Can I use stamp rubber as a pad printing system?

[Joseph Tovar]

Hi Guys,

I've used my printer to make simple stamps before, but I need to make a 1 color logo to print on an plastic squeegees. I thought maybe I can make the logo the same way I make a stamp, then just stamp it on like a pad printing system. It partially worked, but the only ink I have is the plain stamp ink, which wipes right off of the plastic.

Can I use a rubber stamp with the same type of ink they use in pad printing? Would the ink work with a stamp, or is it too thick? I was watching some pad printing demos on YouTube and it looks very similar to silkscreening, but on a much smaller scale. It seams you need to print your design, put it on a screen, use some exposure unit, ink up the system, then pad print onto the item.

I thought I could simplify that process with a rubber stamp for this one job. Any ideas? Do you know what type of ink they use for Pad Printing? Since I already have the stamp ready, I just need to try some inks.

Thanks,
Joseph

[Mike Null]

Joseph

In my very limited experience with pad printing I'd doubt if you can hold a sharp edge with a stamp using the pad printing inks. You can call a company like Lawson to get some info.

http://estore.lawsonsp.com/padprinti...lmanualcd.aspx

[David Fairfield]

I agree with Mike. Pad printing and rubber stamping aren't interchangable. I recently saw an inexpensive pad printing kit for fingernails, on a cable TV channel, looks like something you can DIY.

[Joseph Tovar]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll see what I can come up with.

[Joe Hillmann]

In pad printing silicone is used for the stamper because the ink doesn't stick to it when it dries. If you try to use rubber stamp with pad printing ink I think you will end up spending more time cleaning your stamp then actually stamping because it will dry within a second or two of the ink touching the stamp and it won't release cleanly.

[matthew knott]

We pad print, you need to make a cliche, these are normally metal and you have a silicone pad that pick up the ink, its not really ink more a paint. The good news is you can use your laser to make the cliche dirrect, heres a link to a video of someone making one, we have used our laser and it worked fine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgtMe-Hvbrs
Looks like a trotech laser to me!
You can buy the sheet here
http://www.inkcups.com/supplies/lase...s/Default.aspx
you can also use an old-fashioned UV light box and some etching fluid!
Pad prining aint that easy to get right, you have to mix the paint and get everything right, we got feedup with all the cleaning and fluids so we sub it out now as its so cheap.

[Richard Rumancik]

Jospeh, if you came away with the impression that pad printing was similar to screen printing then you have been mislead somehow. They really aren't similar. To pad print you make a cliche. This is a plate which has a very shallow impression of the required image - the depth being somewhere between .0001" and .0010". It was historically made using photo etching techniques but some people have adapted lasers to do this. Regardless of how it is made, ink is flooded over the surface of the plate, the excess is wiped away, and an egg-shaped silicone pad is used to pick the ink out of the recess. It is then transferred to the part to be marked. The chemistry, rheology, surface energies are all important so that the pad can pick up the ink from the plate yet release it to the part. Maybe not rocket science but not simple either.

A few of us on this forum have toyed with the idea of doing low-quantity pad printing and find that it is kind of an oxymoron. That's because the set up and clean up are not insignificant, so it is pretty hard to make any money doing only a few. However, supposing that you do find a niche where the setup is tolerable, you still need to use the correct materials, inks, and solvents. You will find the inks expensive and you may need to buy a litre of ink and a jug of solvent (when you really only need a few millilitres). So there are some obstacles to making it worthwhile.

Here is a page that might explain it better than what you saw on Youtube.

http://www.padprinting.net/proc_about.html

You should be able to find suppliers of ink on the Internet. Perhaps some of the companies that make table-top (but very high-priced) pad printing machines will sell you the ink and silicone pads in smaller quantities. I am not recommending the small machines themselves.

[matthew knott]

Everything Richard says we found out the hard way, we have a spare pad printing machine that never gets used, unless you have really big order it just not worth it, we pay (uk so expect less in usa) $20 setup then $0.35 for each print color! The guys that do this for a living have all the inks and solvents and mix up what they need,you also need a machine ebaydotcom/itm/Screen-Pad-Rubber-Golf-Ball-Glass-Curve-Offset-Printer-Printing-Machine-Inkcups-/150725436041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2317ef a289
Something like that for entry level and you could use your laser to make the plates direct, but is it worth it?

[Joseph Tovar]

Thanks again for all the info.

So, if I just need to make some simple squeegees as give aways with my logo, I should just pay the $100 to have them all made for me, huh?

I had a couple of goals when I first started this. First, it was to make my logo and put it on little tchotchkes to give away as promotional items. If figured if I can make a stamp or something similar 1 time, I can press it on a bunch of different items. After reading about pad printing, I thought...hmmm, maybe I'll buy one of these contraptions and make a few things and offer it as a service of somekind. The problem is I mostly make small quantities of things so this really wouldn't be lucrative for me.

On the otherhand, if you've ever read any of my other posts, I never do anything easy, and it's all about the learning experience. Maybe I'll pick up one of the smaller hobby type systems just to "see" how this is done for myself. It's crazy that I've seen them between a few hundred dollars up into the thousands.

[Mike Null]

Joseph

Perhaps I can save you a few more minutes of futility. Don't try color laser transfer with a heat press on the squeegees either. They tend to melt and the toner doesn't adhere well. You can make a mark with the laser but it is not a quality mark.

Best option is to buy them already printed.

[Doug Lynch]

We have a pad printer in house and print on a number of things. We use a small system by and are members of Press A Print (just Google it). It is not my favorite thing to do but it brings in some money. There is a learning curve for sure. Might find one on Ebay? Also the chemicals really smell and give some people headaches so you need good ventilation. My advice is find a “local” PPAI or ASI member that deals with promo items and work some kind of trade out.
Doug

[Richard Rumancik]

. . . So, if I just need to make some simple squeegees as give aways with my logo, I should just pay the $100 to have them all made for me, huh? . . . .

Hi Joseph - you sound a bit discouraged but don't let what anyone has said stop you from trying this if you really want to. I would suggest doing more research first and watching some more videos on YouTube as there are many. If you have the time to experiment and a bit of money by all means push ahead . . .

If you limit your printing to one color (say any color as long as it is black) you can reduce your inventory of inks and keep costs down. Also you need to restrict yourself to printing on one or two materials (substrates) as different materials will require different inks.

To reduce cleanup you could just throw out the used cliche and make a new one next time. You would still need to clean up the pad and machine. You might be able to come up with a streamlined setup that could work for you. A fume hood would be good thing. If you don't use the laser at the same time maybe you could use the laser exhaust for your table-top pad printer. Don't underestimate the need for ventilation as the solvents are really strong.

The prices are all over the place on used equipment as some is real industrial equipment and some are toys. There are some expensive table-top systems sold as get-rich-quick schemes. Often these are unloaded on eBay at low prices. They are not built rigidly and you will not likely have good success. Look for something that looks rugged.

Give it a try and see what you come up with - but please let us know what you discover in the process.

[Craig Matheny]

Why not engrave your logo on them?

[George D Gabert]

For putting information on our fittings we use a rubber pad stamp using "KLINK' ink. It is quick dry, can be used in a standard rubber stamp ink pad, and does not clog rubber stamper to bad. We use Black but there may be other collors available.

GDG

[matthew knott]

I googled "klink ink" and cant find anything, sounds interesting, wheres it come form? cheers