files and settings

Knowing both the potential and limitations of lenticular printing at the start is helpful in getting the most out of the process. Many projects have factors that present unique design considerations and we encourage all new clients to discuss the particulars of their project early on. The following guidelines are a useful starting point.

RESOLUTION

For most projects 150 PPI (pixels per inch) is a good goal. Source images can be surprisingly low resolution and still produce high quality output. This is because lenticular prints are made from many individual images and its the combined pixel dimensions that count. Files saved at high resolutions do not improve the quality of the final print.

COLOR MODE

It is always best to use a RGB color space, 24 bits (8 bits per channel) with a sRGB color profile. This is Photoshop's default color model and provides a wide color gamut that can be easily reproduced on our digital printing press. Using higher bit images or CMYK color profiles are not supported and can cause problems with printing if they are undetected.

FILE FORMAT

We can work with virtually any file format but prefer Jpeg images saved in high quality or Tiffs using LZW compression. If layered PSD files are provided they should be saved with pixel based information only (no adjustment layers, all layers rasteried, etc. )and numbered with the lowest number at the top of the stack. We do not work with InDesign, Illustrator or other vector based formats.

SIZE

Parallax Printing makes single sheet lenticulars in custom sizes from 20x20” up to 46”w x 92”h on some material. All images in a sequence should have the same pixel dimensions. Allow for a 1/8" tolerance on final trimmed work.

SEQUENCE

Images prepared for interlacing should be in the order you want them to be revealed in the lenticular moving left to right. If there is a desire for a particular image to be visible as a viewer is standing directly in front of the work label it with the word CENTER, if you had 3 frames it would look like: name1.tif, name2-center.tif, name3.tif. Three dimensional image sequences should be numbered from low to high as the camera (real or virtual) moves from left to right.

VIEWING DISTANCE

All lenticular prints are created to work best at a particular viewing distance. Artwork intended for wall hanging is typically pitched for a distance of 6-9 feet. Handheld lenticular prints are pitched for a viewing distance of 1-3 feet. The size of the print usually determines where this point is set and is factored into our calculations but can be adjusted on request.

FILE TRANSFER

Once we have discussed your project send us your files using the file transfer service of your choosing. Popular services include Dropbox, Google Drive and WeTransfer.

CONSIDERATIONS

Ghosting

Bleed through from neighboring images is known as ghosting and happens when a lenticular has a frame with flat areas of light color (or white) and a neighboring frame with a dark object, or when the lens can’t support the number of frames. Its a pretty common occurrence in lenticular and generally tolerated but is also something that can be almost completely eliminated through choice of imagery and sequencing. Lenticulars with photographic content or active patterns in all frames tend to do best in controlling ghosting. The overall degree to which it is considered a problem depends on the intentions of the designer and is sometimes used intentionally in a playful way.

Banding

Ideally a flip from one color to another would happen instantaneously or as a clean gradient but sometimes there can appear subtle vertical bands across the surface of the print. These result from rounding errors between the DPI of the printer and the fractional LPI of the lenticular sheet and are unavoidable in certain circumstances. Banding only happens in the transitions of the piece not in the individual frames and is typically subtle, and like ghosting can be largely eliminated through the choice of imagery. The most problematic imagery includes large areas of flat color that transition into other areas of flat color and transitions from black to white. Photographic content or images with texture are almost never subject to banding issues.