Pad printing

Pad printing what is it?

Pad printing involves transferring a logo or graphic to a selected advertising gadget. The printing is done with ink that is mixed under the desired Pantone Solid Coated color indicated by the customer. The print can be made in up to 4 colors, but the graphic must not contain tonal transitions or gradients (for multicolor printing we will use UV printing). In the design of the graphics, you should also avoid small details, small letters, or thin lines, because usually pad-printed products are quite small, so the printing area is also small. Most often, using pad printing, we make prints of 7 x 2 cm or 4 x 4 cm, and for pens, the printing height is 6 mm.

How is pad printing made?

A machine called a pad printing machine is required to make the print. The logo is applied to the advertising product with a soft pad, which first draws the ink in the appropriate color from the inkwell, then strikes a die with a pre-etched pattern that we want to print, and in the last stage reflects this pattern on the selected advertising gadget or other product.

What can pad printing be done on?

Plastic – e.g. ABS, PVC, polypropylene, polycarbonate) – e.g. pens and key rings.
Metal – e.g. lighters, small machine components.
Glass – e.g., glasses, goblets.
Ceramics – e.g. cups, plates, tiles.
Wood – e.g., boxes, kitchen spoons.
Leather – e.g. phone case, wallet, briefcase.
Silicone – e.g. wristbands.

For more inspiration on promotional gadgets or items on which we can do pad printing, see our product catalog.

Advantages and disadvantages of pad printing

Completion in 6-10 working days
Low cost of printing for larger print runs (from 100 pieces)
Overprint is permanent
Precise reproduction of the design
Printing on surfaces of different shapes
Printing on many types of materials

Limited to 4 colors
No gradients or color tonal transitions
Limited printing area
No possibility to print very small letters and elements

Pad printing makes it possible to make markings on a wide variety of surfaces – whether flat, round or convex. Thanks to the simplicity of this technology, a large number of products can be completed in a relatively short period of time, which shortens the turnaround time of the entire order and lowers the cost of printing at higher volumes.