The process of Pad Printing entails transfer of images on object surfaces such as wood, rubber, metal and glass. The transfer is carried out through ink-filled etched images which are on a plate. In order to get excellent Pad Printing results, the ink formulation should be done in the correct proportions and the equipments used should be able to compress the image fittingly. A silicone pad is used in the process and it wraps on the three dimensional objects. Due to certain shortcomings in the printing process, image distortions and appearance may occasionally occur.

This is because; with the various kinds of Pad Printing needs, there may be tiny multicolor application and very fine details that need to be printed in the most sharp image and text presentation possible. For instance, there may be difficulties when carrying through Plastic Pad Printing. Due to the nature of the printing, there may be some inconsistencies in the printing process such as light spots on the prints. Such spots are caused by plate scooping and it’s recommended that the lower line screen be used.

Whether you are doing Pad Printing on Metal or on other materials such as Pad Printing on wood, these problems may be experienced due to many factors. Some other shortcomings you may get when carrying out this type of print on plastics is a series of small holes. These are also regarded as pinholes and will appear as patterns of small holes on the print. The small holes are caused by air trapped in etch of the pad because the pad is too soft or flat. This problem may be caused by a deep silicone plate. Therefore, it’s imperative to use a pointier and harder pad that does not let air bubbles remain on the object when printing.

Another problem, which may be noted in the process, for example Pad Printing on Bottles, is that you may get a faint image. This means that there is no full release of the image. This problem is caused by ink that is too dry or too wet (light concentration). It can also be caused by an old pad. If you touch the ink immediately after the print and find out that it doesn’t transfer to your finger, then it’s too dry. If it transfers to your hand, then it has a light concentration. This problem can be rectified by checking the ink concentration or formulation as well as the pad. The pad might have dried out and therefore even after the ink formulation, it does not produce any impressive results. You need to replace it.

Other print processes such as Pad Printing on Glass will also encounter the same problems. Moreover, an image may appear opaque thus lacking clarity. This may be caused by over compressing by the plate, a shallow plate or simply a light ink concentration. In order to correct this problem, you should ensure that the plate does not over compress the pad. The formulation of the ink should be balanced meaning that it shouldn’t be too light or too thick. Ink concentration is very important to achieve impressive results. Similarly, the problem can be avoided by ensuring that the plate is not too shallow.

Jim Gerberich is the author of this article on Pad Printing. Find more information on Plastic Pad Printing here.