A method for manufacturing printed optical elements, consisting in successively: - printing with a scanning printing technique comprising offset, offset without damping, typography, serigraphy, flexography, pad printing or scanning inkjet printing, a first layer of a transparent liquid substance on elementary surfaces of a printing substrate in order to create convex protrusions (111, 121, 131, 141) constituting cores, - solidifying said cores (111, 121, 131, 141) by cooling, drying or polymerization, - and subsequently printing, with a scanning printing technique of the previous type too, at least one additional layer (112, 113, 122, 123, 132, 133, 142, 143) of a liquid substance, each of the said additional layers (112, 113, 122, 123, 132, 133, 142, 143) being solidified by cooling, drying or polymerization, for finalizing the form of an optical element, characterized in that: - during the printing of the first layer, printing reference marks on the printing substrate, in the center of each planned position for a protrusion (111, 121, 131, 141), with an ink having a higher surface tension than that of the remaining surface of said printing substrate, - the ink of the first layer being applied on the elementary surfaces forming flat tint layers, the ink being attracted towards the reference marks to form the protrusions, - the liquid substance constituting an additional layers (112, 113, 122, 123, 132, 133, 142, 143) has a significantly higher surface tension than that of the remaining surface of said printing substrate that have not been covered by protrusions, wherein - "scanning printing technique" should be understood as a printing technique consisting in depositing a substance such "ink" on a printing substrate by successive stripes from one side of the printing substrate to the opposite one, by opposition with a plotting printing technique that consists in moving a depositing device along each curve to be drawn on the printing substrate. - printing with a scanning printing technique comprising offset, offset without damping, typography, serigraphy, flexography, pad printing or scanning inkjet printing, a first layer of a transparent liquid substance on elementary surfaces of a printing substrate in order to create convex protrusions (111, 121, 131, 141) constituting cores, - solidifying said cores (111, 121, 131, 141) by cooling, drying or polymerization, - and subsequently printing, with a scanning printing technique of the previous type too, at least one additional layer (112, 113, 122, 123, 132, 133, 142, 143) of a liquid substance, each of the said additional layers (112, 113, 122, 123, 132, 133, 142, 143) being solidified by cooling, drying or polymerization, for finalizing the form of an optical element, - during the printing of the first layer, printing reference marks on the printing substrate, in the center of each planned position for a protrusion (111, 121, 131, 141), with an ink having a higher surface tension than that of the remaining surface of said printing substrate, - the ink of the first layer being applied on the elementary surfaces forming flat tint layers, the ink being attracted towards the reference marks to form the protrusions, - the liquid substance constituting an additional layers (112, 113, 122, 123, 132, 133, 142, 143) has a significantly higher surface tension than that of the remaining surface of said printing substrate that have not been covered by protrusions, - "scanning printing technique" should be understood as a printing technique consisting in depositing a substance such "ink" on a printing substrate by successive stripes from one side of the printing substrate to the opposite one, by opposition with a plotting printing technique that consists in moving a depositing device along each curve to be drawn on the printing substrate.