Pad printing services
The decoration method for small, curved, or irregular substrates - pens, golf balls, key rings, and electronics.
Pad printing transfers ink from an etched plate via a flexible silicone pad - the right tool for small parts, curved surfaces, and substrates other methods can't reach.
What it's best for
- Pens. Plastic and metal-barrel pens are pad-print's signature category.
- Golf balls. Curved surface, small print area - pad-print's specialty.
- Key rings, key chains, lanyards. Small irregular surfaces.
- Electronics + cases. Phone cases, charging cables, power banks.
- Toys + novelty items. Small plastic + rubber parts.
- Promotional plastic items in general - cups, plates, plastic lanyards.
What it's NOT best for
- Large flat surfaces. Pad transfers work on small areas (~3-4 inches max). Use screen print for larger areas.
- Apparel. Use screen print, embroidery, or DTF.
- Photo-real / gradient artwork. Pad-print is best at solid spot colors.
- Premium feel awards. Use laser engrave or UV print.
Pricing model
- Per-piece cost: $0.20-1.50 depending on substrate + colors.
- Setup fee: $25-50 one-time per color, per design. Multi-color = multi-setup.
- Quantities: Sweet spot is 250-5,000 pieces. At 10,000+ screen + tampoprint hybrid is sometimes more efficient.
Substrates we pad-print on
- Plastic pens (barrel + clip)
- Metal pens
- Golf balls
- Key rings + lanyards
- Electronics (phone cases, chargers, mice)
- Plastic cups + cutlery
- Stress balls + novelty items
- Hat clips + small accessories
Common questions
Pad print vs screen print on a pen?
Pad print handles the curved barrel cleanly. Screen print can't conform to the curve. For pens, almost always pad print.
Will the pad print scratch off?
Durable in normal use, but can scratch under heavy abrasion (e.g. keys in a pocket). For permanence on metal substrates, prefer laser engraving.
What's the smallest text you can pad-print?
~5pt for legibility. Smaller can fill in or blur.
Can you pad-print white on a dark pen?
Yes - white ink is standard. Often required when printing colors on dark substrates as a base layer.
