Toppan Printing launches VRscope®-a sales promotion solution that uses a smartphone to provide an intuitively-controlled virtual experience
Two types available-a box type with an outstanding sense of immersion and a card type that is easy to adopt. Toppan provides a one-stop service from the design and printing of the surface of the viewer itself to the planning, production, and delivery of content.

From April 2015, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Shingo Kaneko) is launching full-scale sales of VRscope®, a sales promotion solution that uses a smartphone to provide a virtual experience that can be controlled intuitively.

This solution provides virtual reality (VR*1) content with a sense of realism and immersion by enabling users to view 360-degree panoramic videos and still images delivered to a smartphone placed in Toppan Printing's original purpose-designed viewer. There are two types of viewer available. The VRscope Box Type covers the user's field of vision to provide an outstanding sense of immersion, while the VRscope Card Type can be assembled by the user and is easy to manufacture and distribute. In addition to the design and printing of the surface of the viewer itself, Toppan Printing exploits the high-definition computer graphics technologies it has built up over the years to provide a one-stop service from the planning and production of content to its delivery.
Toppan Printing is envisaging this solution being used for sales promotion, such as events, product promotions, and novelty free gifts with magazines, and will target sales at companies in sectors including housing, automobiles, tourism, and publishing.
As a first initiative, the viewer will be used by building material and housing equipment manufacturer LIXIL Corporation (head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President Yoshiaki Fujimori) at an event for customers this spring.

Above left, VRscope Box Type. Above right, VRscope Card Type. Below, conceptual image of VRscope in use.
© Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

Background to development
Significant changes are being seen in the ways in which companies communicate with the consumers that are their customers. This is due to factors such as changes in consumer lifestyles and the diversification of media. In particular, technical innovations have made it possible to enjoy high-quality visual media and interactive content on smartphones. This has led to the prevalence of effective promotional activities that make use of smartphones.
Toppan Printing has a track record in providing services such as high-definition computer graphics for catalogs and pamphlets as well as the production of video content and 3D simulations using VR technologies. This expertise has now been combined with know-how accumulated in the production of POP promotional tools and premium gifts to provide a new sales promotion solution that makes use of the latest digital video technologies.

Features of VRscope
- One-stop service from content planning and production to delivery
By employing high-definition computer graphics technology, simulation systems, and other visual media solutions developed over the years, Toppan Printing is able to provide a one-stop service from the planning and production of content matched to the needs of the customer's business to content delivery over the Internet and application development.
- Two types available for different purposes
Two types of viewer are available. The VRscope Box Type covers the user's field of vision to provide an outstanding sense of immersion while the VRscope Card Type is a card-sized version assembled by the user that is easy to manufacture and distribute. The appropriate type can be selected to suit the purpose of use. For example, the box type might be handed out at events, while the card type could be included with magazines, catalogs or direct mailings.
- Wide range of visual media
In addition to advanced stereoscopic effects that exploit the nature of binocular vision, content will also include 360-degree panoramic video and still images with which the viewing angle changes in response to the viewer being tilted. A wide range of realistic, immersive video content can be provided, allowing users to feel as if they are actually in the location or walking around the space.
It is also possible to create interactive content whereby, for example, the display changes when the user focuses on a particular point or the smartphone is shaken.
- Attractive design
Viewers can be made from a range of materials, including cardboard, corrugated fiberboard, and plastic. The design can be matched to the purpose of use because numerous forms of graphic and printing expression are possible.

Price
- Basic fee for content production: From 500,000 JPY
*Not including tax. The basic fee includes the planning, production, and delivery of content.
- Basic fee for viewer production:
VRscope Box Type 250 JPY per viewer
VRscope Card Type 150 JPY per viewer
Prices do not include tax. The above prices are for single viewers assuming a lot of 10,000 viewers made out of cardboard. Costs for design and printing are not included.

Future targets
Toppan Printing intends to expand sales of VRscope and target sales of approximately 1 billion JPY in fiscal 2017.

* Virtual reality (VR)
Virtual Reality is a technology that allows viewers to move freely within a computer-generated 3D graphic image and experience a sense of being in the 3D space itself.

* VRscope is a registered trademark of Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.
* The names of companies, products and services featured in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
* The information in this press release is current as of the date of publication and is subject to change without notice.

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