Animated GIFs are not exactly a new piece of technology, having been introduced in 1987. Lenticular printing is a technology even older, as it starter back in the 1940s. So what happens when you take these two older technologies and merge them? You end up with Gifpop, a new service designed to let people print any animated GIF from the web.
The technology allows users to upload a GIF to the website and then have it printed on a small card. Lenticular printing is the same technology used on those cards where you move the image back and forth to see the illusion of movement. It uses a bunch of very small lenses that change as the user moves the card. It's easy to see how using this technology to print a small section of an animated GIF would make sense.
Lenticular printing will allow the company to print about 10 frames to a single card. This means animations can only be a couple seconds long, which limits the types of GIFs that can be printed, but it most certainly could still be pretty cool.
Gifpop, in addition to traditional animated GIFs, will let users create lenticular printed cards from a Vine or Instagram video. Users can also choose a custom message to be printed on the back of the GIF card, which makes for more of a greeting card-like experience. Additionally, the company will be offering business card and wedding invitation bulk options.
Gifpop just finished its funding period on Kickstarter. It started with a small US$5,000 goal, and it blew by that, ultimately netting a little over $35,000, which was enough for the company to meet all of its initial stretch goals.
More information is available in the pitch video below.
Source: Kickstarter
