DPLenticular

DPLenticular presents new 3D 20 LPI UV-LF lens for large format 3D applications

Daniel Pierret — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:00:42 +0000

Dalkey, Ireland – January 20, 2012 – DPLenticular, the acclaimed European leader in the supply of lenticular plastic sheets and rolls for the graphic arts industry, introduces a brand new 20 LPI lens. Great news for the large format printing market, since the new lens with its thickness of 3 mm was specifically designed for the production of 3D lenticular applications on digital printers.

DPLenticular initiated the development of the new 3D 20 LPI UV-LF lens, as a result of the many inquiries they received from large format printers, explains founder and Managing Director Daniel Pierret. “Most of the lenticular sheets we are selling today on the market have been developed for offset or flexo printing machines, and therefore have a limited thickness in order for them to go through a printing press without any problems. However, most digital flatbed printing machines don’t have that limitation. Since we introduced the 40 LPI, we received more and more inquiries for a thicker lenticular lens from large format printers, as well as many offset printers who are installing digital printers next to their offset presses. Since that market is really growing fast, and to preserve our position as a market leader, we had to come with a solution. So we are very happy the 3D 20 LPI UV-LF material has arrived, and even more proud this is a “made in Europe” product!”

UV for outdoor use

The new lens design has been developed and produced based on the specifications the market wanted, and that is quite unique. The result is a 20 LPI, 3 mm thick lenticular lens of 122 cm x 180 cm with a viewing angle of 37 degrees, making it very well suited for 3D lenticular applications printed on digital devices. Furthermore, the material has been extruded with a specially developed UV protection resin to preserve colors when used in outdoor conditions such as railway stations or bus shelters.

Small quantities at very competitive price

Rather than having to order large quantities, the 3D 20 LPI UV-LF material will be available in small pre-packed batches of 10 sheets from DPLenticular’s warehouse in Antwerp and even from 1 piece from Finze in Vienna. And according to Daniel Pierret, that too was a requirement from the market. “Having the flexibility to order a small number of sheets, makes it a lot easier and affordable for printers to test or experiment new lenticular applications. We also propose a small sheet size (61x70cm) for testing purposes.” The new 3D 20 LPI UV-LF will be proposed at a very competitive price, and DPLenticular is hoping that this will help this market to grow as the demand for large format lenticular is bigger and bigger.

Better than existing materials

The feedback DPLenticular got so far from a number of people who tested the material is very positive. According to Henri Clement, a French photographer who is regarded as a recognized authority in the lenticular market, the 3D 20 LPI UV-LF lens is better than any existing material on the market he tested before. Hearing that from someone with more than 18 years of experience in designing lenticular images is quite a statement.

Click here for more detailed information about the new 3D 20 LPI UV-LF lens, or contact DPLenticular.

The new 20 LPI will also be printed on at the upcoming Fespa in February.

drupa 2012

Daniel Pierret — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:51:28 +0000

DP Lenticular

@ drupa 2012

70A10

The story of Eastman

Daniel Pierret — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:21:55 +0000

Eastman Chemical manufactures chemicals, fibers and plastics materials which are used by its customers as key ingredients to make the products that you use every day.

We invite you to click here if you want to know more about the history of Eastman.

Eastman Chemical is producing the Lenstar and Lenstar Plus resin that Pacur is extruding. Eastman Chemical is a separate company from Kodak.

DPLenticular blows out 10 candles

Daniel Pierret — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:18:38 +0000

Dalkey, Ireland – Oktober 20, 2011 – DPLenticular, the acclaimed European leader in the supply of Lenstar™ lenticular material for 3D and multiple changing animation application for the graphic arts industry, is pleased to announce its 10th anniversary. Founded on September 4, 2001, by Daniel Pierret, DPLenticular acquired a vast experience in the lenticular market, and has earned its reputation as a trusted and leading provider of lenticular products in the EMEA.

The company started as LPC Europe (The Lenticular Plastic Company of Europe), but changed its name and corporate branding to DPLenticular in 2008. Today, the company is still headquartered in Ireland and has secured a leading position in a unique niche market. DPLenticular offers offset and digital printers in the graphic arts industry the highest quality lenticular sheets, as well as a reliable technical support and customized training services.

Lenticular runs through the veins

Everyone knows them, those nice 3D postcards, posters or other 3D gadgets, but if someone asks you how they are made, most of us don’t really know the answer. Ask founder and current Managing Director Daniel Pierret, and you immediately understand why he is one of the leading experts in this field. “Since my childhood, I have always been passionate by photography. At one time, when I was a photographer’s agent, I discovered that an American company was proposing real 3dimensionnal photography. I understood that this could be a new standard in the imaging world, and started proposing 3D photography already back in 1994. I remember selling the first 3D bus shelter’s campaign on the European continent. I guess lenticular and 3D runs through my veins, and as such, many people see me a bit as an evangelist of this magnificent technology.”

Combination of sales and service is unique

Throughout the years, many printers relied on DPLenticular to make the move to lenticular printing. Daniel Pierret sees several reasons for that: “We are not the only supplier of lenticular material on the market, but the combination of sales and service makes us unique. In 2005 Gilles Letouche joined the company and Bob Marriott in 2007. They brought solid hands-on technical experience to our team and have been instrumental in building long term relationships with our customers. Lenticular printing is no rocket science, but without initial training and support, it is very difficult to achieve good results. Every printer has to go through the same learning curve, and we help them in acquiring the basic knowledge about the technology. Once they have that experience, they can manage on their own.”

