Pad Print Thinners and Hardeners

March 26, 2013 1:45 pm Comments Off on Pad Print Thinners and Hardeners

Pad printing’s smooth transfer of an image from the inked cliché to the subtrates is facilitated by additives used in the ink’s mix. Pad Print thinners and hardeners are additives critical in handling ink adjustments for better adhesion and extending image life. Thinners Transferring pad printing inks requires that a percentage of thinner be mixed […]

Tags: Clichés, CMYK, cross-links, cured, Custom Pads, EPSVT, hardeners, Ink & Materials Table, ink and pigment, inks, pad printers, safe environment, speeds, substrate, tacky, Thinners

Stuck with Pre-treating for Adhesion?

March 12, 2013 1:15 pm Comments Off on Stuck with Pre-treating for Adhesion?

Pad printing’s a great way to transfer images to 3-dimensional parts. Its versatility handling shapes and substrates composition surpass almost every other automated marking method. However, getting that ink to ADHERE to all these parts can present a challenge, especially parts molded from Polyethylene (PE) or Polypropylene (PP). These two substrates exhibit a low surface […]

Tags: ADHERE, adhesion issues, Clichés, CMYK, corona, cycles, EPSVT, Flame treatment, inks, pad printers, Pads, plasma-jet, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, pre-treatment, safe environment, substrate

Ink Viscosity and Seasonal Adjustments

February 26, 2013 1:11 pm Comments Off on Ink Viscosity and Seasonal Adjustments

Pad printing is a thin film process. It starts with an etch depth in the cliché of approx. 25-75 microns and only a fraction of that ink film is picked up by the pad. Of the wet ink, 50% is a solvent that evaporates leaving only a 5 micron dry ink deposit. You can easily […]

Tags: Clichés, CMYK, EPSVT, Ink Viscosity, pad printer, pad printers, Retarder, Seasonal Adjustments, substrate, thinner, Viscospatula

Viscospatula to the Rescue!

February 13, 2013 1:06 pm Comments Off on Viscospatula to the Rescue!

Custom decorators and product marking professionals have some common challenges, and one of them is print run consistency. Getting their ink to perform in the same way with the same quality from job to job, regardless of who is mixing the ink, has a better chance of success with some controls in place. Ink series’ […]

Tags: atmospheric conditions, Clichés, CMYK, EPSVT, inks, mixing ink, pad printers, plastics decorators, safe environment, Viscospatula

SGIA 2013 Journal Round-Up of UV-LED Flatbeds: EPS’s fJET-24 Is Hi-Res for Hi-Quality

February 5, 2013 1:03 pm Comments Off on SGIA 2013 Journal Round-Up of UV-LED Flatbeds: EPS’s fJET-24 Is Hi-Res for Hi-Quality

In the most recent SGIA Journal, Julian Joffe, CEO of Engineered Printing Solutions, was asked to participate in the article on “Compact UV-LED Flatbeds Take Inkjet Printing to New Heights” by freelance writer Eileen Fritsch. Last October the fJET-24 flatbed printer was added to our inkjet product line. This printer supports single- or bi-directional CMYK […]

Tags: CMYK, Compact UV-LED Flatbeds, EPSVT, Inkjet Printing, safe environment, SGIA, UV-LED ink adhesion

Pad Printing Pads: Is Pad Size Important?

January 26, 2013 3:47 pm Comments Off on Pad Printing Pads: Is Pad Size Important?

Size minimizes distortion An important variable to consider in quality pad printing is the pad size, especially as it relates to the image size. In pad printing, the larger the pad size used, the less the image is likely to distort in the printing process. Pad size is measured in length, width and height without […]

Tags: Clichés, distortion, EPSVT, pad printer, pad shape, pad size, Pads, safe environment, Special pads

All Fired Up: Pad Printing Glassware

January 16, 2013 3:33 pm Comments Off on All Fired Up: Pad Printing Glassware

Most glassware has some kind of discernible shape. Logically, pad printing emerges as a natural choice in glass decorating and printing. The more complex the shape, the more suitable pad printing becomes as a decorating process. With the right tooling, multicolor prints, special-effects inks, and even 360 degree wrap-of-image-around-circumference are possible. Automated parts-handling options can […]

Tags: 360 degree, acrylic inks, binder, Clichés, corona treating, EPSVT, frit inks, glassware, inks, pad printers, pigment, PPMOVT, safe environment, substrate, thinner

Print Pad Durometer or Hardness – Same Thing

January 8, 2013 3:27 pm Comments Off on Print Pad Durometer or Hardness – Same Thing

Albert F. Shore developed the measurement device called a durometer in the 1920s to measure material hardness. As a result of the Shore ratings, the terms hardness and durometer became interchangeable. Many pad print pad manufacturers color code the standard durometers by adding pigment to the silicone itself or by coloring the pad base. The […]

Tags: clean pads, Clichés, Custom Pads, Custom Service, cycles, durometer, durometers, EPSVT, measurement, pad printer, pad printers, Pads, PPMOVT, safe environment, substrate

Cliché Size and How It Can Affect Your Bottom Line

December 19, 2012 3:24 pm Comments Off on Cliché Size and How It Can Affect Your Bottom Line

Recently it came to my attention that not all of my customers are aware of some hidden expenses. For example, the cliché size vs. your business expenses is directly analogous with an electric/hybrid vehicle vs. a gas guzzler’s effect on gas costs. The hybrid costs more up front but the gas guzzler costs more at […]

Tags: Clichés

A Long and Happy Print Pad Life

December 5, 2012 3:22 pm Comments Off on A Long and Happy Print Pad Life

Our pad department asked me to investigate why a long-time customer had stopped buying our pads. The idea crossed my mind that our pad department was questioning the quality of our pads compared to an unknown competitor’s. So, since I had been planning a trip that included this particular customer, I confirmed a meeting with […]

Tags: clean pads, Clichés, Custom Pads, cycles, EPSVT, inks, pad printer, pad printers, PPMOVT, safe environment, substrate