DPLenticular, the supplier of Lenstar™ lenticular material for 3D and multiple changing animation application for the graphic arts industry, has just celebrated its 10th anniversary in business. Founded on September 4, 2001, by Daniel Pierret, DPLenticular acquired a vast experience in the lenticular market and has earned its reputation as a trusted and leading provider of lenticular products in EMEA.
The company started as LPC Europe (The Lenticular Plastic Company of Europe), but changed its name and corporate branding to DPLenticular in 2008. Today, the company is still headquartered in Ireland and has secured a leading position in a unique niche market. DPLenticular offers offset and digital printers in the graphic arts industry the highest quality lenticular sheets, as well as a reliable technical support and customised training services.
Lenticular runs through the veins
Everyone knows them, those nice 3D postcards, posters or other 3D gadgets, but if someone asks you how they are made, most of us don’t really know the answer. Ask founder and current Managing Director Daniel Pierret, and you immediately understand why he is one of the leading experts in this field. “Since my childhood, I have always been passionate by photography. At one time, when I was a photographer’s agent, I discovered that an American company was proposing real 3-dimensionnal photography. I understood that this could be a new standard in the imaging world, and started proposing 3D photography already back in 1994. I remember selling the first 3D bus shelter’s campaign on the European continent. I guess lenticular and 3D runs through my veins, and as such, many people see me a bit as an evangelist of this magnificent technology.”
Combination of sales and service is unique
Throughout the years, many printers relied on DPLenticular to make the move to lenticular printing. Daniel Pierret sees several reasons for that: “We are not the only supplier of lenticular material on the market, but the combination of sales and service makes us unique. In 2005 Gilles Letouche joined the company and Bob Marriott in 2007. They brought solid hands-on technical experience to our team and have been instrumental in building long term relationships with our customers. Lenticular printing is not rocket science, but without initial training and support, it is very difficult to achieve good results. Every printer has to go through the same learning curve, and we help them in acquiring the basic knowledge about the technology. Once they have that experience, they can manage on their own.”
Abundant availability of lenticular stock material
According to Daniel Pierret, another reason for this success is the abundant availability of lenticular stock material. “Most companies reduced their stock levels, but since printers rely on our stock levels to respond quickly to market demand, we did exactly the opposite. We store not less than 9 different Lenstar™ lens designs and a total of 42 different products in our warehouse. Thanks to this large stock in the centrally located port of Antwerp, we are able to deliver our European customers in the shortest delivery times possible. A huge advantage compared to some of the other vendors on the market.”
Collaboration with the main players in the printing market
Over the years, DPLenticular worked together with many different manufacturers of press and print equipment. During drupa 2004, they collaborated with Heidelberg and IST Metz, and at drupa 2008 they had lenticular material printed on many stands like Heidelberg, Fuji Screen, Agfa, Manroland, Presstek, and others. They also work closely together with the main software suppliers as you can see on their website. The 10th anniversary is also a milestone in the successful collaboration with Pacur in Oshkosh WI. Rick Knapp, VP Sales at Pacur, comments: “Ten years ago, Pacur and DPLenticular developed a collaboration with the purpose of promoting Lenstar Lenticular sheet in Europe. This collaboration has been very successful for both of our companies. We continue to enjoy this relationship and look forward to another 10 years of collaboration.”
Bright future for lenticular print
Promoting lenticular print as a creative way to communicate products and services to target audiences is another goal of DPLenticular. With this in mind, DPLenticular and www.lenstar.org introduced the Lenstar Lenticular Print Award (LLPA) earlier this year. Daniel Pierret: “We looked for a way to encourage and reward companies and individuals in the development and use of lenticular printing throughout the communication mix. The response was overwhelming, and we are already preparing next year’s event, in partnership with drupa. We will also be present at the drupa Innovation Park in 2012, and judging from the many interesting contacts we had at drupa 2008, it looks very promising.” Despite the recent economic letdown of the last years, DPLenticular saw increasing sales figures year after year, supporting the fact that lenticular print is the perfect tool to stand out and generate a strong visual attraction and buying impulse. With this last thought in mind, Daniel Pierret is very confident in the future of lenticular print.
To learn more about DPLenticular and its unique range of Pacur Lenstar™ lenticular sheets, please visit: www.dplenticular.com
