to limit your image to no more than three frames.

Both lenticular and holographic images can show depth and/or motion. After that, they have nothing in common!

Holograms are usually monochromatic (one color) and need to be lit perfectly to be seen. They are produced with laser light that is reflected onto an emulsion. When lit correctly, they are stunning, but when not lit correctly… not so much.

Lenticular is a printing process (see FAQ #1) that does not need special lighting to look its best. It also doesn’t scratch. In fact, one of the most popular uses for lenticular is as a direct mailer. The card can be dropped right in the mail and arrive in perfect shape.

Lenticular Infographic

See how lenticular works

You’ve seen lenticular before, but have you ever wondered, “how the heck does that stuff work”? Well, we’re here to show you! To get a better look, let’s take a look at the example on the right.

We Start With Multiple Images

We start with three images of our young lady showing three expressions, images A, B, and C.

We Cut Each Image Into Strips

We “interlace” the three images using proprietary software, cutting each into slices. Those slices will later match up with the lines of the lenticular lens material.

Interlacing

As part of that interlacing process, we shuffle those slices with the resulting file showing a slice of Image A, a slice of Image B, and then a slice of image C. This is repeated until we have a fully interlaced image.

Printing

That interlaced image is then printed directly to the back of the lens material. The lens blocks Image B and Image C from your view, so you only see image A. As you turn the card and change your angle of view, the lens blocks Images A and C, and you only see Image B. Turn it again, and you only see Image C.

Viewing

Turn it quickly, and it animates A,B,C… and when turned the other direction, it shows you C, B, A. So now you have a single card with three images that animates right in your hand!

If you have questions or would like to discuss your project, reach out, and we’ll be happy to help!

Lenticular Printing Infographic
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