DPLenticular

Turkish 3D lenticular printing company, Megalens, has improved the quality of its lenticular print production and won new business after using Lenstar™ lenticular products supplied by DPLenticular.

Lenticular printing has quickly established itself as a premium marketing tool, and Megalens’ customers are using it to help differentiate their brands in a crowded consumer market place.

Megalens got involved in lenticular printing in 2000 (under another Company name): “We first saw a 3D lenticular product at an international printing exhibition,” says Levent Ikizoglu, partner at Megalens. “And after examining the technical aspects of the product closely, we could see that it was possible for us to print lenticular products on our own machines.”

The Istanbul-based company then acquired a lenticular preparation software before importing 75 lpi lenticular sheets from the USA for a trial run. “The trial went relatively smoothly and it wasn’t long before we were successfully printing lenticulars,” says Mr. Ikizoglu. “The bigger issue was explaining to our customers exactly what advantages lenticular printing can offer them, the effects you can create and the business benefits.”

Megalens printed many samples and sent them to advertising and communications agencies and other companies that produced creative promotional material.

Today, Megalens’ print production on DPLenticular/Lenstar™ 3D lenticular material, PVC, PP, PET and metallic surfaces operates 24-7. Typical lenticular products produced by the company include point-of-purchase (POP) materials, magazine covers, posters, calendars, business cards, notebooks, mousepads, postcards, invitations and table mats.

“We use a 70 x 100cm UV offset press, and we export our products to more than 20 countries, which are mostly based in Europe,” says Mr. Ikizoglu. “At the moment our factory covers 600sqm, but with the business expanding rapidly, we plan to move into a new building with a 1200sqm closed production area later this year.”

Offering customers something different

For Levent Ikizoglu, the decision to enter the lenticular business was based on adopting a new technology that would help set Megalens apart from its competitors.

“There are more than 10,000 printing companies in Turkey that produce typical paper printed products, such as brochures and catalogs,” says Mr. Ikizoglu. “But simply copying what everyone else is doing is a risky strategy and is unlikely to help your business grow. We wanted to make our own mark and differentiate ourselves from rival print houses. Lenticular printing has allowed us to do this – nine years on from first using the technology, it has proved a very good decision.”

Megalens encountered Daniel Pierret, managing director of DPLenticular, in 2003 at a local printing exhibition. Until then, the company was importing its lenses from the USA and China. “The long delivery times were proving problematic for us,” says Mr. Ikizoglu. “So it was very exciting to discover a European supplier in DPLenticular, who could supply us with all the lenticular materials we needed.”

“We’d previously worked with lenticular suppliers from all around the world, but we’d always experienced one problem or another with them, such as lens calibration issues, static electricity on the sheets, and print surface difficulties.

“But from the moment we met DPLenticular it was clear that building a strong relationship with customers was hugely important to them. They have a very friendly approach and nothing was too much trouble. Daniel Pierret took the time to understand our business – our history, the way we work and what we were trying to achieve – and explained how DPLenticular help us.

“Daniel is vastly experienced in lenticular printing, and together we very quickly solved the small but persistent problems we’d experienced when printing lenticulars. We’ve never had any issues with DPLenticular / Lenstar™ materials.”

Fast, ongoing support

Successful print shops rely on effective and dependable support from their suppliers, and Megalens is no different. “DPLenticular delivered an outstanding service from the outset,” says Levent Ikizoglu. “And it’s really refreshing to see that the excellent support has continued, and that it wasn’t simply on offer at the start of the relationship. We can turn to them for 24-7 prepress, printing and finishing support – it’s very reassuring to know that we can call on their really helpful support team and get expert advice if we’re having any difficulties.”

In addition to receiving exemplary products and service, Megalens has benefitted hugely from DPLenticular’s decision in 2009 to open a new warehouse in Istanbul. “One of the main benefits we offer our customers is short production times for lenticular products. And now DPLenticular has opened its Istanbul warehouse, our turnaround times are even quicker. If our customers demand it, we know we can call DPLenticular and rely on them to get the lenticular sheets to us the same day.”

Enhancing the company profile

Megalens’ adoption of lenticular printing, and using DPLenticular/Lenstar™ materials in particular, has enhanced the company’s image and boosted its reputation. DPLenticular/Lenstar™ sheets deliver top quality and excellent stability throughout the entire production batch.

“When we quote any lenticular printing job, we always specify that we use DPLenticular/Lenstar™ sheets that are made in USA rather than those that come from the Far East. Inevitably this has a small effect on our prices – but for us it’s much more important that we do not take risks when it comes to quality. Using DPLenticular/Lenstar™ sheets has become a form of insurance for us and our customers.”

