Pad printing

Pad printing is also known as tampography or tampo-printing. It starts by burning a plate coated with a photosensitive emulsion to create a design, which is then filled with ink. A pad picks up the ink from the plate then deposits it on the final surface.

Benefits:

• The pad is flexible, which means that it can form to the shape of the piece. You can use pad printing to mark non-flat surfaces, something screen printing can’t do.
• Endless colour choices for the inks! We can reproduce any colour.
• Clean edges and fine lines
• Durable ink that lasts on the surface
• Excellent for small or large runs of 1 to 500 units

Good to know:

• The surface has to be hard, as pad printing can’t be done on soft materials.
• Can be applied to plastic, aluminum, and wood parts
• Requires files in Illustrator, PDF, EPS or DWG format and colours specified in Pantone or RAL formats
• Printing area limited to about 4.5” x 4.5” (120 mm x 120 mm)

Great for:

• Branding high value-added products
• Logos and lettering for all kinds of products (electronic, industrial, high tech, consumer)

Water transfer decals

Water transfer decals, also known as water slide decals, use a material that is extremely thin and delicate yet strong enough to be moved and slid onto the surface of a product.

Benefits:

• Perfect marking inlay with no visible edges on flat or curved surfaces
• Adhesion can be adapted to the characteristics of the paint covering the surface
• Excellent for small quantities of 10 to 100 units

Good to know:

• Needs to be covered with a clear coat to increase durability if the product is sold on the market
• Longer delivery time required as it can take up to 3 weeks to produce decals
• The surface has to be rigid. Water transfer decals can’t be applied to soft materials.
• Can be applied to plastic, aluminum, and wood parts
• Requires files in Illustrator, PDF, EPS or DWG format and colours specified in Pantone or RAL formats

Great for:

• Branding high value-added products
• Branding sports equipment
• Branding parts for motor sports vehicles
• Logos and lettering for all kinds of products (electronic, industrial, high tech, prototypes)

Screen printing

Screen printing, also known as serigraphy and silk screening, prints by depositing ink on a flat surface by using a stencil on silk. It uses either solvent or water-based inks depending on the design and the material to be printed on. The image is deposited layer by layer and the process repeats for each colour.

Benefits:

Can print on any flat surface: metal or plastic, soft or rigid
Bold, uniform colors
A wide colour palette

Great for:

Large printing on hard flat surfaces in short runs