Océ Arizona 250 GT. Number: 15 Issued by: ODGS S & S, Vancouver October 4, Printing Lenticular Images with the Arizona 250 GT Flatbed Printer

Transcription

1 Océ Arizna 250 GT Applicatin Bulletin Number: 15 Issued by: ODGS S & S, Vancuver Octber 4, 2007 Printing Lenticular Images with the Arizna 250 GT Flatbed Printer Lenticular images are cmpsites f tw r mre images that have been interlaced t achieve effects such as simulated mtin r 3D images. When viewed thrugh a special lens the image appears t change as the angle f view changes. The unique lenticular lens is a clear plastic sheet f material with tw distinct sides. One side is mlded with many tiny cnvex lenses, r lenticules and the secnd side is smth. The lens side acts as an angled magnifying glass t fcus and enhance the data strip in that area, while the smth side is the surface that the prcessed data is printed n. Human Eyes sftware is an innvative slutin fr the creatin f lenticular effects. It allws yu t slice and interlace with ease fr the prductin f such effects as 3D, Flip, Animatin, Mtin, Mrphing and Zm. The Océ Arizna 250GT UV inkjet printer can then print this frmatted data directly nt the smth side f the aligned lenticular lens material. This applicatin bulletin prvides wrkflw suggestins fr prducing quality lenticular utput using Human Eyes sftware in cnjunctin with the Océ Arizna 250GT. Refer t the Human Eyes User s Guide fr details f the creatin prcess. This dcument prvides guidelines that supplement the lenticular creatin prcess with a fcus n hw t achieve quality images using the Arizna 250 GT printer. Requirements Setup Tips Human Eyes 3 D 1.3 Sftware CD and HASP dngle & HumanEyes PrintPr v2 PwerPC G4 r G5 prcessr Mac OS X 10.4 r later QuickTime 6.1 r later 1GB RAM minimum r mre recmmended 30MB free n install drive fr Human Eyes 3 D Onyx Prductin Huse Lenticular Lens Material Fr ease f alignment and t avid cnfusin if using the flatbed table verlay fr registratin, scrape ff any un-necessary ink depsited n the table r use a slutin that disslves the cured ink, such as an epxy paint stripper. Sme thin r prus media can be vacuumed t the table, printed n, and still allw enugh vacuum t secure the lenticular screen material placed n tp fr alignment. Initial substrate testing must be dne in rder t determine media suitability. Page 1 f 7

2 When aligning larger screens n the table it is best t verify alignment frm directly abve (90 degrees perpendicular) and at a similar viewing distance t final piece. A step stl is helpful fr btaining this view r if nt wrkable, a clean flr may be used. When the lenticular substrate screens are shipped, there shuld be an infrmatin sheet enclsed which states the estimated LPI pitch f lens material. Save this infrmatin fr later use. Since actual LPI pitch may vary slightly between prductin batches, t minimize setup effrt required we suggest btaining as much material as pssible frm the same batch r lt number. Lenticular 3D effects are mre frgiving f alignment variability than Lenticular Flip r Mtin nes. If pssible, begin with 3D image creatin t practice alignment technique. Best results have been fund when using 40LPI 3D ( viewing angle) and 40 Universal lens ( viewing angle) in Fine Art Mde ( dpi), but satisfactry 3D results have been btained n screens frm 10 t 100 LPI. Mtin and Flip lenticular data requires at least 40LPI in Fine Art Mde t be effective. Recmmended thickness f lens is dependent n the type f effect: 2mm fr Flip and 5mm plus fr 3D depth. Fine Art Mde prvides the highest reslutin and ample ink lad, s we highly recmmend using this print mde fr the best quality results. Remember, an average interlaced HumanEyes file cntains data f 1/600 f an inch. Anything less than dpi may nt address the reslutin required fr high-end lenticular printing, which may degrade the quality f the interlaced file. Actual Reslutins f Print Mdes Fr prcessing f lenticular data, the actual true reslutin f print mde must be used. DO NOT ROUND DECIMAL PLACES AND ENSURE THE SAME OF ANY SOFTWARE USED AT ALL STEPS IN PROCESS. Prductin Mde: dpi Quality Mde: dpi Fine Art Mde: dpi Page 2 f 7

3 Wrkflw Overview Hw t Determine the Pitch Value fr Lenticular Printing An LPI infrmatin specificatin sheet frm the manufacturer shuld be enclsed with each shipment f lenticular screens. Use the supplied pitch value as a midpint fr pitch testing. Yu can als g t the respective manufacturer s website fr lenticular substrate specificatins and reference materials. 1. Create the initial pitch test using a starting pint 0.5 LPI belw the stated value in increments f 0.01 LPI with at least 10 strips. Ensure that the End Value LPI is abve that stated in the dcumentatin. Output width shuld be the same as the maximum printable width f the media. Output can be grayscale fr this step, as nly the black lines are needed fr visual assessment. Nte: On the Arizna 250GT, we have fund the best quality utput is prduced when the lenticules are parallel t the printer carriage directin as belw. Therefre it is necessary in Pitch Test Setup t rtate the data 90 (same fr yur final interlaced file). Interlace Directin shuld remain at the default vertical representatin; it is nt necessary t rtate bth in the sftware. 2. Save the Pitch Test, preferably in TIFF frmat t minimize the pssibility f unintentinal scaling and t prevent RIP interplatin, which may alter the integrity f yur lenticular file. 3. Open the file in Prductin Huse Pre-Flight and make sure that the magnificatin is set t 1.0. Nte: ICC prfile usage shuld be ff, which results in a single clr black line. If yu find this density t light fr accurate alignment viewing, yu may turn n prfiles t btain a 4 clr black. 4. Send the Pitch Test file t the 250GT t be printed n paper r a similar flexible material. Verify the media height and print. Page 3 f 7

