A personalized naked-eye 3D printed product and a method for preparing the same

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of individualized naked eye 3D printed matter and its preparation method, belong to printing technical field, method includes: determine the stereoscopic part and non-stereoscopic part in printing file;According to the stereoscopic effect of stereoscopic picture element in stereoscopic part, determine the matching microlens array parameter;According to microlens array parameter, bottom drawing file and microlens array file are generated respectively;Bottom drawing file and microlens array file are printed to printing material in turn by inkjet printer, obtain individualized naked eye 3D printed matter.The application does not need additional offset printing step and prefabricated transparent plastic sheet, and individualized naked eye 3D printed matter can be obtained after in situ printing of bottom drawing file and microlens array file by inkjet printer, not only low in manufacturing cost, high efficiency, and positioning consistency is better, and then improve stereoscopic display effect;In addition, inkjet printer can also realize the rapid change of bottom drawing file, so as to be suitable for individualized, small batch naked eye 3D printed matter printing operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of printing technology, and in particular to a personalized naked-eye 3D printed product and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] As living standards improve, people's demands for printed materials are no longer limited to practicality; they also hope that these materials can reflect their personal aesthetic taste and express their individuality. Therefore, personalized printed materials are often designed, and naked-eye 3D technology is used to meet this demand, thereby increasing user satisfaction. Furthermore, naked-eye 3D technology can also be used for anti-counterfeiting measures. As a novel anti-counterfeiting method, it boasts excellent aesthetics, novelty, and uniqueness, not only providing strong anti-counterfeiting effects but also enhancing the perceived quality of printed products.

[0003] Currently, naked-eye 3D technology used in printed materials is mainly divided into two categories: one uses lens arrays to achieve 3D effects, and the other uses holographic technology to achieve 3D effects.

[0004] In the former type of technology, the lenses used are mainly divided into two types: cylindrical lenses and microlenses. Currently, a common practice is to print or etch processed graphics on the back of a transparent plastic sheet with these lens arrays to achieve a naked-eye 3D effect. However, this method has many limitations. For example, these plastic sheets are often prefabricated, and customizing them to specifications not available on the market is very expensive, making personalized customization impractical. Furthermore, personalized customization would significantly increase the time required, thus affecting the delivery time of printed materials and increasing time costs. In addition, if graphics are printed directly on the back of a transparent plastic sheet with lens arrays, electrostatic treatment is often required to improve ink adhesion, which also increases the difficulty and cost of the process.

[0005] Although there are technologies that use offset printing to print the base image and then combine it with inkjet printing to print the microlens array, this is still not suitable for printing personalized naked-eye 3D products. Furthermore, there are difficulties in controlling the positioning consistency between the offset printed base image and the microlens array. If the positioning difference is too large, the three-dimensional effect will not be well reflected.

[0006] In the second type of method using holographic technology to achieve 3D effects, holographic patterns can be obtained through holography or specialized software. The former is complex and costly, while the latter requires specialized software. Furthermore, holographic technology often requires pressing holographic patterns onto transparent plastic sheets using an imprinting template, demanding extremely high precision templates. This makes the production technology very difficult and costly. In addition, from a visual perspective, holographic patterns cannot compare to the effect of color ink printing; ink-printed materials are more in line with people's viewing habits. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problem that existing naked-eye 3D printing technologies struggle to balance low cost and excellent stereoscopic effects, the present invention aims to provide a personalized naked-eye 3D printed product and its preparation method, thereby at least partially solving the aforementioned problems.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0009] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing personalized naked-eye 3D printed materials, comprising the following steps:

[0010] S1. Obtain the printed document and determine the three-dimensional and non-three-dimensional parts in the printed document;

[0011] S2. Based on the stereoscopic effect of the stereoscopic image elements in the stereoscopic part, determine the microlens array parameters that match the desired stereoscopic effect;

[0012] S3. Generate a base map file and a microlens array file according to the microlens array parameters;

[0013] S4. The base image file and the microlens array file are sequentially printed onto the substrate using an inkjet printer to obtain personalized naked-eye 3D printed products.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, in step S2, the microlens array parameters include: the arrangement of the microlens array, the shape and size of each microlens in the microlens array, and the center distance between adjacent microlenses in the microlens array.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the arrangement of the microlens array includes, but is not limited to, a horizontal square, a 45° tilted square, and a regular hexagon.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the microlens is circular in shape.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, a portion or all of the printed document is the three-dimensional portion.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, when a portion of the printed document is the three-dimensional portion, then in step S3, the step of generating a base map file based on the microlens array parameters includes:

[0019] The microlens array parameters are imported into the base map creation software to generate a stereoscopic image that matches the stereoscopic part.

[0020] Import the non-three-dimensional part of the printed file into the base map making software to generate a non-three-dimensional graphic that matches the non-three-dimensional part.

