High resolution (PPI) printer

[Martinas]

Hello!

I am planning to produce some quality lenticular prints with high frame rate and am looking for a high reolution (PPI) printer for this purpose. There will be a sheet made of tiny lenses on top of my printout which separates the image into very thin lines, so that's where the need for extra precision comes in. In this case, a high DPI is a must, but that does not translate directly into PPI and being able to print more lines on the same amount of space.

By far the most common choice in the field seems to be Epson printers (720 PPI). I was wondering if there are any other printers available with even a higher PPI?

Thanks,
Martin
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[gordo]

[SNIP]

By far the most common choice in the field seems to be Epson printers (720 PPI). I was wondering if there are any other printers available with even a higher PPI?

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Just a point of clarification regarding PPI/DPI with inkjet printers. PPI/DPI specifications do not refer to resolution (distinguishing one splat of ink from another). Instead it refers to the device's addressability grid. Its ability to aim the splat of unknown size at a particular location on the substrate. You might consider running tests on different devices with your lenticular film rather than rely on any vendor's specifications regarding "resolution."

 

[srialto]

Hey Martin, can I ask what lens you are planning on printing on, or what effects you are after (3D vs flip)? Gordo's answer is a good one revealing the levels of complexity when you really want to understand how printers handle resolution. Its common to consider the size of the droplets, measured in picoliters, when trying to know what a real printer's capacity is. But. . . . all that may not matter so much depending on what you want to do. The Epson print head can effectively address 1440 DPI and at this resolution you can fit up to 72 dots under a 20 LPI lenticule, more than most people use. It becomes more critical with higher LPI lenses, like 60 and above, where inkjet starts have problems. It has long been rumored that piezo printers (Epson, Mimaki, Mutoh) are capable of more accurate dot placement than thermal printers (HP, Kodak) but I am not aware of anyone who has actually done the tests.

 

[srialto]

I have used several generations of Epsons with great success with making lenticular prints.