Pad printing on promotional products

Bright appearance: pad printing as a great customisation option

Pad printing is a very common process in the REFLECTS in-house print shop. The printing process is ideal for finishing plastics, multi-coloured logos and curved surfaces. Selected metal surfaces and other materials can also be processed with it to achieve an optimal result.

In our print shop in Cologne, an experienced team of printers ensures that all preparation steps, ink mixing ratios, programming and machines are precisely executed.

Pad printing is an indirect printing process. This means that the elements that are later to be depicted on the promotional product are visible as a recess in the printing form. The logo, slogan or graphic is transferred to a positive film and exposed on a cliché plate (plus printing plate). After washing out, a deepening remains on the cliché plate. A squeegee is used to spread the ink over the cliché plate and remove it again, leaving the ink in the deepening. The pad then touches the plate. It picks up the imprint with ink and prints it on the product. The flexible silicone pad also adapts to complex shapes. In this way, the motif is optimally transferred.

What are the advantages of this print finishing technique?

With pad printing, ink is applied to the promotional product using a so-called pad made of soft, elastic silicone rubber. Especially on plastics, multi-coloured logos can be realised in an outstanding quality with this finishing technique. One positive side effect: the procedure is relatively inexpensive. It is very popular, not least because of this particular point.