Much like gravure printing, it incorporates an etched plate. Although a plate is used it never comes in contact with the substrate. The image is always transferred to the surface by the pad. There are many unique features when using these machines. Some of these features are printing on 3-D objects, printing on firm and hollow objects, multicolor wet-on-wet prints, low up-front costs for a single run and a precise way to adjust your tones.

 

The transfer pad printing technique consists of four primary elements. These elements are the pad, cliché, ink and machine. First we take a look at the silicone transfer pad. The current commercial status of this printing was gained in the 1960's from the transfer pad. It was constructed with silicone rubber. This ingredient allowed the machines to print on three-dimensional surfaces. They are available in a variety of shapes and hardness's. Its job is to pick up the ink image out of the cliché plate. It then acts as the carrier and transfers the image to the part.

 

The cliché plate plays a critical role in this process. The cliché is specially manufactured using a photo-etching process. The standard style that is used is constructed of steel and has a life expectancy in excess of one million cycles. When deciding to use steel or temporary clichés one must first consider the volume and print quality.

 

When it comes to inks there are a large selection that are specially produced for these machines. The printing process is very unique with these machines and almost all of the clichés are etched to a depth of about one thousandth of an inch. Due to this very shallow etched depth the ink deposited within this space will have to be highly pigmented to achieve the correct opacity. Sometimes thinners are also included with the ink to control the thickness and to facilitate the inks tackiness. This is an important factor when transferring an image.