Apparatus and method for aligning and printing integral images

A method for forming a lenticular image on an image receiving medium on the back side of a lenticular lens sheet, which sheet has a plurality of generally parallel lenticules on a front side: (a) at a sensing station, directly sensing the actual position of a reference element associated with a lenticule; (b) writing a portion of the integral image corresponding to a lenticule associated with the reference element the actual position of which was previously sensed in step (a), on the image receiving medium in accordance with the sensed actual position; and (c) moving at least one of the lens sheet and sensing station in relation to the other, in a transverse direction in relation to the lenticules, so that another lenticule can have its associated another reference element directly sensed at the sensing station. An apparatus which can execute the method is also provided.