Pads are made of silicone, fixed on a wooden or metal base plate. The pad is used as an intermediate to pick up the ink from the printing plate and transfer it to the product.

The right pad choice is again critical for a good printing quality. Apart from the pad quality (does the pad have any cracks, dents or enclosed air bubbles?) there are four determining factors:

1. Pad Shape
To obtain a perfect print without print deformation it is important to use the right pad shape. A range of pad shape types are illustrated below.

2. Silicone type:
The pads are made in different silicone qualities, identified by their own colour:

• Yellow: Standard quality, appropriate to be used with several ink types.
  
• Red: For high-output machines and especially for printing onto objects with smooth surfaces.
  
• White: For high-output machines and for printing onto objects with sharp edges.
  

3. Pad hardness:
The amount of silicone oil in the silicone determines the hardness. We can supply all pads in different hardnesses.

4. Fixation type:
The pads can be moulded on three types of support bases: