History of Lenticular Printing

You may have noticed stickers, book covers and posters with lenticular printing, it is fascinating how an image can change just by the angle of perception even in physical mediums. Have you ever wondered when the concept of lenticular printing was discovered? When was the first time that someone had such an idea? Who was that someone? When you are holding a book with a lenticular cover, you enjoy looking at two different images and wonder how is this possible? Let’s explore the history of lenticular printing here:

Tabula Scalata

Before lenticular printing, there was the concept of flip image. You might have seen those even in your lifetime. Imagine a wall, now there are triangle folds on the wall and the folds create image A and image B, when you look at the wall from the left, you will see image A and image B will be blocked because of the triangle folds and the same will happen with image B when you look at the wall from the right end. This kind of art display was called Tabula Scalata and it was the first ever flip image.

Lenticular Printing

Tabula Scalata dates back to as far as 3 to 4 centuries! The concept itself is not new, even Shakespeare has it mentioned in his work in some ways. However, it wasn’t until the early and especially middle 20th century that the simple but creative display of two images evolved towards lenticular printing. It was when lenticular lenses were invented. With Tabula Scalata, you needed a surface from which triangle folds stuck out, but with the invention of lenticular lenses it was possible to create lenticular imagery in a much simpler way. The lenses were flat so the display looked quite magical.

Utilization of Lenticular Printing

It was in the early 20th century that the lenticular imagery concept was employed for marketing purposes. Initially, it was used for religious imagery projections on various items but in the mid 20th century even the political parties started using it for campaign purposes. Fast forward to present, today you can see the lenticular printing on book covers, posters, stickers and much more.

The Fascination

We live in the digital era where we can see videos with advanced CGI effects on any devices that fit into our palm and/or can occupy a whole wall. However, that happens on a digital screen. Seeing an image change on a physical material with no digital screen or such can still seem magical. Holding a book with a lenticular cover is different from holding a book with a normal cover. Hence, the fascination with lenticular printing is something that is yet to go away. Companies and businesses employ lenticular printing for their marketing purposes because it creates a better reach and impact among the target audience.

Normal printed materials have their effect and benefits however, incorporating lenticular printing for your marketing can do wonders. People’s fascination with the concept can help you create a better and longer lasting effect. For best lenticular covers and more, you can contact us or visit our website.

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