Pad Printing
Pad printing transfers your logo from an engraved plate onto the product with a soft silicone pad that wraps around curves flat printing cannot reach. It is the go-to method for small promotional items with tight or irregular print areas.
Ideal for pens, keyrings, USB drives, torches and other small plastic or metal gifts.
Pad print or engrave a pen? Pad printing gives you your brand colour. Engraving gives a permanent metallic mark that never wears off.
How does pad printing work?
- 1
Your logo is etched into a metal plate, one plate per colour, and the recessed image is filled with ink.
- 2
A soft silicone pad presses onto the plate and lifts the inked image.
- 3
The pad stamps the image onto your product, flexing around curved or uneven surfaces as it presses.
- 4
The ink dries and cures, sealing your logo onto the item.
Pad Printing questions, answered
Why use pad printing instead of screen printing?
Shape. The flexible silicone pad prints cleanly on curved, small or uneven surfaces such as pens and keyrings, where a flat screen cannot make even contact.
How big can a pad print be?
Print areas are small, typically a few centimetres, and sized to each product's branding template. Every product page lists the maximum branding size per position.
How many colours can pad printing handle?
One or two colours cover most pad-printed items. Each colour needs its own plate and precise alignment, so full-colour artwork usually moves to digital or direct to product printing.
Shop Pad Printing products
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1 140 products can be branded with Pad Printing
Browse corporate gifts and promotional products that support Pad Printing, or send us your logo and a branding consultant will handle the artwork and quote.