History of Pad Printing:

Pad printing has been in use since the 1700's but until recently was used mostly for ceramics and watches. The first application was imprinting small intricate watch faces. Animal bladders were overfilled with oil, and the image was transferred to the watch face by an inked, engraved metal plate. Printing pads were initially made from gelatin. Flatter substrates were chosen because the gelatin lacked the elasticity of silicone rubber, which is widely used today. By the 1990's, the number of pad printing suppliers, manufacturers and distributors in the North American Hemisphere doubled. The 1990's also saw the Screen Printing Association International expand to include the pad printing process. The new umbrella organization became known as the Screenprinting and Graphic Imaging Association International.