[0021] The stereoscopic image and the non-stereoscopic image are merged to generate the base image file that matches the printed document.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, if the substrate is transparent or non-white, a white base layer is printed on the substrate before printing the base image file.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, between the step of printing the base image file on the substrate and the step of printing the microlens array file, a base layer of transparent UV varnish material is further laid on the substrate.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, in step S4, when the thickness of the microlens array exceeds the thickness formed by a single inkjet printing, the microlens array file is printed onto the substrate by multiple printing processes.

[0025] Secondly, the present invention also provides a personalized naked-eye 3D printed product, which is prepared by the above-described method.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention using the above technical solution are as follows: By printing the prepared base image file and microlens array file in situ using an inkjet printer, a naked-eye 3D effect can be obtained, eliminating the need for additional offset printing steps and pre-made transparent plastic sheets. This not only reduces production costs but also increases efficiency. Furthermore, the printing of the base image file and the microlens array can be done on the same inkjet printer, resulting in better consistency and higher positioning accuracy between the two files, thereby improving the stereoscopic display effect. In addition, the inkjet printer based on variable data printing technology can also achieve rapid changes to the base image file, making it suitable for personalized, small-batch naked-eye 3D printing operations. Compared to traditional technologies, naked-eye 3D printing products prepared by the method of this invention have the advantages of low cost, high speed, personalization, high precision, and good display effect. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the method flow of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the microlens array in this invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of microlens imaging. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these descriptions are for the purpose of aiding understanding the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0031] Example 1

[0032] This invention provides a method for preparing personalized naked-eye 3D printed materials, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes steps S1-S4.

[0033] Step S1. Obtain the printing file and determine the three-dimensional and non-three-dimensional parts in the printing file.

[0034] To achieve a better effect, current printed materials typically present at least a portion of their content in a 3D effect, allowing viewers to perceive the information in a three-dimensional manner without external aids. Correspondingly, printed documents include the 3D portions that require a 3D effect, as well as non-3D portions that do not. For example, limited-edition products printed in small batches (such as a limited supply of ten sets) often have the parts with unique meaning (such as serial numbers) printed in a 3D effect to highlight the effect, allowing viewers to see a 3D effect with the naked eye, while other parts are printed non-3D.

[0035] Of course, the printed document may not contain non-three-dimensional parts, that is, the printed document may be entirely three-dimensional, which does not affect the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0036] Step S2. Based on the stereoscopic effect of the stereoscopic elements in the stereoscopic part, determine the microlens array parameters that match the desired stereoscopic effect.

[0037] In step S2, the stereoscopic image elements can be text, symbols, patterns, logos, etc., or they can be image files from multiple different perspectives of a three-dimensional image. The microlens array parameters that match the stereoscopic effect of the stereoscopic image elements specifically include: the arrangement of the microlens array, the shape and size of each microlens in the microlens array, and the center distance between adjacent microlenses in the microlens array.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the microlens array is arranged in a 45° tilted square. Of course, depending on the desired 3D effect, the tilt angle can be other values. Additionally, the microlens array can also be arranged in a horizontal square or a regular hexagon. For example... Figure 3As shown, this is a schematic diagram of the microlens imaging principle. From left to right, the components are the substrate, the base layer, and the microlens. Dimension a represents the diameter of the microlens, which is configured to 0.16 mm in this embodiment; b represents the height of the microlens' cap, i.e., the thickness of the microlens array; dimension c represents the thickness of the base layer; furthermore, the center-to-center distance d between adjacent microlenses in the microlens array is configured to 0.24 mm; then, according to the formula:

[0039] The thickness of the microlens array can then be calculated.

[0040] Step S3. Generate the base map file and the microlens array file according to the microlens array parameters.

[0041] It's easy to understand that printing files cannot be directly input into the printing press for printing; they need to be configured as a base image file. The printing press performs the printing operation by recognizing the base image file. When creating the base image file, the three-dimensional and non-three-dimensional parts of the printing file need to be created as base images separately. For example, when a part of the printing file is three-dimensional, the step S3, which generates the base image file based on the microlens array parameters, includes:

[0042] Step S3-1. Import the microlens array parameters into the base map creation software to generate a stereoscopic image that matches the stereoscopic part;

[0043] Step S3-2. Import the non-3D parts of the printed file into the base map creation software to generate non-3D graphics that match the non-3D parts;

[0044] Step S3-3. Merge the stereoscopic and non-stereoscopic images to generate a base image file that matches the printed file.

[0045] It's easy to understand that for printed materials that include both three-dimensional and non-three-dimensional parts, when there are multiple copies printed, the non-three-dimensional graphics corresponding to the non-three-dimensional parts in the base file of each printed material are usually the same. The only difference is the three-dimensional graphics corresponding to the three-dimensional parts. Therefore, when creating the base file, the non-three-dimensional base image corresponding to the non-three-dimensional parts only needs to be created once. Then, the non-three-dimensional graphics are combined with different three-dimensional graphics to obtain the base file that matches each printed material.

