What is the difference between pad printing and screen printing?

Pad printing and screen printing are two different printing methods that can be used in a variety of products and a variety of different materials.

Screen printing is used in textiles, ceramics, wood, glass, metal, paper and plastics. It can be used in balloons, decals, clothing, medical equipment, product labels, logos and displays, printed electronics and fabrics.
Pad printing is used in plastics, glass, metals, rubber and wood. It can be used in medical devices, candy, medicines, cosmetic packaging, bottle caps and seals, hockey, TV and computer monitors, T-shirts and other clothing, and letters on computer keyboards.
This article explains how these two processes work and compares them to gain insight into which might be the best choice for you.
What is pad printing?
Pad printing uses indirect offset, gravure and printing processes to transfer two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects, which uses silicone pads to transfer images from the base plate to the substrate. Pad printing can be used to print products that were originally difficult to print in many industries, including medical, automobiles, promotions, clothing, electronics, sports equipment, appliances and toys. It can also deposit functional substances such as conductive inks, lubricants and adhesives.
The ink film on the etched plate and the pad changes physically, leaving it out of the etched image area and adhering to the pad, then released and adhered to the substrate. The unique properties of silicone pads allow it to pick up images from planes and transfer them to various surfaces, such as textured surfaces, concave surfaces, or convex surfaces.
Pad printing technology has developed rapidly over the past 40 years and has now become one of the most important printing processes. The use of silicone rubber is key to its success as a printing medium because it is easy to deform, has ink resistance and ensures excellent ink transfer.
Pad printing first etches the design drawing onto the bottom plate. Then, fill the ink into the etched area of ​​the base plate or print. The closed ink cup removes any residue/excess ink from the surface.
Next, press the flexible silicone pad onto the base plate and transfer the ink pattern to the pad. Finally, press the pad onto the material to be printed.
The silicone printing pad can act as a transfer carrier to pick up the ink from the ink plate and transfer it to the component. The shape and diameter of the printing pads vary depending on their purpose.
Pad printing pads come in two main shapes. One is a round pad, the other is a long and narrow pad (called a bar pad). There are three size categories for both pad groups: small, medium and large pads. Custom-shaped pads can also be created to meet specific application requirements.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Pad Printing
One of the main advantages of Pad Printing is that it can be printed on three-dimensional surfaces and on products of various shapes and sizes. Many companies perform pad printing operations internally because the setup costs are relatively low. Other advantages include pad printers that do not take up much space, and the process is relatively simple and easy to learn.
While pad printing is ideal for achieving precise results, one drawback is its limited speed. Multiple colors must be used separately, so there are certain risks in registering. The size of the pattern is also limited by the pad printing pads, plates and efficiency of the pad printing machine.
What is screen printing?

About a thousand years ago, before the advent of electricity and computers, there was no formal printing machine at that time, and people still used hand-printing technology—screen printing. As early as the 10th century, the Chinese used this process to print patterns on fabrics.
Silk Screen Painting is a method of transferring images to a surface (usually fabric or paper) by pressing ink through a mesh. Place the screen over the material, apply ink on it, and then use a tool called a rubber spatula to push the ink across the screen and print it onto the surface. The blocked area of ​​the wire mesh will not allow the ink to pass through, thus forming your design.
The most important thing is to make various patterns and texts through photosensitive glue-drying. Printed screen plates are created by blocking the portion of the braided screen in the negative sheet of the design to be printed, so the open space is where the ink appears on the substrate.
The frame and screen must be pre-printed before printing. 'scoop' the emulsion onto the mesh. After drying, the emulsion in the exposed area is hardened but the unexposed portion is softened by selectively exposing the film with the desired pattern. Water spray rinses them off, leaving a clean space in the mesh, the same shape as the desired image so that the ink can pass through.
The screen printing process is relatively simple. You just need to move the screen with a blade or scraper and fill the open mesh hole with the ink. The reverse movement then forces the screen to briefly contact the substrate along the contact line. When the blade bounces back after passing through the wire mesh, the ink wets the substrate and pulls out of the mesh. Only one color is printed at a time, which means multiple wire mesh is needed to create multi-color images or designs.
Types of Screen Printing
Screen printing can be done manually or by machine, but the basic process is always the same. The difference is in the printing ink used, the effect it presents, and the printing surface.
The most commonly used screen printing technology for It uses the primary color of the ink and is printed through the template of the mesh. This technique can create bright, pure color spots and is much simpler than other screen printing methods.
spot color screen printing is spot color screen printing.
Grayscale Printing
Grayscale printing is used to print full-color images into monochrome grayscale or halftones. If there are more dots in halftones, the print will look more detailed. It is not a black and white printing method, but only extracts CMY or RGB or color levels, but is displayed in a shade of gray. It is one of the more cost-effective screen printing techniques, often used to print black and white patterns onto fabrics.
Halftone Printing
In halftone printing, a single color will be printed in a gradient color. The whole process uses a single color of ink, which becomes a halftone, and a different shade will be produced from a distance. It is best for creating multi-color printed appearances without actually operating. Halftone printing is also a cost-effective method because only one color of ink is used.
Two-tone Printing
Two-tone Printing uses two halftones to print the same image in two colors. First, print the black halftone with black ink and then print the second halftone with color ink. It is similar to tan tone printing in photography and produces artistic effects.
Analog Printing Process
Analog Printing Process combines four-color printing technology with spot color printing. Because the technology is well suited for lighter and darker shades, it is versatile and is well received by people who want to make realistic printing details.
CMYK (Four Color Printing)
CMYK is the most complex screen printing technology. It uses four primary colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Then, combine these four colors together. It can be done manually, but ideally it should be performed with automatic control for best results.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Screen Printing
The advantage of screen printing is its flexibility to the substrate. It is perfect for high-volume printing because the more products you need to print, the lower the cost per product. Although the setup process is complicated, screen printing usually only needs to be set once. Another advantage is that screen printing designs are generally more durable than designs made using hot pressing or digital methods.

The disadvantage is that while screen printing is very suitable for large-scale production, it is not cost-effective for small-scale production. Furthermore, screen printing arrangements are much more complex than digital printing or hot stamping printing. It also takes longer, so its turnaround time is usually slightly slower than other printing methods. Finally, it is also not suitable for designing multiple colors or photography-based designs.
Pad printing and screen
printing Use flexible silicone pads to transfer ink from the etched substrate to the product, ideal for transferring 2D images onto 3D objects. Pad printing is especially effective for printing small objects with irregularities such as key rings and jewelry, while screen printing can be difficult to do.
However, setting up and performing pad printing jobs is slower and more complex than screen printing, and the printing area of ​​pad printing is limited because it cannot be used for large-area printing, which is the advantage of screen printing.
There is no better process than the other. Instead, each process is more suitable for a specific application.
Screen Print
Screen Printing is best suited for large images on flat surfaces, large double-sided images on cylindrical components, and opaque images on light, dark or transparent substrates. It is more cost-effective because screen printing can be done in just one time and with each additional printing, the printing cost increases. It is also perfect for images that only require monochromatic colors. The
pad
printing process is best suited for printing images on composite materials such as polypropylene, images covering raised or recessed areas, images covering any complex curves such as recesses or convexities, images close to vertical walls or obstacles, small image requirements, or for printing on smaller metal parts and multi-color images.