4 5. Leave the paper with the printed image vacuumed and/r taped t table. Place the lenticular lens screen ver the print, then adjust the placement until yu see an aligned image. Nte: See the Human Eyes3 D User s Guide - Prductin Sectin fr pitch test analysis details and reference sample image. If using media thrugh which vacuum is still achievable, it may be necessary t use the bleed valves lcated at the cntrl side f printer in rder t allw fr the necessary mvement f yur lenticular material. 6. If it is nt pssible t lk directly dwn n the image t check lenticular alignment, use a step stl t get the prper perpendicular angle and distance, r place the print n a clean flr. It is als preferable t view at the prescribed viewing distance (see the manufacturer s specificatins and recmmendatins fr inherent viewing distances t specific lens). 7. Once a starting pint value has been determined, if necessary re-d Pitch Test fr finetuning using increments. Begin with lwer than the determined pitch. Once the final pitch has been determined, this value shuld be used t interlace the image data fr printing by entering actual pitch in the sftware Interlace Menu. Nte: If the final printed piece will cnsist f multiple images printed n the same piece f material, it is necessary t perfrm a Mechanical Pitch Test. See the Human Eyes 3 D User s Guide - Prductin sectin fr instructins n stepping and repeating and Placing Images f Different Sizes in ne layut. 8. Prepare yur Interlace data with the HumanEyes sftware using the LPI determined frm Pitch testing. Suggestins fr General Settings Rtate data 90 preferably in the HumanEyes sftware Image Setup t fllw the print directin. Rtating in HumanEyes avids any ptential interplatin degradatin with pst-humaneyes wrkflw. Interlace Directin shuld remain at the default vertical representatin, athugh it is nt necessary t rtate bth the image and alignment marks. Sftware autmatically rtates alignment marks when rtatin f image is selected. Since the data will be printed directly nt the flat side f lens screen and viewed frm the lenticuled frnt, it is als necessary at this pint t chse the Mirrr ptin in Image Setup. Enter the Optical pitch and Image Reslutin (true reslutin f Fine Art mde), assuring that n runding f decimal places nr interplatin ccurs. Suggestins fr Repeat Settings Refer t Interlacing Menu in the HumanEyes dcumentatin. When entering the Number f Cpies in Vertical and Hrizntal fields, check the Final Output Width and Height at the bttm f the page t ensure that the representatin is as expected. This is especially imprtant if sme rtatin has been applied in General Setup. Page 4 f 7

5 Gap Size determinatin and Bleed shuld take int accunt the available media space remaining as well as hw the final print will be cut int pieces. Suggestins fr Alignment Settings: Medium Alignment Marks (0.25 inch) Reslutin 1/5 th Lenticule (thickness f black alignment lines). Center Marks Reslutin 1/5 th Lenticule (thickness f red center alignment lines). Suggestins fr Advanced Settings Anti-Aliasing fr Mtin/Flip Data shuld be 0%, fr 3D 70%. If data cntains a cmbinatin f bth types use 30% anti-alias. Space at bttm fr grippers shuld be added if pst-print fld cating r methd f trimming requires it. Offsets t accmmdate fr these spatial needs can als be set in the printer s User Interface. Hw t Prepare Yur Image fr Printing 1. After yu have created the interlaced data fr yur image, save the file as TIFF frmat (use either LZW cmpressin r nne), if pssible. Nte: If the final file size is ver 2GB, then yu must use EPS r PstScript frmat. PstScript r EPS data can als be cmpressed using the Human Eyes Cmpressin ptin with a suggested Factr 3 (1/3 file size) setting. Imprtant: Fr imprved readability f text and/r detailed lgs within the image data, we recmmend bringing interlaced utput int an image editing prgram and replacing the interlaced text with as is text, flattening and then re-saving. Once again, make sure that n scaling r re-sizing is dne during this step. If PS file used, then create a lwreslutin FPO (fr psitin nly) fr preview placement purpses in editing layut prgrams. All interlacing ptins shuld remain the same except fr the reslutin, which can be ne quarter t half the reslutin f final utput. 2. Bring the final interlaced utput int Prductin Huse; apply prfiles if desired and verify data has nt been scaled. 3. Send the image t the Arizna 250 GT printer and then print the image using the fllwing guidelines. Page 5 f 7

