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Pad Printing
Troubleshooting
Guide
Printing Terms | Plate Terms | Material Terms | Pad Terms
Registration
- a process of lining up colors to each other to produce a multi colored
print.
Cob Webbing - fine threads of ink on printed part
Ink Split - when ink separates in the etch of a plate when pad picks up image, usually causing cob webs.
Closed Cup - the device that holds the ink and doctors ink across etch in plate filling image with ink.
Open Well - a method of holding ink for doctoring across plate for pad printing.
Doctoring - the process of filling etch in a plate and cleaning the un-etched area of excess in.
Overprint - printing one color of ink over another.
Trapping - printing one color over another color slightly to make registration of colors easier in print process.
Ring - ceramic or metal blade used in a closed cup pad printing system to doctor or meter the ink over plate or cliché.
Scooping - when the ring or doctor blade does not have enough support and removes ink from center of etch in plate.
Plates / Cliché - a prepared surface from which an etch
is created for printing.
Etch - to produce (use a pattern or design) on a hard material by eating into the materials surface.
Halftone or Screened Image - a dot pattern etched into plate or cliché to help support the ring or doctor blade
Open Image - a plate or cliché that is etched without the use of a screen.
Fast Ink - an ink that has a quick drying rate or an ink that has solvents that make it evaporate very quickly.
Gloss - a surface luster or brightness (shine)
Matte - free from shine or highlights (deprived of luster or gloss)
One Component Ink - an ink that is fully cured when all the solvent in the ink has evaporated, leaving a dry resin film on the substrate.
Two Component Ink - to combine 2 resins to change the chemical structure into a new resin.
Opacity - blocking the passage of light
Retarder - a solvent that will slow down the cure rate or evaporation
Slow ink - an ink that cures very slowly
Thinner - a solvent to make the ink less dense or viscous, to change the viscosity or thickness of ink
Transparent - allowing the passage of light through
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Dyne
Level - the surface tension of substrates
Flame Treatment - a method of changing surface tension by use of fire
Corona Discharge - a method of changing surface tension by use of electricity
Polyolefins - plastics, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) surface tension for ink adhesion should be between 38-46 DYNES/cm
Substrate - the base on which and ink is printed onto
Static - electricity that consists of isolated motionless charges (as those produced by friction)
Silicone
Rubber -
rubber made from silicone elastomers and noted for its retention of
flexibility and resilience
Silicone Oils - organic silicone compound obtained as oils, greases or plastics
Molds - a cavity in which a substance is shaped, as silicone rubber
Hardness - not easily penetrated, firm or definite
Durometer - pad hardness is measured on the Shore 00 Scale; range 10 soft to 80 hard in increments of 10
Base of pad - material to hold silicone rubber in the pad printing process, material can be plastic, wood or metal (aluminum)
Pad - a silicone material formed into different shapes for printing on uneven surfaces
Pad Wiggle - the silicone pad is moving when it comes in contact with the substrate being printed, makes for a bad print
Pad Point - the tip of the pad that comes in contact with plate (cliché) or substrate first
Skidding - when the mad moves (stretches) on the printing substrate in the compressed state of the pad causing the ink to move, blurring the image
Bridging - in pad printing, when printing is prevented due to uneven print surface
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