The paper product that you're describing is a reflection hologram that
has been bonded to a foil-covered paper backing. This produces an
intense, almost glowing image which changes when viewed from different
angles. Sometimes the paper has a distinctly metallic sheen to it;
sometimes it appears opalescent; sometimes it more nearly resembles
stained glass, as the underlying metallic layer causes light to be
reflected back to the viewer. Prismatic diffraction papers use
holographic techniques to display shimmering rainbow-like patterns.
The effect is striking, and the process is sometimes used in
advertising and product labels because of its ability to catch the
eye.
One source of holograph-impressible paper is Proma Technologies, the
manufacturers of HoloPRISM paper. Here is Proma's own diagram of the
process of making this paper:
Proma Technologies: Direct Metallizing Process - HoloPRISM
http://www.promatechnologies.com/process.htm
From the website of Bindagraphics, here's a more detailed description
of the process of making foil-stamped reflection holograms:
Bindagraphics: How'd They Do That?
http://www.bindagraphics.com/pubs/pub13.html
These links will take you to articles about Proma's HoloPRISM wrapping
paper and products which feature Proma's HoloPRISM paper on their
labels:
Proma Technologies: Case Studies
http://www.promatechnologies.com/casestudies.htm
Proma Technologies: What's New
http://www.promatechnologies.com/whatsnew.htm
Here is a good, brief explanation of reflection holograms, from the
archives of Cecil Adams's "The Straight Dope":
"The hologram's surface is an emulsion that can be thought of as
consisting of many tiny facets, each containing a fraction of a larger
image. As you look at the hologram you see a set of facets that
together constitutes one perspective of the holographed scene. As you
tilt the hologram, a different set of facets comes into view showing
the scene from a slightly different perspective... There aren't really
any tiny facets. Actually what you've got is a set of
quasihyperboloidal interference fringes. Interference fringes reflect
a percentage of the light that strikes them."
The Straight Dope Archives: How do holographic images work?
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_347b.html
A more detailed explanation of the process of embossing holograms may
be found here:
CFC Holographics: Mass Replication of Holograms and Diffraction
Gratings by Embossing
http://www.cfcintl.com/products/holographic_info/holombos.htm
Further info on reflection holograms:
Amagic
http://www.amagic.thomasregister.com/olc/amagic/holo.htm
You can get a beautiful multi-colored prismatic effect with your color
inkjet printer and your own artwork by using Holojet paper. This
remarkable paper can be used to make stunning homemade gift wrap and
greeting cards. The results are somewhat more limited than in
commercially-produced gift wraps, since the rainbow pattern is the
only effect available (in bright, glitter, and matte finishes.) You
can place an order or find more information on Holojet paper here:
Holojet
http://www.holojet.com/
My Google search strategy:
"wrapping paper" + "hologram"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22wrapping+paper%22+hologram
"gift wrap" + "holographic"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22gift+wrap%22+holographic
"holoprism"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=holoprism
"hologram" + "diffraction" + "wrapping paper"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=hologram+diffraction+%22wrapping+paper
"iridescent" + "gift wrap"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=iridescent+%22gift+wrap
I hope this information is useful. If anything I've said is unclear or
incomplete, or if any of the links do not function, please do not
hesitate to request clarification, and I'll gladly offer more
assistance.
Best wishes for the holidays
from
Pinkfreud, Google Answers Researcher |
Request for Answer Clarification by
boots1359-ga
on
03 Jan 2003 09:37 PST
I am new to this procedure; had assumed I would get an e-mail saying
an answer was ready. Now I must go through multiple sites and answers
before I can supply the informatiion you want-- i.e., is this the
paper, or process, I had in mind.
I look forward to reading all this stuff, but it wil take time.
boots1359
|
Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
03 Jan 2003 09:58 PST
Boots,
Normally, unless the customer indicated during the registration
process that no emails should be sent, Google Answers sends an email
to the customer as soon as a Researcher posts an answer, and each time
that a Clarification Request is made by a Researcher. I am sorry that
you weren't notified.
When you say "Now I must go through multiple sites and answers before
I can supply the informatiion you want-- i.e., is this the paper, or
process, I had in mind," you may be referring to the question that was
asked by ragingacademic-ga in an earlier Clarification Request (before
I posted my answer.) We are not requiring any information from you,
unless there's a question or comment that you would like to make.
I hope you find the linked pages as interesting to read as I did. The
distinction between the sciences and the arts is blurring more and
more as technology enhances the artist's toolbox!
Best regards,
pinkfreud
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
boots1359-ga
on
06 Jan 2003 20:24 PST
Ragingacademic asked me if "the following site" showed what I was
talking about, and the only site(s) I could find to click on were
those which followed your note, not his. I didn't know that you could
get responses from more than one answerer, and I was confused by that,
too. Surely I am not going to have to pay $25 to two different guys.
I have read some of the material you sent and will perhaps get through
the rest in the next few days. The first link you gave me has the best
information so far, with drawings (the first set), and with captions
that were clear until I got to "Print Prime- Moisturize" which is
meaningless to me. Some of the later links take me to holograms which
are of three-dimensional scenes-- not what I am curious about.
|
Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
06 Jan 2003 20:38 PST
Rest assured that you will not be charged twice. The clarification
request from my colleague, ragingacademic-ga (which seemed to be
missing a link) was not an official answer, but merely a query.
Customers are not charged for these, nor for any remarks that may
appear in the "Comments" section.