6 Guidelines fr Printing Lenticular Images Hw t Achieve Optimal Quality Theretically, the greatest line accuracy shuld be achievable when printing uni-directinally, but a prperly aligned printer imaging bi-directinally shuld exhibit very little variatin frm unidirectinal. Sme variables t take int accunt when making this decisin: Gemetric stability f the media under UV heat cnditins. Expansin and cntractin prperties f the media may effect bi-directinal alignment if severe enugh. Type f image being created: Lenticular 3D effects are mre frgiving f alignment variability than Lenticular Flip r Mtin nes. Timing cncerns: printing uni-directinally will take apprximately twice as lng as bi-directinally. Client utput quality expectatins, viewing cnditins and budget limitatins. LPI: 10LPI lens is a thicker substrate while 100 LPI is much thinner and therefre mre prne t expansin and cntractin under UV lamp heat cnditins. Hw t Achieve Gd Alignment Aligning the lenticular screens t the print data is f utmst imprtance in ensuring quality utput with the desired lenticular effects. This alignment can be perfrmed in three ways: 1) print the guidelines directly n the print table; 2) print n prus material thrugh which sufficient vacuum is still btainable, r; 3) print n thin material that can then be trimmed t be used as a mask. 1. In rder t print directly n table verlay, it is best t crp the side and bttm lenticular alignment marks ut f the entire image and then print each prtin separately. Printing the full sized image n the table may create heat build-up, which will cause the verlay t lift ff the table and be scraped by the underside f carriage, pssibly scratching the print heads. T d this: a. Bring 3 cpies f the file int PreFlight. Crp t the side alignment marks n ne cpy, and the bttm alignment marks n anther. Make sure that yu have lcked Magnificatin t avid scaling and that all PreFlight print mark ptins are the same. b. Prcess the third cpy as yu wuld fr printing. Cnversely the same file culd be used fr all three final files by bringing the file back int pre-flight, reprcessing and re-sending. c. Print the crpped versin, which retains the alignment mark guide pieces n the table using exactly the same ffsets fr each file. Use these alignment guides t place the lenticular lens screen material and vacuum nt the table. d. Fllw by printing the cmplete print ready versin f file, remembering t change the media height t that f the screen material. At this pint yu may als chse t print the full image n an intermediate substrate fr quality cntrl purpses, checking the actin by temprarily placing the lenticular lens facing yu n the printed image t cnfirm the effect befre printing n cstly lens material. 2. T print n a material thrugh which the screen can be aligned and adhered t the table sme initial substrate testing must be dne in rder t determine suitability. Page 6 f 7

7 Media mst suited is usually quite thin and frtunately ften f the inexpensive variety. Sme success has been had using plain white 20lb Bnd Paper, as well as Kraft paper, hwever the darker base clr f Kraft paper may make it mre difficult t distinguish the guide marks. Once yu have fund a material that wrks and printed the interlaced image n it, use the main vacuum lever t reduce draw enugh t mve the lenticular screen int alignment and re-print data. Remember t change the media height t that f the screen material befre printing. 3. If intermediary substrate des nt allw fr sufficient vacuum t adhere the lenticular screen t the table as well, it is necessary t trim ut the printed piece while still affixed t the table. a. Tape the entire piece f media t the table t ensure immvability. b. Print the fully interlaced image nt the substrate. c. Then with the vacuum still engaged, take a sharp blade and a straight edge and trim ut the centre image prtin leaving nly the tick mark guides behind. Depending n skill and blade sharpness, trimming may scratch the verlay surface. If this is un-acceptable, the vacuum can be eased ff and a piece f prtective material slid underneath the substrate t prtect the table. If using this methd, be very careful nt t shift the media with printed alignment marks as any shifting will cause mis-registratin f the data t screen, which may result in image artifacts. d. Once trimming has been dne, back ff vacuum enugh t psitin the screen. Once aligned, engage full vacuum and re-print the file remembering t change the media height t that f the screen material. Since the edges f the screen will nt have full vacuum due t printed guideline mask area, taping the edges may still be necessary t ensure a strng vacuum bnd remains as the substrate is heated by the UV lamps. T achieve sufficient density fr backlit applicatins, it may be necessary t Overprint the file nce. Pre-saturating the image and/r using a Media Mdel with maximum ink placement may prvide enugh density using nly ne pass printing. Fld cating the finished printed surface white t prvide additinal density and diffusin t the utput, particularly fr backlit applicatins. UV Lamp Settings: range is frm 1-7 intensity, with Level 3-4 intensity being the recmmended setting with Fine-Art Mde. Try t achieve a balance between prviding enugh intensity t cure the UV inks and reducing the cntractin and expansin f the thinner lenticular lens. Printing in FineArt Mde as recmmended prvides the best adhesin t lenticular material. Hwever, depending n the methd f cutting the finished pieces, full bleed prints may exhibit sme edge flaking in high ink density areas when cut. We suggest allwing the ink t cure fr an additinal 24hrs after printing befre trimming. As well, the applicatin f an adhesin prmter, such as Sericl UviJet Adhesin Master ZE720 can be applied t the imprve bnd. Fr image creatin quality suggestins, see the Human Eyes D s and Dn t f Lenticular Printing reference guide. Page 7 f 7