After nine months of intensive development, Field Group's Thatcham plant has won its first commercial order for 3D lenticular printing on product packaging.


Field claims it is one of only three companies worldwide to be pioneering the use of 3D lenticulars on packaging.


Field's contract is with Cereal Partners, a Nestle / General Mills subsidiary, and the lenticular image will feature on a collectable object found inside the cereal box. The initial order is for 1.6m items.


Field product development manager Gary Howe said enquiries about the lenticular process had been pouring in from leading brands in markets ranging from drinks to toys to cosmetics. He said that he was expecting confirmation of another order from Cadbury's, in which a lenticular image will be integrated into the package itself.


The process itself "lends a three-dimensional look
to two-dimensional images to create a visual impression
of movement and depth", according to Field.


Howe explained that the picture is manipulated using special software, and printed in reverse onto a plastic extruded lenticular optical lens. The Thatcham plant uses a modified six-colour Komori Lithrone.


"It's the most accurate form of printing out," added Howe, "because if you are even half a pixel out of
register you lose the sense of 3D."


Story by Tania Mason