3D Lenticular Postcards

How Do 3D Lenticular Postcards Work

Your frames are cut into fine strips, interlaced and set behind the ridges of the lens, so tilting the postcard one way shows the first frame and tilting it back shows the next. A postcard face gives those frames far more room than a wallet card. The flip lives on the front, so a 4/4 order keeps the back free for a message or contact details.

Choosing Your Lenticular Effect

Of the lenticular effects (flip, 3D depth, animation, zoom and morph), this postcard prints the flip. It reads from the furthest away and survives being handed round a room: a closed door becomes an open one, a logo becomes an offer. Two frames give the cleanest swap because each image gets the widest slice of the tilt; three and four frames tell more of a story, so keep the artwork bolder as the count goes up.

Artwork Recommendations for Lenticular Printing

• Send each frame as its own full size layer at the finished card size, not a flattened composite. Layered files are what the interlacing step needs.
• Keep the key element in roughly the same place across every frame. Something that jumps from one side of the card to the other fights the lens and reads as a smear halfway through the tilt.
• Push the contrast between frames. Two images that are nearly identical produce a flip nobody notices; a dark frame against a light one, or a closed shape against an open one, reads instantly.
• Set type large and keep it off the flip. Fine serif text, thin strokes and small print sit across the lens ridges and blur. If a phone number or an address has to stay readable, put it on an area that does not change between frames.
• Run the important motion in the same direction as the lens, and match your artwork to whichever direction you ordered.

Pick the free online proof instead of straight to production when you order, and use it to check that the frames are the ones you meant and that the type still reads.

Where Lenticular Postcards Get Used

• Real estate handouts: the exterior of a listing flipping to the kitchen, or a for sale sign flipping to sold.
• Event invitations: the venue flipping to the date, or a closed envelope motif flipping to the details.
• Movie and product promos: two key frames of a trailer, or a product opening and closing.
• Trade show handouts: a booth giveaway that shows the product in two states.

What Sizes Do They Come In

Two squares, a 4" x 4" and a roomier 5" x 5", give the motion space to play in the middle of the card. The 4" x 6" comes vertical or horizontal, and a 5" x 7" or 7" x 5" gives a photo and a headline real room. The panel below groups the ink, flip, direction, corner and proof choices the way the configurator does.

How Many Should You Order

A lenticular postcard is a piece you hand out on purpose, at a launch, a booth, or a counter where you want people to stop. Drag the slider below to set your quantity and watch the set total and the per-card cost update, so you can find the point where one more step up barely moves the budget.

How Much Do 3D Lenticular Postcards Cost

A second 500 adds $219.68 to the total. This is a made-to-order specialty print, not a stock card, which is why it sits well above the flat Standard Postcards you would mail by the thousand.

How Do They Compare to Other Standout Postcards

Lenticular is the postcard that actually moves, but it is not the only way to make someone look twice. For shine instead of motion, the mirror-bright foil on Metallic Foil Postcards catches the light, and Spot UV Postcards lay a flat gloss over chosen parts of a 16pt gloss card. If you love the flip and want it in another format, the same effect runs on 3D Lenticular Greeting Cards and pocket-size 3D Lenticular Business Cards. The chart below shows how far a lens card sits from Standard Postcards and the other entry styles on price and turnaround.

How Long Do 3D Lenticular Postcards Take

Book a lenticular postcard run a month or more ahead of the launch or event: standard production is 22 business days, with a faster 15 business day option when a date is tight. The turnaround panel below shows both tiers.

Ground shipping comes on top of the production days. Enter your ZIP code below to see when the boxes reach you, and plan the handout date from there.

See the Rest of Our Postcards

Scan the full print product range for foil, raised gloss and flat postcards you can mail by the thousand, along with velvet, soft touch and folded styles.

Why Print With 4OVER4.COM

A lenticular run is a 500 postcard commitment, and the flip only works if the frames line up under the lens, so check the printer's record first. The figures below are company-wide and include the on-time delivery rate.

Print Your 3D Lenticular Postcards Today

At 4OVER4.COM, quality comes first, and it's backed by a satisfaction guarantee and 25+ years of printing since 1999. Settle the frames, pick the direction, and print your 3D lenticular postcards today.