Pad Printing Tips

Keep Distortion In Perspective During The Pad Printing Process
Using common sense is a good starting point, especially in dealing with distortion issues in pad printing.

What Pad Printing Ink Will Stick To This?
Our print lab technicians are asked this question every day. Finding the answer is like scientific research. There are so many variable factors in matching pad printing inks to substrates that narrowing them down to a single formula for a specific application requires experience and experimentation.

Pad Printing 101- Back To The Basics
This article will cover the fundamentals of the pad printing decorative process. This first section will include examination of the key components that play critical roles in pad printing.

Pad Printing Ink FAQ's
Frequently asked questions or issues related to the pad printing process and or pad printing inks

Thinning Inks For Pad Printing Success
Don’t try to over-thin by stretching out the life of pad printing inks with excessive solvents. This is false economy. It weakens the ink and can shift the color and opacity.

The Real Reason For Success Or Failure in Pad Printing:
Keeping Track of What's Going On in Your Pad Printing Operation
KEEPING track of what is really going on in your pad printing department is the tool that will make it possible to attain and maintain your production goals. If you have talked to our support team, attended printing training or have been involved in pad printing for a while, you are aware that there is not always a ‘black and white’ procedure when establishing your printer setup and ink mixture. There are many reasons for the lack of certainty surrounding the process, but they do not need to remain a mystery.

Controlling Etch Depth & Large Images
Question: To Screen Or Not To Screen

One important technique that is useful but misunderstood is the proper use of the film screens in making polymer pad printing cliches or printing plates. Apart from the window screens that keep flies and mosquitoes out of your house, what do screens do and why would you need them in pad printing?

Proper Environment For Pad Printing
One overlooked item is the fresh air intake or sticking economizer on rooftop HVAC units. During the off cycle for heating, with these vents open, outside air can fall toward the pad printer causing an unstable environment. Make sure make-up air is preconditioned to near room temperature before entering the work space. Divert heat registers that point toward or down to pad-printers, creating a swirl effect to the room. Ask ITW Trans Tech for advice before letting the issue continue, email the technical services department or call your Process Support Technician. 

Temperature Changes And the Pad Print Operation
As trees change their colors with the change of seasons, the pad-print operation is also affected as temperature begins to drop. Tiger striping, stringing, partial ink release, webbing, blotching and blurring are a few of the problems that take place as solvent becomes mismatched with the environment. Understanding that minor changes in temperature can require a slight adjustment, maintain the range of 10-20% thinner by volume. At either end of the range, a different solvent or thinner may be considered for better opacity or improved flow on the cliche.