~pinkfreud
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
boots1359-ga
on
20 Jan 2003 19:47 PST
Dear Sigmund: I just lost (apparently) two or three paragraphs when I
tried to go Back to one of the documents you sent me. Maybe it went to
you in its incomplete form. Here's a quick, sloppy summary in case it
didn't:
I don't have the understanding I wanted, but it's not your fault. The
process is complex and technical. Here's what I still would like to
know. If you want to try to answer, fine. If not, you still have
earned $25. I have been forgetful, inattentive, etc., have neglected
the matter for days on end. And time (Google time) seems to be running
out, though I don't know what that deadline means.
Is pigment involved at all? Some of the papers come in basic colors of
red, gold, etc., though in light they may turn many other colors.
What does a designer do when he sits down to design an iridescent
paper? It would seem that he makes a geometric form which is then
endlessly repeated, as on a quilt. This pattern is embossed onto a
layer of lacquer. What is done to the embossing surface to make the
lacquer iridescent? The lacquer layer is then covered with a thin
layer of foil-- for protection merely, or is the foil essential to the
iridescence? And what is the step after that, which is described in
two words meaningless to me? (It is described, that is, in the very
first link you gave me, which has drawings of rolls of paper and
arrows going left to right and then turning back. Trying to go back to
that illustration was what caused me to lose the first version of this
document.)
I repeat: you have done very well by me and I have been a terrible
correspondent. Thanks.
|
Clarification of Answer by
pinkfreud-ga
on
21 Jan 2003 13:24 PST
I took a long, leisurely cruise around the Web in search of more info
on this subject. Unfortunately, most of the websites which feature
holographic paper products seem to be more interested in selling the
products than in explaining how the products are made.
The very best explanation of the manufacturing process that I could
find is here. A careful reading of this article should give you some
insight into the creation of paper-based reflection holograms:
http://www.cfcintl.com/products/holographic_info/holombos.htm
Here are other sites which include some information about the
production of foil embossed holograms:
http://www.fsea.com/if/article.asp?ID=27
http://www.hmt.com/holography/TPF/#T4
Regarding your question about pigments, colored inks are commonly
applied with a gravure printer. As the final stage in the production
of the product, a clear protective acrylic film layer is deposited and
laminated on top of the metallic foil (this is what the infamous
"Print Prime - Moisturize" pictogram on the Proma Technologies site
was trying to describe.) If, instead of a clear film layer, a
translucent colored layer or a layer imprinted with colored inks is
applied at this stage, the product acquires color and/or additional
patterning. Even without the addition of pigments, the laser
microembossing itself (which is done before the foil is applied) can
produce brilliant, shimmering, rainbow-like optical effects.
Similarly, you've probably noticed the colorful sheen that is
reflected from the surface of a CD when light catches it at certain
angles.
For more information about holograms in general, and the production of
same, here are a couple of mammoth collections of links:
http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Physics/Education/Light_and_Optics/Holography/?tc=1/
http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Electronics/Lasers/Holography/Makers/
Now I'll try to address the questions you've asked in your
clarification request.
>> Is pigment involved at all? Some of the papers come in basic colors
of red, gold, etc., though in light they may turn many other colors.
Yes, addtional pigment is often involved. As I mentioned above, an
overlay of translucent color or colors can be applied atop the
laser-embossed paper/foil laminate.
>> What does a designer do when he sits down to design an iridescent
paper? It would seem that he makes a geometric form which is then
endlessly repeated, as on a quilt. This pattern is embossed onto a
layer of lacquer. What is done to the embossing surface to make the
lacquer iridescent?
Your description comparing the design to a quilt is very apt. A
designer may have no direct involvement with the nuts-and-bolts
manufacturing end of the procedure. Often we create patterns in a
program such as Adobe Photoshop, then transmit our designs
electronically. Thanks to the wonders of the digital age, many graphic
artists these days have little or no contact with printer's ink,
presses, or other mechanisms by which our art comes to its final form.
The downside of this is that we may be woefully unable to describe
what happens to our artwork after we have submitted it to our
employers. Regarding what is done to the embossing surface to make the
lacquer iridescent, the embossing is done by multiple lasers.
Depending upon the manner in which this is done, laser embossing can
create either 3-D, depth effects or rainbow spectrum effects. For a
greater understanding of how lasers are able to do this, you may want
to visit some of the holography-related pages listed in the link
collections cited above.
>> The lacquer layer is then covered with a thin layer of foil-- for
protection merely, or is the foil essential to the iridescence?
The foil is essential to the iridescence, since it provides a means
for light to be reflected from the embossed surface. The details of
the embossing determine the contours and geometric patterning of the
image, but the "spark" that makes the image seem to shimmer depends
upon the reflective properties of the foil. Sometimes different colors
of foil are used (this is another way that the image can acquire
color.)
>> And what is the step after that, which is described in two words
meaningless to me?
Aha. This would be the "Print Prime - Moisturize" from Proma. I have
no idea why they chose these words to describe what is essentially
just a final laminating process in which acrylic film is bonded to the
embossed, foil-coated surface. Perhaps Proma needs to hire a Webmaster
who has some copy-writing skills. ;-)
I hope some of the above helps. As I mentioned, it is common these
days for graphic artists to be somewhat out of touch with the
technology of production. This has been a good opportunity for me to
learn a bit more about my craft. The next time I accept a project that
involves holography, I won't be such a dummy.
~pinkfreud
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