A lenticular effect that gives the illusion of depth, created by interlacing multiple images. This effect is also known as 3D depth.
A
Action Proof
An early proof created on an inkjet printer, used for tweaking and reviewing Lenticular effects.
Animation
A lenticular effect that simulates movement, similar to a short video. It is created by interlacting multiple, sequential images. This effect is also known as Motion.
Autostereoscopy
The display of stereoscopic images without the use of stereoscopic "3D" glasses.
B
Banding
An unintended stationary pattern created as the result of a resolution mismatch. This pattern runs in the direction of the lens.
Binocular Disparity
A difference in the location of an object as seen by the left and right eyes. This concept is used to print a 3D Lenticular effect.
C
Checkerboard Banding
An unwanted pattern that appears both horizontally and vertically throughout a Lenticular print.
Color Leakage
Undesired colors that appear when the Lenticular print is tilted back and forth. These colors usually appear as black or yellow, and are often caused by bad color registration or a novice printer.
CMYK
Cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black).
D
Direct printing
Printing an image directly onto the flat side of a Lenticular lens. This technique is usually used for large print runs where the cost of paper lamination exceeds the cost of lens-press alignment.
DPI
Dots per inch.
E
F
Filler Space
A solid, opaque, single color filled image that is used to reduce any possible ghosting effect.
Flip
A lenticular effect that causes two images to change back and forth. When the object is tilted in the viewer's hand, one image changes to the other and vice versa. For more than two images, see Animation.
G
Gauge
A lenticular sheet's thickness, often measured in mils. One mil equals 1/1000 of an inch. See our lens thickness chart for the specific thickness of each lens.
Ghosting
Two or more images are visible at the same time from the same angle of view. This can be caused by high contrast images, too many frames, or a pitch mismatch of the printing press.
H
Hologram
3D images that have been projected and captured on a 2D surface. This technology does not use a Lenticular lens.
I
Interlacing
Two or more images are striped and arranged to match the pitch of a particular lenticular lens.
J
K
Keyplane
The layer in a Lenticular print where objects appear the sharpest relative to their surroundings.
L
Lamination
A technique where a printed image is bonded to the back side of a Lenticular lens, using a special adhesive.
Lenticular
A printing technique which allows various special effects, such as 3D depth, flip, animation, to be viewed on a flat plastic sheet.
Lenticular Effects
Unique special effects that can be viewed on a flat plastic sheet, made possible by Lenticular printing. These effects include 3D, flip, animation, morph, and zoom.
Lenticular Lens
A sheet of clear plastic with a series of parallel, convex lenses. Using the concept of binocular disparity, these lenses are placed upon an interlaced image to produce a wide variety of lenticular effects, including: 3D, flip, animation, morph, and zoom.
Lens(es) on a lenticular sheet which are convex in shape.
LPI
Lenticules per Inch. Also referred to as lines per inch.
M
Morph
A lenticular effect that simulates a smooth transformation from one object to another.
Motion
See Animation.
N
Narrow-angle Lens
A lenticular lens with a viewing angle of 15-30 degrees, optimal for a 3D Lenticular effect.
O
P
Parallax
An occurrence in 3D Lenticular effects where closer objects appear to move in an opposite direction than objects farther away. This separation is marked by the keyplane.
PET
Poly Ethylene Terephthalate, a type of plastic. Most modern Lenticular sheets are made of this material.
Pitch
The number of lenticules per inch (LPI) on a Lenticular sheet.
Pitchtest
See pitch.
Pixel
The smallest portion of a digital image. Also known as a picture-element.
PPI
Pixels Per Inch.
Printer's Proof
A proof generated by the Lenticular printing company, which is color calibrated to the company's system and presses.
PVC
Poly Vinyl Chloride. A softer, more fabric material compared to PET, it is often used for covering curved areas with Lenticular effects.
Q
R
Radius
A Lenticular lens' curvature, measured in degrees.
Refractive Index
The speed at which light reflects off the lenticule.
Registration
Placement or alignment.
RGB
Red, green, and blue.
S
Screen Angle
The angle at which screens are place to one another.
Slicing
See interlacing.
T
Target Resolution
The resolution of a printer used to print a Lenticular effect. This is measure in DPI, and often measures 600, 1200, or 1800 DPI.
U
V
Viewing Angle
A v-shaped region in which the Lenticular effect can be viewed clearly. 3D lenticular effects combine best with narrow-angle lenses while flip and animation effects go well with wide-angle lenses.
Viewing Distance
The distage between the viewer and the Lenticular print. Higher LPI lenses have a shorter viewing distance and lower LPI lenses have a longer viewing distance. For example, Lenticular billboards are printed on extremely low LPI lenses.
View Frames
Images of the same object, taken from different angles.
W
Wide Angle Lens
A lenticular lens with a viewing angle of 15-30 degrees, optimal for flip, animation, morph, and zoom Lenticular effects.
X
Y
Z
Zoom
A lenticular effect that shows a small object gradually get very large, then small again. This gives the viewer an impression that he/she is traveling towards the object.