“When it comes to new products and printing methods like lenticular printing, people expect to see something special, something very different from regular printed materials. When customers see the excellent quality of our lenticular products and the amazing effects we can create, they’re hooked immediately. They want to know how they can use the lenticular technology in their market – you can see them imagining the possible applications.”

Winning new business

Being one of only a few print service providers in Turkey to offer lenticular printing has helped Megalens forge new commercial relationships and attract a lot of new business.

“We’re not the only lenticular printer in Turkey, but we’re the only company that prints 24-hour UV offset products, including lenticular ,” says Mr. Ikizoglu. “And we’re certainly one of the fastest. We can deliver a lenticular order in one to two days – even large orders. Plus we can offer our customers many options – we can provide the completely finished product, or we can simply print and deliver the sheets, plus we have prepress, printing and finishing units.”

Levent Ikizoglu is in no doubt that the company’s decision to print lenticular products has been an unmitigated success. “The decision to produce lenticular products was a turning point for the company. Our order book and our very satisfied customer base is testimony to our success.”

Mr. Ikizoglu believes lenticular printing and DPLenticular in particular have a pivotal role to play in Megalens’ growth strategy. “Lenticular printing affords us better profit margins. And as 3D lenticular printing grows ever-more popular, orders are set to increase further.

“Everyone at DPLenticular is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, and we know we can rely on them. We have never experienced any problems with the company in more than six years working together. It’s not often a supplier becomes a close friend – but that’s exactly what has happened with DPLenticular.”

Turkish version / Türkçe versiyonu

 

About Megalens

Megalens Printing House Inc. is a UV Printing & Packaging Company which was founded in 2005. It has been operating since that date with its broad machinery track and professional personnel. Megalens, whose foremost principle is customer satisfaction in every area of the printing business, meets expectations by utilizing the latest technology in the field of printing in accordance with the optimal cost, quality, and speed. Megalens, an established and accredited company in its field, offers its customers miscellaneous printing opportunities and products. In addition to conventional printing on PVC-OPP Plastic, metalized, PVC Playing Cards, PVC Sticker, textile labels, Magnets and 3D animated lenticular materials are also available.
Megalens has entered the sector primarily with the Megalens brand in the area of 3D lenticular printing and has rapidly proven its reliability and superior quality with regard to its production. Megalens endeavor to increase the types of quality and imprints and to maintain the satisfaction of its customers by keeping abreast of the technology in the printing industry.

For more information, please visit http://www.megalens.net

Portuguese printer opts for 3D printing with the support of DPLenticular’s unique range of lenticular products

Printers and brand owners today have to make sure their products stand out from the large offering of consumer brands available in the market. Over the past years, lenticular printing has positioned itself as a premium marketing tool and excels at boosting the corporate image and business profitability. This is one of the main reasons why Grafitala in Portugal has opted for 3D printing with the support of DPLenticular, the market leader in the supply of Lenstar lenticular plastic sheets and rolls, designed by Pacur Lenticular.

3D printing leads the way to success at Grafitala

Grafitala is one of the few Portuguese graphic arts companies working successfully in the area of lenticular printing. César Joana, General Manager at Grafitala states, “After researching lenticular technology for a fair amount of time, we opted for the Irish-based company, DPLenticular. With ten years experience in the lenticular market and a strong reputation as trusted leader and provider of lenticular products in Europe, we were confident the company would provide us with innovative and cutting-edge solutions. “And we were not disappointed, continues Mr. Joana. DPLenticular has given us vital support in implementing a number of processes within our organization and has greatly contributed in making 3D printing a success for our business”.

Located near Lisbon (Portugal), Grafitala is now part of the small élite of leading Portuguese companies working in lenticular printing. Founded in 1990, it has a workforce of 18 employees devoted to commercial printing and lenticular printing, as well as printing on special substrates such as polypropylene.

Lenticular printing has enabled Grafitala to support the creative needs of major advertising agencies and brand owners in the graphic arts industry. Leading clients include TMN, one of the main mobile operators in the country.

Mr. César Joana, son of Grafitala’s founder Jerónimo Joana and current General Manager was one of the mentors that brought lenticular printing to the company. The idea came about when a client asked Grafitala whether the company had heard of lenticular printing. A close analysis of their customer base revealed to Mr. Joana Senior and son that it was fairly small. Further research showed that the company was offering the same kind of services as the competition. The time had come for a drastic change and Mr. César Joana was eager to take on the challenge.

Looking back at the early days, there were some teething problems as with any new line of business, but today Grafitala is proud of the achieved results. . Mr. César Joana further comments, “It would be good to have more competition in this area. This would enable clients to compare prices when requesting a quotation for lenticular printing.”

A wide range of outstanding equipment

Grafitala holds a leading position in its home market in terms of lenticular printing and forecasts a full 50% of its output devoted entirely to lenticular printing in the near future, on account of the ever-shrinking margins in offset printing.

