Decoration technique

Pad Printing Design Software for Curved and Small Products

Pad printing puts a logo on the surfaces no other technique can reach: pen clips, USB housings, curved barrels and moulded corners. FastEditor vectorises the upload, separates it by ink colour, enforces the small imprint area, and previews the result before the order runs.

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What this technique demands of the artwork

Pad printing is the technique for small, awkward and curved surfaces, and its limits follow from that.

The imprint area is tiny. Many pad-printed areas are only a few millimetres across, so artwork has to be scaled to its true printed size rather than to the transparent space around it. FastEditor trims transparent padding and scales the logo to the real imprint area.

Colours are layers. Each colour is a separate pad and a separate pass, so colour count is validated against the product limit before approval.

Fine detail closes up. Below the pad minimum line weight, thin strokes fill in, so line thickness is checked against the product minimum.

Transparent padding trimmed so the logo fills the imprint area at true size
Colour count validated per product, layer by layer
Line weight validated against the pad minimum
Automatic vectorisation from any upload

What FastEditor outputs for production

The printer receives a layer-separated vector file per ink colour, sized to the exact imprint area of the product.

File type: vector, one layer per ink
Colour: separated and named per pass
Sizing: scaled to the imprint area from the Product Hub specification
Validation: colour count and line weight against the product minimums
Turnaround: generated on proof approval

The production-ready file goes straight to the machine.

Products decorated this way

Pad printing covers the long tail of the promotional catalogue, the small and contoured items other techniques cannot decorate:

Pens: clips, barrels and sub-40mm imprints. See the pen flow.
Mugs and drinkware: bases, handles and small logo positions. See the mug flow.
Tech accessories, keyrings, tools and moulded gifts.

Suppliers with pad-print-ready products are pre-configured in the Product Hub. See the full supplier ecosystem.

Frequently asked questions

What is pad printing best for?

Small, curved and moulded surfaces that flat techniques cannot reach: pen clips and barrels, USB housings, mug bases, keyrings and tools. It transfers ink from an etched plate onto the product with a silicone pad that conforms to the shape.

How small an imprint can it handle?

Any area configured in the Product Hub, down to the few-millimetre imprints on pen clips and USB housings. FastEditor enforces the imprint boundary and trims transparent padding so the logo is scaled to its true size rather than to empty space.

How are colours handled?

Each colour is a separate pad and pass, so FastEditor separates the artwork by ink and validates the colour count against the product limit before the customer approves.

Does the customer need a vector file?

No. FastEditor vectorises any upload automatically, so a raster logo is pad-print-ready without an artworker.

Can one product carry pad printing and another technique?

Yes. Each decoration position is independent, so a product can be pad printed in one area and engraved or screen printed in another, each with its own production file.

What file does production receive?

A layer-separated vector file per ink colour, scaled to the exact imprint area, generated on proof approval with no manual preparation.