Pad Printing Capabilities & Applications | Custom Pad Printed Products

Custom Pad Printing Capabilities & Applications

Custom pad printing is the go-to decoration method for achieving high quality printed designs on irregularly shaped surfaces. The pad printing process is efficient, versatile, and can produce highly detailed designs at relatively low costs. At Merchology, we use pad printing to apply your company logo to a variety of custom accessories and promotional products.

Custom Pad Printed Product Options Include…

Applications for Pad Printed Products

When to Use Pad Printing as a Decoration Method

Pad printing is a much more versatile decoration type than most. A pad printed corporate logo or custom design can be added to just about anything. However, there are some products that are more ideal to pad print than others. Pad printing is probably the right customization method for you if…

You are printing on a non-flat surface. – While pad printing CAN be performed on flat surfaces, its main benefit is the ability to print on unconventional surfaces like custom logo golf balls or promotional pens. Other printing processes like screen printing, digital printing, and heat transfer printing can usually only be performed on flat surfaces.
You want to quickly decorate large quantities of promotional products. – Pad printing is an extremely quick and cost-effective way to add your logo to large quantities of promotional products.
You are customizing a small product. – Pad printing is the most commonly used decoration method for custom accessories rather than apparel, especially when decorating a large number of products.

When Should I Consider a Different Decoration Method?

You are decorating custom apparel. – Pad printing can be done on apparel, but sizing limitations make it not the most ideal decoration type. Pad printing apparel is typically reserved for adding tagless labels on the inside of shirts. The most common decorating methods for custom apparel are embroidery and screen printing.
You want a large logo or design. – Pad printing pads are typically smaller and only able to create logos or designs smaller than about 5 inches in diameter.
You have a very colorful logo or design. – Pad printing decoration is typically done using just one color and can go up to a max of two if the logo requires. If two colors are required for the artwork, the colors must be used on separate portions of the logo, as colors may not be stacked. If you’re looking for a more colorful design, check out heat transfer printing or digital printing.

What Materials & Products can be Pad Printed?

One of the main advantages of pad printing is its versatility. As long as you have the proper ink for a specific job, pad printing can be performed on just about any product, regardless of material, shape, or size. This includes plastics, metals, glass, ceramic, vinyl, rubber, polypropylene, leather, acrylic, cotton, and more. While pad printing can be performed on custom apparel, it is not the recommended decoration type because of sizing and color limitations. Check out our Pad Printing PMS Color Chart to see pad printing color options.

Next Steps

Start shopping for your pad printed custom logo accessories or learn more about the pad printing process. If you’re still not sure if pad printing is the right decoration technique for you, check out our completed Guide to Custom Decoration Methods or contact us with any questions!