[0046] In this embodiment, both the base map file and the microlens array file are created using software. The software used to create the base map file includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and YD3D software; users can also create base map files using their own custom programs. The software used to create the microlens array file includes Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign, among others. Using these software programs, the layout of the corresponding text and graphics for the three-dimensional and non-three-dimensional parts can be done manually.

[0047] Regarding the stereoscopic effect in step S2, when generating the stereoscopic effect through a 3D model, it is necessary to first obtain multi-view images in 3D software such as 3ds Max, and then use the multi-view images to generate the required stereoscopic effect graphics and text. The algorithm for generating stereoscopic graphics and text based on multi-view images is well known, and users can write their own small programs to generate stereoscopic graphics and text as needed.

[0048] Typically, when creating a base map file using base map creation software, depth of field needs to be configured. Different software has different depth of field configuration methods. Taking YD3D software as an example, this software requires inputting a relative value when configuring depth of field. Negative values ​​correspond to a concave 3D effect, while positive values ​​correspond to a convex 3D effect. Users can set an appropriate value within the input range as needed.

[0049] Step S4. The base image file and the microlens array file are printed onto the substrate sequentially using an inkjet printer to obtain personalized naked-eye 3D printed products.

[0050] In this step, if the substrate is transparent or not white, the color performance of the final printed product will be poor for color printing files. Therefore, before printing the base image file, a white base layer is usually printed on the substrate first, and then the base image file is printed. This can improve the color performance.

[0051] Another important point to note is that after printing the base image file in this step, you must not move the substrate before printing the microlens array file. This will ensure that the microlens array is aligned with the base image, thus guaranteeing a good 3D effect.

[0052] In this step, between the printing of the base image file and the printing of the microlens array file, a layer of transparent UV varnish material is laid flat on the substrate (i.e., the substrate on which the base image file has already been printed), and then the microlens array file is printed. The thickness *c* of the substrate layer depends on the diameter *a* of the microlenses; the larger the diameter *a* of the microlenses, the larger the thickness *c* of the matching substrate layer, and the stronger the sense of depth. For example... Figure 3The diagram shows an imaging cross-section of a single microlens. The leftmost part of the diagram is the substrate, such as paper. To the right of the substrate are the base layer and the microlens. With the microlens array parameters determined, the light path corresponding to the image and text information on the substrate can be determined, thus determining the three-dimensional effect.

[0053] In addition, when the thickness of the microlens array exceeds the thickness formed by a single inkjet printing, the microlens array file is printed onto the substrate through multiple printing processes.

[0054] Example 2

[0055] This invention also provides a personalized naked-eye 3D printed product, which is prepared by the method provided in the above embodiments.

[0056] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and these variations still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing personalized naked-eye 3D printed materials, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Obtain the printed document and determine the three-dimensional and non-three-dimensional parts in the printed document; S2. Based on the stereoscopic effect of the stereoscopic image elements in the stereoscopic part, determine the microlens array parameters that match the required stereoscopic effect, including the arrangement of the microlens array, the shape and size of each microlens in the microlens array, and the center distance between adjacent microlenses in the microlens array. S3. Generate a base map file and a microlens array file according to the microlens array parameters; S4. The base image file and the microlens array file are sequentially printed onto the substrate using an inkjet printer to obtain personalized naked-eye 3D printed products; The printed document may be a portion or the entire three-dimensional part; When a portion of the printed document is the three-dimensional portion, then in step S3, the step of generating a base map file based on the microlens array parameters includes: The microlens array parameters are imported into the base map creation software to generate a stereoscopic image that matches the stereoscopic part. Import the non-three-dimensional part of the printed file into the base map making software to generate a non-three-dimensional graphic that matches the non-three-dimensional part. The stereoscopic image and the non-stereoscopic image are merged to generate the base image file that matches the printed document; Between the printing steps of the base image file and the printing steps of the microlens array file, the process also includes: laying a base layer of transparent UV varnish material on the substrate, i.e. the substrate on which the base image file has been printed, and then printing the microlens array file. The arrangement of the microlens array includes, but is not limited to, a horizontal square, a 45° tilted square, and a regular hexagon; The microlens is circular in shape; In step S4, if the substrate is transparent or non-white, a white base layer is printed on the substrate before printing the base image file. In step S4, between the step of printing the base image file on the substrate and the step of printing the microlens array file, a base layer of transparent UV varnish material is also laid flat on the substrate. In step S4, when the thickness of the microlens array exceeds the thickness formed by a single inkjet printing, the microlens array file is printed onto the substrate through multiple printing processes.

2. A personalized naked-eye 3D printed product, characterized in that: It is prepared by the method described in claim 1.

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