How do Fathom Effects work?
Short version: The effect is a moiré-like illusion created by printing interference screens. Two layers of a special screen pattern are either printed on two sides of a substrate, or printed on two layers of a laminate. With separation between the pixel layers, Fathom can generate the illusion of motion and depth. The thicker the substrate, the more dramatic the effect.
Long version: Fathom Effects work through imprinting a dynamic graphic composed of digital light fields that replaces ‘optically-varying’ printed features. To produce this image, the Fathom technology encodes different perspectives of an object on a 2-dimensional surface (i.e., imprints a hologram-like image) in a revolutionary manner. The Fathom system employs a complex computational approach that eliminates the need for holographic films, foils, or other materials, and computationally processes hundreds of billions of light rays to create moving images or images that appear to float above thin substrates.
What kind of substrate can be used?
To create an effect with Fathom we need to place two Fathom screened images on either side of a clear component in the build. The base substrate may be clear or opaque, so long as there is an optically clear material in the build that can separate two printed layers. This can be duplex printing on face stock, printing atop a clear laminate, or even printing on sufficiently thick clear varnish.
How thin can I make the clear part of the build?
The amount of effect you see is determined by the relationship between the substrate thickness and the linescreen of the printing device. We’ve produced this chart showing the relationship between common print resolutions (a stand-in for optical line-screen) and material thickness. Note that in laminate builds, or other builds in which there are multiple material layers only the thickness of the clear layer separating the printed patterns impacts the magnitude of the effect.
Can I combine the process black plate with Fathom Effects?
It’s possible. The effect plates require high line screen, low volume anilox rolls. If this will work with your graphics, then you can combine the effect plate with your black plate. You will still need a fathom screen printed on both sides of the web.
Can I use any type of ink?
To build the Fathom effects It’s important to have an opaque ink on the surface (e.g. process black or white ink). For best results, UV inks should be used to accurately print the fine details of Fathom screens. Customers have had success with water- and solvent-based inks but these should be tested for your application.
When creating color overprints on top of the Fathom effect it’s important to have a transparent ink formulation. Some ink systems add opacificers to e.g. process yellow. This should be avoided as an overprint ink.
Do I have to use black and white inks or will this work with other colors?
Our standard configurations use black or white inks on the surface. These are recommended because these colors are typically formulated with a high opacity, which will produce high contrast Fathom effects. The sub-surface effect plate should be printed in a dense color with high contrast relative to the substrate color. Our Fathom Designer tool allows you to preview builds with white or black ink printed atop process black, cyan, or magenta ink.
Can I introduce color into the image?
Yes. We are successfully working with duotone effects and you can also overprint any color graphics over the effect areas to make render the effect in color. A minimum of coverage is suggested so that you don’t obscure the effect.
Can I create this effect myself?
The effects require trillions of calculations with our patented algorithm to make the depth or movement happen when you change your viewing angle. It requires high resolution and precision, so each press must be fingerprinted for the algorithm to generate the most, uh, effective effect. But it’s easy to add Fathom Effects to your design with our online tool, Fathom Designer.
How do I add Fathom Effects to my designs?
Use our free online tool, Fathom Designer. Upload your PDF or Illustrator file, choose motion and depth effects from our library of hundreds, and assign them to spot colors in your file. You can then preview the effects in your design with overprinting and on 3D packaging models. Once you’re done tweaking the design, you can send the project to a qualified Fathom press partner—there are dozens, probably including one you already work with.