Pad Printing - 1-Color USB Drive

Demonstration of a 1-color logo being pad printed onto a USB drive.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Pad
• Printing

[djkees123]

What are you using for a film positive? Is it photo, laser, or ink jet? It sounds like your positive is not dense enough.

[djkees123]

Are you having trouble getting the image from the plate to the pad, or from the pad to the pen?

[djkees123]

Hi John, TPR is the right ink to use. However, more thinner will make your ink dry faster. You want to use as little thinner as possible. Start with 10% and do not go over 20%. It sounds like your plate is too shallow. What are you using for film positives? Are you using water or alcohol wash plates? What are your exposure times?

Let me know, and I'll see if I have any suggestions.

Dan

[johnlazik]

hey man,

i got a question. i see you printing and looks like you got some expeirence so i want to ask you; do you how do you use Sil-Tech Gel hardner?

[djkees123]

Hi John,

Take a golf ball size piece of the putty and flatten it out in your hand. Add about 1 - 2" stripe of the hardner and knead until all the putty is a consistent purple color. You have about a minute to mold the putty after that.

Hope that helps,

Dan

[splendorfulguris]

hey that's my dream job :)

[johnlazik]

ok Here the break down, I burned 3 plates with positive at 600 dpi laser printer, for 62 seconds. Then 1st plate 45 sec with negative, 2nd plate with 90 sec negative and 3rd with 120 sec negative, Tried to print and none print. But all left a good image on my thumb when I pressed it on the plate. I think it may be the pads are too hard. The dates on the pads are 2007 I don't know if they might be be harder cuase they are older.

[johnlazik]

1 try - 1 exposure 60s 2 exposure 120s - bad plate

2 try - 1 exposure 60s 2 exposure 60s- better

3 try- 1 exposure 60s 2 exposure 45s- good depth, that where the thump print was perfect

But could not get the ink transfer to the pad

[johnlazik]

Getting the image on the pad, like tehre is no ink or it dirys out

[johnlazik]

I had 21.6 white ink + 20% thinner

[johnlazik]

Yes the plate was shallow, i made a new one now is perfect.However, the print still does not trasfer to the pen. But i press with my finger and a got a perfect print on my thumb. Then, the pad i use it eaxctly the same as you have in this video. I thought , may be i need a red pad softer one which goes around all the edges fully inside the print (the print is small).

So, now i am thinking i need a softer pad.(Thinking behind,my finger is soft and picks up the print easily.)

What you think?

[johnlazik]

Yea i was using TPR ink - it drys very fast i figured that was the problem.

Can you tell me what ink you use to print on Plastic pens?

thx man