Abundant availability of lenticular stock material

According to Daniel Pierret, another reason for this success is the abundant availability of lenticular stock material. “Most companies reduced their stock levels, but since printers rely on our stock levels to respond quickly to market demand, we did exactly the opposite. With success, and I must thank my partner Rüdiger Finze for this. He always encouraged us in this way. We store not less than 9 different Lenstar™ lens designs and a total of 42 different articles in our warehouse. Thanks to this large stock in the centrally located port of Antwerp, we are able to deliver our European customers in the shortest delivery times possible. A huge advantage compared to some of the other vendors on the market.”

Collaboration with the main players in the printing market

Over the years, DPLenticular worked together with many different manufacturers of press and print equipment. During drupa 2004, they collaborated with Heidelberg and IST Metz, and at drupa 2008 they had lenticular material printed on many stands like Heidelberg, Fuji Screen, Agfa, Manroland, Presstek, and others. They also work closely together with the main software suppliers as you can see on their website. The 10th anniversary is also a milestone in the successful collaboration with Pacur in Oshkosh WI. Rick Knapp, VP Sales at Pacur, comments: “Ten years ago, Pacur and DPLenticular developed a collaboration with the purpose of promoting Lenstar Lenticular sheet in Europe. This collaboration has been very successful for both of our companies. We continue to enjoy this relationship and look forward to another 10 years of collaboration.”

Bright future for lenticular print

Promoting lenticular print as a creative way to communicate products and services to target audiences is another goal of DPLenticular. With this in mind, DPLenticular and www.lenstar.org introduced the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award (LLPA) earlier this year. Daniel Pierret: “We looked for a way to encourage and reward companies and individuals in the development and use of lenticular printing throughout the communication mix. The response was overwhelming, and we are already preparing next year’s edition, in partnership with drupa. We will also be present at the drupa Innovation Park in 2012, and judging from the many interesting contacts we had at drupa 2008, it looks very promising.” Despite the recent economic letdown of the last years, DPLenticular saw increasing sales figures year after year, supporting the fact that lenticular print is the perfect tool to stand out and generate a strong visual attraction and buying impulse. With this last thought in mind, Daniel Pierret is very confident in the future of lenticular print.

Lenticular Flexographic printing ready for the big jump

Daniel Pierret — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:52:07 +0000

Dalkey, Ireland – September 26, 2011 – DPLenticular, the acclaimed European leader in the supply of Lenstar™ lenticular plastic sheets and rolls for the graphic arts industry, announces together with OMET the successful conclusion of printing trials with Lenstar lenticular roll material on the OMET X-Flex flexographic printing press. According to Gianluca Vitali from OMET Technical Dept., the results look very promising and will certainly create new possibilities and markets for many flexo printers. Samples from the print run will be distributed at OMET’s booth 6H90 during LABELEXPO EUROPE 2011 in Brussels.

The trials were done on the Omet X-Flex press. This modular press has full servo driven web control devices, web ride, tension control, and full auto registration with camera at the end of press. The Lenticular material used for the test was Lenstar™ 150lpi, 262 micron roll. The test image was supplied by Pixalen Studio, a company who specializes in high end lenticular pre-press service that includes everything from creative design, interlacing and imposition, to delivering the flexo plates. The latest generation Kodak Flexcel plates were used for the test in combination with Zeller+Gmelin UV-inks.

Not eager to engage in lenticular flexo printing

While printing lenticular images on offset presses has been around for some time, the technology was not an instant hit on flexographic presses. Daniel Pierret, Managing Director of DP Lenticular explains: “Although some successful tests and print runs have been done before, issues around print resolution, dot size, and press registration prevented it from becoming a mainstream technology. One of the biggest problems we had with roll-fed flexo presses was poor registration. Compared to a sheet-fed press, it’s difficult to take a sample during the run to check the image quality. Only when the material is printed, cut and finished, you can see the final result. So, it was quite understandable that people were not eager to engage in lenticular flexo printing.”

Good quality lenticular flexo printing is a reality

However, the combination of higher resolution flexo imaging devices, combined with servo driven presses with auto registration systems and stable Pacur Lenstar™ lenticular roll sheet material, make good quality ‘direct-to-lens’ lenticular flexographic printing a reality today. Bob Marriott from DP Lenticular assisted Omet during the test run. “Matching the best lenticular material with the latest technology and the right equipment is all it takes to make it work,” he says, “and that’s exactly what we wanted to show people by running these print tests together with OMET. Thanks to the servo motors that provide direct drive to the plate and impression cylinders, the servo driven X-Flex has the ability to print with minute changes in pitch. Besides that, the latest generation Lenstar lenticular roll material has proven to be very stable on the press, which is key in getting good results. That, combined with Omet’s automatic register system, made it possible to print 3D images that all looked pretty nice and I believe most people would find them of good quality.”

Added value for package design

This technology allows high volume 3D lenticular production at low cost, and should create more opportunities for lenticular within the packaging market. Daniel Pierret: “It’s just much more cost-effective to print rolled flexographic lenticular for labels, than to convert sheet lenticular to rolls. The short set up times, high speed running, and low waste levels fit today’s market for top label printers. There is no doubt brand owners will see the value of motion graphics for higher-end packaging options and new product introductions. Adding motion or 3D effects to a label is going to be a great way to give a package design added value.”

Bob Marriott concludes: “We are very happy that OMET was willing to help us with the testing. However, having said that, I’m quite sure we can reproduce similar result with any other state-of-the-art flexographic press. Off course, gaining confidence in this field can only be achieved through experience. Every flexo printer will have to go through the same learning curve as the offset guys, but I’m sure that with the combined effort of our lenticular specialists and the technical knowledge of flexo press manufacturers we can bring this to a good end.”