Imaging surface dynamics, utility

With the added dimension of height, three-dimensional visualizations are better able to show quantitative relationships over a large dynamic range. However, in three-dimensional visualizations, points on the surface can be obscured, and there is no correspondence between the dimensions of the data and the axes of the display, so interactive operations such as point-and-click indexing are more difficult and problematic than with a two-dimensional image. In that sense, different visualizations are complementary, each with its own utilities. 

Pad printing as a process is similar to gravure when comparing the method by which an image is transferred to the substrate surface. It is commonly utilized to transfer inks, coatings, dyes, and adhesives to the surface of three-dimensional, or contoured, surfaces. Examples of the diversity of surface dimensionality include flat, cylindrical, spherical, textured, concave, and convex surfaces. The dynamics of the type of inks used and the interplay of surface tensions within the transfer process require an overview of process components and interfaces to recognize appropriate approaches to promoting adhesion within the process. 

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