Understanding your Ink for Pad Printing

Pad printing inks are used by pad printing machines to print images onto different surfaces. There are many variations of inks, depending on what surface, color, or grade is desired. Inks are identified using a formula that expresses the specifics purposes of that particular ink.

How to Identify your Ink Series

Pad printing inks are identified by two letters followed by a series of numbers and/or letters. The first two letters signify what series the ink is. For example, the ink SB 60 is part of the SB Series. The series indicates the qualities and purposes of the inks, showing that an SB series ink works best on rubbery and textile surfaces or that a DP series ink is designed for printing on untreated polypropylene, which is important in determining what type of ink to purchase.

How to Identify your Ink Color

The next component to understanding your ink is the number/letter sequence. Standard colors are written in the form XX 1##, with the XX representing the series and the ## representing the shade. For example, the ink SB 160 is a white standard color in the SB series. Standard colors are ready to be printed with no mixing required. Mixing colors are written in the form XX ##, so the ink SB 60 is a white mixing color in the SB series. Mixing colors are made specifically to be mixed with other inks to create custom colors. High-density inks are written as XX 1##HD, meaning the ink SB 160 HD is a white high-density ink in the SB series. High-density colors are more opaque than standard colors, giving a more solid finish.

This system of identifying pad printing inks allows for a simple way to determine which ink to use for a certain product. This ensures the highest quality of the results and satisfaction of the customer.

Want to Learn More about pad printing? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Pad Printing Machines