The History of Pad Printing

The art of transferring an image to a substrate dates back many centuries. The earliest form of mass image reproduction occurred in China about 220 AD.

In 1436 Johannes Gutenberg began working with different techniques of printing and eventually developed the Gutenberg press which greatly increased the speed at which individual pages could be printed.

Many improvements and printing processes have come along since Gutenberg's contribution to the industry. Later processes include Gravure, Letterpress, lithography, Flexography, Offset, Digital, and Screen printing.

All of the aforementioned printing processes are very versatile and have their own niche, however all are intended for primarily flat surf aces.

Basic pad printing was first developed in Switzerland in order to print delicate watch faces. Not many advances in the process were made until after World War II, when it's ability to print on uneven surfaces was recognized, however interest in the process was slow to catch on.

It wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that improvements in the silicon pads, printing machinery, inks, and the process were made. Today, pad printing is one of the most versatile printing methods. Products printed using the pad process can be flat, spherical, conical, convex, concave and complex combinations of shapes. Pad printing is used to print delicate electronics, pens and pencils, tableware, t-shirt labels, toys, containers, optical disc, medical products, tools, and all types of promotional products. Surfaces to be printed can be plastic, metal, ceramic, wood, textiles, glass, painted and powder coated surfaces.

Please visit our What is Pad Printing page to learn more.

Pad Printing services, located in Valdosta, Georgia
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