The printer’s most recent challenge concerns large-format digital printing. To this purpose, a new plotter has just been bought to enable the company to handle formats ranging from 1.60 to 3 metres.

According to César Joana, the objective is always the same: “We want to offer our clients innovative and attractive applications at a reasonably competitive price.”

Grafitala’s two-thousand square metre premises offer an outstanding collection of cutting-edge equipment including a 6-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 74 with special applications for various kinds of substrates, a 5-colour Heidelberg with a coating tower, and another 4-colour Heidelberg SM 52 in the 35×50 format. For the finishing work, Grafitala has a Bobst SP 102, cylindrical Heidelbergs, a 90 and a 115 Polar trimmer, a Sthal magazine line, two Sthal folding machines, two box-sealing machines, a back-glueing machine, and a good stock of supporting equipment. In the prepress area, the company has a Heidelberg platesetter, several Macs and PCs and, more recently, the Mimaki wide-format printers, plus a cutting machine and a laminator.

DPlenticular provides valuable training and support

The quality of its products, its choice in technology, training or technical assistance have all contributed to Grafitala’s growing success. But the biggest factor was the help and support provided by DPLenticular. The company’s long-standing experience as well as its customized on -site training programs and technical support enabled Grafitala to benefit from the best lenticular products and technology available in the graphic arts industry in Europe. And that is something that César Joana sees as “vitally important for providing high quality 3D printing solutions.”

Lenticular printing is certainly a very attractive business area, due to the great impact offered by the printed products, but it also requires support from reliable suppliers. In that respect, Grafitala feels that the reason for choosing DPLenticular was not so much its competitive prices as its high quality concerns. Mr. César Joana adds: “The requirements of our clients can only be met with quality. In implementing lenticular printing, Grafitala had the valuable support of DPLenticular, its lenticular products provider, channelled mainly through Daniel Pierret, Managing Director and Founder of DPLenticular. “Daniel helped us immensely with the various technical adjustments until we were able to achieve an end result that was absolutely perfect.”

All in all, the full implementation process for lenticular printing took the company six months, but the printing machines were already able to churn out 3D solutions after just three weeks.

For optimum results, the machines have to be in tip-top condition, with new blankets, perfect calibration, reliable equipment and controlled temperatures. Another important requirement is the ability to manage a large volume of lenticular sheets, as César Joana points out: “Here at Grafitala, we have an important stock of lenticular products as very often the graduation of the lenticular sheets changes as the manufacturing proceeds. That is why we always order a full batch to achieve maximum consistency in the print runs.”

Lenticular printing: a business area with international scope

As the demand for lenticular printing continues to soar, the future looks more than bright for the printing industry and even for the television and mobile phone sectors. 3D applications are already common in supermarkets today, whereby marketing and advertising managers, seduced by this innovative technology, are investing more and more resources in lenticular products.

Moving into the lenticular business has enabled Grafitala to attract new clients and many Portuguese printers now outsource work to Grafitala. The Portuguese printer is able to support its customers’ creative work and provide exciting applications to brand owners such as posters, folders, business cards or A4 sheets for points of sale. Mr. César Joana highlights the fact there is a strong drive towards printed products aimed at young people, such as school materials, backpacks, pictures and posters.

And while the Portuguese market is still relatively unreceptive to lenticular printing, this is not the case on the international scene. As a result, Grafitala services many foreign companies based in the United Kingdom and France. The company has acquired for this purpose a number of international licences and usage rights in order to provide the market with these trendy 3D printing solutions.

Until recently, many saw this technology as being very expensive, particularly when compared with conventional offset printing as it requires dedicated servers, disks, special software, and of course top-quality lenticular material, which is, in Grafitala’s case, supplied by DPLenticular. But today more and more clients are looking at the final impact of the products rather than the price.

With more and more clients turning to lenticular printing, Grafitala is only too happy to spread the word about this innovative technology, particularly in the Portuguese market. And despite its stringent requirements, Mr. César Joana is able to offer lenticular printing at a very competitive price even beyond his home country’s borders. “Our prices are so competitive that we often suggest to our customers to get quotations from Spain and to compare the prices with ours.”

Further opportunities at drupa 2008

Drupa 2008 is the perfect platform for Grafitala to witness the latest trends and developments in lenticular printing, particularly in the field of 3D large-format and digital print applications.

César Joana concludes: “Our investments in lenticular printing have been so gratifying that Grafitala would like to continue leading the way with further business investments. We are very much looking forward to visiting drupa 2008 and to meeting Daniel Pierret. It will certainly bring back good memories as it was during drupa 2004 that I had the opportunity to discover DPLenticular’s innovative and unique product solutions.”