Author Topic: pad printing size tags, sleeve, pockets....  (Read 1005 times)

Offline balloonguy

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pad printing size tags, sleeve, pockets....
« on: September 10, 2012, 08:33:21 AM »
Is anyone doing it? I have 2 clients that order printed sizes on everything they do. It can become a royal pain to change ink color and sizes that range from xs - 6xl. I am wondering if the change over on a pad printer is as easy as they make it sound. Is the print durability as good as plastisol?
Thanks,
matt
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Offline Inkworks

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Re: pad printing size tags, sleeve, pockets....
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2012, 01:34:03 PM »
Change over is probably a little faster, On my machine I can just put a new plate on over-top of the old one, up to 4 - 5 plates, but I still use open ink tray, not sealed cup which everyone is switching over too... still not sure why, but they are...Print durability is as good or better, plus the print is dry to the touch immediately so you can print box to box without a dryer. Heck you can print the shirts while they are still bundled in dozens if you want.

Cost on the printing plates will probably be more expensive than screens, particularly if you gang images on screens for label prints. Plates can last forever and be stored in the job docket (if you use dockets).

Learning curve on padprinting is tougher than screenprinting, that goes for the plate making too.

You will not get good opacity pad printing on textiles, so you cannot use them to do left chest, pocket or sleeve prints unless the customer is okay with the print looking like a single, light pass through a 600 mesh screen. Perfect for care labels though.

Once you've gotten good at padprinting you'll print care labels faster than any other single person method, but as with anything there are trade-offs in the method. Much less opacity, steeper learning curve, the need for solvent clean-up tanks for inks, expensive plates etc.
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