Animated Business Cards - FAQ

Q1- What does an animation business card look like look like?

A- : It is a thin(0.4 mm) card that you can hold in your hand and move back and forth and there is an action that occurs on the card. You can order a sample (See sample kit)

Note: Due to the very thin lens material, there will be some "ghosting" of the animation. The results should still be pleasing with good impact however.

Q2- How many frames of action can be put into the picture?

A- : Up to 6 frames of action are possible but less frames is often more suitable.

Q3- Why is that? Isn’t more frames always going to be better than less frames?

A- : Not necessarily. There is a trade off of more frames adding some blur as well as a smoother action. Some of the most effective animations are flips which have only 2 frames where the action is precise. Due to the thin lens, there will be some ghosting that occurs as well.

Q4- What does an animation business card look like look like?

A- : It is a thin card that you can hold in your hand and move back and forth and there is an action that occurs on the card. You can order a sample (See sample kit)

Q5- How do I know what the animation will look like before I get the finished card?

A- : If you use our existing business card templates you will see a representation of your animation as a gif file on your computer screen. This will give you an idea of what you are going to get. You can also make a gif animation from your own artwork to preview the effect.

Q6- Do I need any special equipment or cameras to make my own animation to go on a
       business card?

A- : Not really. You need a digital camera. It is easier if you have a digital camera with burst mode and a tripod, but you can take effective animations with almost any digital camera and holding it steady. (See Tutorial). If you use a film camera you must convert the film frames into digital before the animation can be prepared. See animation

Note: You can also make a high quality print of your hi-res digital image.

Q7- Do you have different sizes than 91mm W X 55mm H (3.56” W X 2.18” H)?

A- : Yes.. We have stock Bookmark (Ruler?) sized cards at 6.75" W by 1.25" H, and we have Postcard sized cards at 6" W x 4" H. Contact us for details!

Q8- Why is there sometimes ghosting and a colour shift on the cards?

A- : Animations tend to ghost as each frame does not fully extinguish as the viewing angle changes. This ghosting is increased as the contrast and motion increases. The very thin lens can be prone to colour shift and ghosting however the effect is still pleasing and unique. We have obtained one of the best plastic lenticular lens to minimize these effects.

Q9- I don’t know anything about imaging or how to preview my animation or use your
       template.

A- : That’s OK. We can do a custom job for you for $25 per hour art work fee, however, we recommend that you do your artwork locally to keep your costs down and have more direct feedback for your design.

Q10- Can I use video for my animation?

A- : Yes…with some qualifications. The still frames from video are at low resolution and video tends to blur moving objects because of the slow shutter speed and the video camera tends to be zooming or panning during shooting. Our animations work best with non-blurry frames of better resolution than video provides. Having said that however, some video animations can look very good and we can make animations from video.

Q11- Can I have more than 6 frames in my animation?

A- : No, not on this type of business card.

Q12- Can I use the same animation for a business card and for a larger lenticular picture as
         stated in your animation section?

A- : Yes, as long as there are no more than 6 frames. For large volume printing, more frames are available.

Q13- Are the business cards done on the same material as the 3D pictures?

A- : No….The business cards are done on a 100 LPI lens at 0.4 mm thick while the 3D prints are done on a 179 LPI lens at 0.5 mm thick.

Q14- Can I put 3D on my business cards instead of animation?

A- : No... This thin lense(0.4 mm) only supports animations, however, for large volume litho or high quality photo emulsion pictures we can make 3D cards. Contact us for details info@snap3d.com

Q15- Do you have full colour back printing?

A- : No. This type of business card and other stock sizes are formatted to certain specifications to keep the cost down. They must have both the specific size and black only as the back printing colour. The definition of black is C=0, M=0, Y=0, K=100. Much larger volumes can have total flexibility as to size and back colours.