Even at a time when craftsmen did everything manually, they had to label their products. Such brand names on goods were necessary so that everyone knew who exactly did this or that thing. Today, even large manufacturers still follow this tradition, but use pad printing to be put on the stream for marking their products. This provides recognition for many brands, and quite cheaply.
What it is?
Pad printing is an economical modern way of applying an inscription or drawing on various surfaces using special equipment. The most commonly used pad printing in the manufacture of souvenirs, where the images should be small and clear. The maximum size of a drawing or inscription for this method is 8 by 6 cm, which is ideal for marking bottles, Christmas decorations, ashtrays, pens and other stationery.
The surface for applying the picture can be any, the clarity of the image will depend only on the correctly selected material of the roller and the composition of the paint.
Appearance story
Initially, artisans had to apply their initials or logos manually, until the French polygraphist Decalcier invented a copper cliche with a gelatin swab. Of course, its wear was very high, and the method gained true popularity only in 1965, when an engineer from Germany stopped the choice of material for tampons on rubber. From that moment, the production of special equipment for pad printing began. And it became widespread in 1971. At this time, a large order for equipment was made by a well-known Swiss watch manufacturer.
Modern technology
Today, pad printing is not the only way to apply logos to various surfaces, but only this method combines speed and quality.
The image for transferring to a permanent place is first photographed on a cliche, creating recesses on the surface. After that, paint enters the recesses, the excess of which is removed with a doctor blade. Then a tampon is lowered in the cliche, which transfers the image directly to the product. Tampons are most often made silicone, since this material practically does not absorb the paint into itself and makes the image as clear as possible.
Modern pad printing is an open or closed technique for applying paint. They differ in the maximum allowable area of the applied drawing, cost and size of the print run.
Varieties of clichés
The cliches for pad printing can be made of metals or photopolymers. The latest models are further divided into water wash and alcohol wash (give the best print quality). The base for photopolymer cliches is also made of metal, but 1-2 layers of photosensitive material are additionally applied to it. Such cliches can rarely give a really clear image at the output, but due to their low cost they are used quite often. The placement of the raster grid improves their work.
Metal cliches can be made of steel or made of alucorex material. In any case, they are stiff and can only apply a line image, but at the same time it will definitely be clear. It is not necessary to use a raster for such printed stamps.
Steel cliches are used very rarely due to the high cost, but they can withstand up to a million prints. Their acquisition will be cost-effective only when printing really large print runs.
Stamps for printing must be made for each image separately.
Pad Printing Ink
The pad printing ink itself has a special solvent, which quickly evaporates during application and provides the material with the necessary viscosity. Also in the composition there is directly a dye in the form of a powder or liquid, various plasticizers and surfactants, as well as a bonding element. This role may be played by:
- acrylic;
- vinyl;
- polyurethane;
- epoxy resin.
Pad printing on pens and other plastic surfaces is most often carried out with single-component paints, as they dry quickly and can be matte or glossy.
Two-component paints include the addition of a catalyst to the main composition, which makes the solution suitable for only 1 working day (8-10 hours). That is, at a slow speed, part of the mixture can simply deteriorate and cause damage to the printing house. In this case, print quality is achieved only with the correct dilution proportions. Such paints are ideal for applying images to glass, metal, ceramics and other complex surfaces.
Varieties of tampons
The same swabs can be used to print completely different images. To make the picture as clear as possible, it is necessary to select the largest possible size of this element. The form must be such that the application is carried out by the coast. This is necessary to minimize the ingress of air under the swab and distortion of the pattern.
There are tampons round, cylindrical and rectangular with a semicircular working side. Directly printing the image is due to only the middle of the swab.
Depending on the amount of oil in the tampon itself, it can be soft or hard. Rigidity provides clarity and durability, but soft printed surfaces can be used on fragile products, items of complex shape or soft materials such as rubber or leather.
Benefits of Pad Printing
- The main plus is the durability of printing. The solvent in the composition slightly corrodes the material of the product itself, giving the paint the opportunity to connect with the material.
- The accuracy of the applied lines coincides with the original image, and the lines in the drawing can be only one tenth of a millimeter thick.
- The flexibility of the swab allows you to apply quality images even on curved surfaces.
- And, of course, the low price when printing a print run of 300 products. The larger the circulation, the greater the benefit.