Lenticular printing Glossary
2D to 3D Conversion/ 3D Layer Depth
A process whereby multiple layers of different elements are interlaced together to create the illusion of three dimension.
Alignment
The adjustment of a print so that the image stripes are parallel to the lenticule.
Alignment Bar / Image
A tool used on the press form that helps the press operator square the sheet to the print. The lines in the image run in the same direction as the lens. (This tool works much like a carpenters level.) The image should be CMYK and will also aid with obtaining color registration. This alignment bar / image / tool is NOT interlaced at the same pitch as the lens.
Direct-to-lens
The use of any printing process that prints directly onto the flat surface of the lenticular lens material. This is most common in offset printing.
DPI
Dots-per-Inch.
Filler Space
In an interlaced print, a technique that utilizes a neutral stripe of printed information to separate multiple frames of images from each other in order to minimize "ghosting."
Flip
A lenticular effect that, in its simplest form, contains two images and shows them one at a time to the viewer as his viewing angle to the lens sheets changes. Images can have more than one flip effect.
Ghosting
Seeing two or more images at the same time from a single viewpoint in a lenticular image. This is caused by several problems including poor registration or a pitch mismatch, images with too much contrast, the use of too many images/frames, and/or exceeding the resolution capabilities of your output device in conjunction with a particular lens sheet.
Interlacing
The process of striping and arranging printed information to a given pitch to match a lenticular lens.
Lenticular
Lenticular is a specialized printing process that allows depth, motion, or a little of each to be shown in a flat sheet of plastic. The effect is created using lenticules in the plastic sheet that serves as a decoder for the image that is printed behind it.
LPI
Lines-per-Inch. In the lenticular process, this would also mean "Lenticules-per-Inch."
Morph
A lenticular effect that begins with one image which is then transformed in stages to a second, perhaps unrelated, image.
Motion
A lenticular effect that utilizes selected highlights of frames from animated illustrations, video, or film originals. The frames are displayed to the viewer one sequence at a time. The viewer is given an impression of movement from one frame to the next.
Parallax / Parallax Shift
In a 3D image, the phenomenon where objects in a scene seem to shift relative to one another as the angle of view is changed. Objects closer, or in front of the keyplane, will be opposite objects behind the keyplane.
PPI
Pixels-Per-Inch.
Registration
Alignment and/or placement.
--------Phasing Registration
The placement of the interlaced image to the lens. Phasing registration affects the angle by which the first frame of the interlaced image may be viewed. Due to many variables in the printing process, phasing registration may vary from piece to piece.
--------Press Registration
The alignment of colors to perfect fit.
--------Proofing Registration
The alignment of the interlaced proof to the lens.
--------Resolution
The sharpness of an image on film, paper, computer screen, disc, tape, or other medium. In regards to DPI and Printing: The higher the resolution of your printer or image setter, the greater detail you can print and the better appearance of your output.
Target Resolution
The highest output resolution of the imaging device (inkjet printer, digital proofer, contract proofer, film setter, plate setter) or a divisible factor of that resolution. (i.e.; 2400, 1200, or 600 dpi.) The target resolution divided by the pitch value of the lens is what will determine the number of frames (for animation effects) or views (for 3-D effects) that will be used to interlace the lenticular art file for proofing and/or platting. By utilizing this formula, the interlaced file size will be closest to the targeted resolution.
View Frames
A sequence of images, where each image represents a slightly different perspective view of a single 3D scene. When interlaced and viewed through a vertically oriented lenticular lens this sequence of images creates a 3D illusion.
Viewing Angle
A calculated angle of refraction inherent on a lenticular lens design that determines how fast or slow it is viewed.
Viewing Distance
The distance from which the final lenticular piece will be viewed. (For example, a lenticular postcard that is a hand-held piece will typically be viewed at 5-12 inches, where as a lenticular poster may be viewed at 2-20 feet.) Determining the precise viewing distance is critical to achieving a successful effect.
Zoom
A lenticular effect that gives the observer the impression that the object is either moving from foreground to background, from background to foreground, or getting larger or smaller.
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