A hologram is a 2D surface that can scatter light in such a way as to make 3D shapes outside the plane of the surface when they are suitably illuminated. In technical terms, holograms store interference patterns corresponding to the 3D shape which is reconstructed under certain lighting conditions.
There are two main types of holograms: Reflection holograms only need to be illuminated by a single bright light source such as a halogen spotlight. The light source is placed in front of the hologram that is reflected back to reconstruct the 3D shape. Secondly, transmission holograms need to be illuminated by lasers. The physical principle is based on diffraction where the laser shines through the hologram, a bit like a lens, to reconstruct the 3D shape.

Our stock holograms start at around £120 including VAT, depending on the size. A 20×30 cm full custom holograms starts at around £200 plus VAT. We offer a range of design and printing services. Please look at the products page or contact us for more information.

A digital hologram is a computer-generated hologram derived from a 3D graphics model or a video sequence that is printed using a holoprinter device. The holoprinter prints the 3D image as a series of small dots or holopixels. Digital holograms are reflection holograms that are full-colour and only require illumination by a simple spotlight.

A holoprinter is a holographic printing device that makes digital holograms. It uses red, green and blue lasers to write a series of dots or holopixels across a holographic medium. The holographic medium is usually a polymer film that is subsequently laminated on to a hard plastic backing for rigidity.

The concept of DPI (dots per inch) applies to 2D printing and does not really apply to digital holograms. A digital holgram is comprised of a large number of small holographic dots or holopixels. Each holopixel is around a square millimetre containing a set of three laser interference patterns (red, green, blue). The laser interference pattern hads features of hundreds of nanometres and includes information from over a thousand rendered images from the holopixel’s unique viewpoint. A crude visual approximation is around 100 DPI for a digital hologram.

Yes, we offer an express 1-2 day service for custom digital holograms at a one-off cost of £140 plus VAT, regardless of the number of prints required. The artwork must be rendered and ready to go. See the previous FAQ for details on the steps to be followed.

The largest hologram that we can produce is 1×1.5 metres, which uses 1.6mm wide holopixels. These will require a special lighting rig.

Yes we do! This is a new technology which is popular with all kinds of designs and 3D models including machines, automotive, architectural plans and other layouts.  Please contact us for more info.