What is 3D Sheet?

3D Lenticular Imaging is a 2D printing process for creating auto-stereographic 3D prints and transparencies. An auto-stereographic 3D print does not require 3D glasses, stereo viewers or any other aids to view an image in 3D. Lenticular technology in effect, puts the glasses on the print instead. The image is often printed on paper and then laminated with a sheet of lenticular material.

3D sheet called “Lenticular sheet” is a plastic sheet made by distinctive and precise extrusion with slove and curve on its sheet with a series of vertically aligned, plano-convex, cylindrical lenses called lenticules, so that we can see 3D image from this side. The another side is flat and coated on for printing the images.

There are 3 kinds of material to use for Lenticular sheet

• PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) is not amorphous and retains its Crystalinity.  Pet has excellent clarity. Good gas barrier properties, good grease and solvent resistance
• PP (Poly Propylene) it is suited if the piece is to be finished die cutting Lamination or fabrication.  It can be use for direct food contact. Also have better clarity and toughness than PVC
• PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) is made by combining Ethylene, produced by refining petroleum with chlorine, produced from rock salt. Usually PVC is toxin because of the chloride, it may not pass FDA approved for direct food contact. Also less clarity and toughness.

These lens sheets are available in a number of different lens pitches. Lens pitch is the number of lenticules per inch a sheet has. Typically, they range from 10 lpi up to 200 lpi or more. Generally, the lower the pitch the further away the optimum viewing distance. Large low pitch sheets (thicker, less flexible material) are used for very large displays and the higher pitched (thinner, more flexible material) sheets are for items like postcards and business cards.