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Basic overview of the buffer printing process

This article will show you how the buffer process works and why it is especially suitable for printing on objects of irregular shape (so-called substrates), as well as flat surfaces.

The key elements for the pad printing process are pad, cliché and color. Each of these elements is explained in more detail in the following articles, which you can also find on this site. Together, these three elements allow more flexibility in the types of products that can be printed using this process than any other printing process.

The basic steps as shown below are as follows:

  1. cliché - the image on the cliché is painted using a paint applicator and a knife or closed container while the tampon comes in position to pick up the image.
  2. transmission - the pad takes the colored engraving from the cliché and travels to the substrate.
  3. print - the pad makes contact with the substrate using the right pressure to transfer the image.
Pad Printing Process Example

Clichés

The desired print image engraved on the plate is called a cliché. The cliché is usually made of a polymer coating on a broom base or hardened steel. Once mounted on the printer, the cliché is painted over the image either with an open system via a knife or via a closed system. The differences between the types of clichés and how to choose the right clichés are explained more in the article entitled "Choose the right clichés for your pad printing job". In this article, you will also find out how much color is applied to the product.

The color

Pad printing inks are as versatile as other elements in the process. Not only are they available in every imaginary color, they also come in different series that are specific to the type of substrate on which it is printed. Different materials react differently to different color elements. For example, ink used to print on some plastic materials cannot be used for glass or aluminum. There are medical classes of paints for use in the medical industry, as well as edible ink that the tampon can print on sweets or other food products. As you will read in the article "Understanding and using colors in pad printing", the final appearance and quality of adhesion depends on other factors such as viscosity and color evaporation characteristics.

Tampon

After the cliché is covered with paint, a silicon tampon takes the image and transfers it to the product. The tampon is made of silicon material, which can vary in shores (hardness). The properties of silicone allow the ink to temporarily adhere to the pad, until it completely separates from it when it comes in contact with the substrate (the object to be printed). Shore buffer dictates how the image will fit the product. For example, if you print an image on a basketball, a harder pad will get most of the image on the texture surface. Also, a larger image that is placed on a flat (or almost flat) surface usually requires a significant pressure ratio on the substrate to print the entire image with a hard pad. By using softer tampons, the image can be printed over less pressure, thus avoiding some complications associated with too much pressure.