PAD PRINTING & UV DIGITAL PRINTING
Promotional Products Printing Systems
Promotional product printing systems for pad printing, UV digital printing, branded merchandise, and custom product decoration.
Automark helps promotional product companies, print shops, and manufacturers choose the right equipment, ink, fixture, and process for printing logos, graphics, markings, and full-color designs on a wide range of product shapes and materials.
Logo & Brand Printing
Print logos, graphics, slogans, and identification marks on promotional products, giveaways, and branded merchandise.
Curved & Irregular Surfaces
Decorate pens, bottles, drinkware, golf balls, tools, cases, keychains, and other parts that are difficult to print with flat printing methods.
Pad Printing & UV
Choose from pad printing systems for repeat production or UV digital printers for full-color graphics, personalization, and short-run decoration.
Complete Printing Support
Source machines, inks, pads, plates, fixtures, tooling, automation, and application support from one experienced supplier.
Printing Solutions
Promotional Product Printing Systems for Branded Merchandise
Promotional products come in many shapes, materials, and production volumes. Some applications require a simple one-color logo on a pen or keychain, while others need multi-color graphics, durable ink adhesion, fixture repeatability, or full-color UV digital printing.
Automark helps match the right printing process to the product, material, artwork, and production requirement. Whether you need a manual pad printer, an automatic pad printing machine, a multi-color system, or a UV digital printer, we can help configure the right solution for your application.
Pad printing delivers precise, high-quality branding on promotional products at production speed.
MACHINE PRICING & PRODUCTION COSTS
Machine Price vs. Total Cost Per Printed Product
Promotional product printers often compare equipment based on purchase price, but the real cost of a printing system is measured by setup time, registration time, print quality, repeatability, rejected parts, and how many jobs can be completed each week.
A lower-priced machine may look attractive upfront, but if it takes longer to set up, requires constant adjustment, creates registration problems, or limits the type of work a shop can accept, the savings can disappear quickly.
Multi-Color Pad Printing Setup Time Matters
With multi-color pad printing, registration time can become one of the biggest hidden costs. If each job requires excessive setup, adjustment, and troubleshooting, fewer orders can be completed each week. A properly built pad printing system helps improve repeatability, reduce changeover time, and keep production moving.
High-Resolution UV Digital Printing Adds Value
For full-color promotional products, print resolution and image quality matter. Automark UV digital printers can produce high-resolution output up to 2880 DPI, helping customers print sharper graphics, finer details, personalization, and more professional-looking branded merchandise.
Faster Job Changeovers
Better equipment helps reduce the time spent adjusting artwork, fixtures, registration, and setup between jobs.
Less Scrap and Rework
Consistent print quality and repeatable machine setup help reduce rejected products, wasted time, and operator frustration.
More Jobs Per Week
When setup is faster and production is more predictable, shops can complete more orders and improve profitability.
Do Not Compare Machine Price Alone
Before choosing a promotional product printing system, compare the full cost of setup time, registration, lost production, rejected products, print quality, and long-term support. Automark can help evaluate the best printing process and machine level for your product, artwork, volume, and business goals.
PAD PRINTING FOR PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
Why Pad Printing Works for Promotional Products
Pad printing is one of the most effective ways to decorate promotional products with logos, markings, and spot-color graphics. TTN pad printing systems are designed for fast setup, repeatable registration, and reliable production on small, curved, molded, and irregular products.
Faster Setup and Job Changeover
Plate-based image registration helps reduce setup time compared to traditional systems. Faster changeovers allow shops to move from one promotional product job to the next with less downtime.
Ideal for Small and Irregular Products
Pad printing works well on pens, USB drives, drinkware, keychains, golf balls, tools, and other products that are curved, molded, recessed, or difficult to print with flat printing methods.
Efficient Short-Run and Repeat Production
Promotional product shops often handle a high mix of smaller jobs. A properly configured pad printing system helps improve repeatability, reduce adjustment time, and keep production moving.
Print on Many Product Materials
With the right ink system, pad printing can be used on plastics, metals, coated parts, glass, rubber, and other common promotional product materials.
Single-Color and Multi-Color Printing
TTN pad printing systems are available for simple one-color logos, two-color printing, and more complex multi-color applications requiring accurate registration.
Scalable from Manual to Automated Systems
Automark offers manual, semi-automatic, automatic, and automated pad printing configurations, allowing customers to choose the right level of equipment for their volume and workflow.
Azon UV Digital Printing Systems
UV Digital Printing for Full-Color Promotional Products
Azon UV digital printing systems give promotional product companies a flexible way to produce full-color graphics, personalization, variable data, and short-run branded merchandise without traditional plates, clichés, or screens.
UV digital printing is especially useful when artwork changes frequently, customers need small quantities, or the product requires photographic-quality graphics, names, serial numbers, QR codes, barcodes, or other variable information.
Key Capabilities
Various Shapes and Sizes
Print on a wide range of promotional products, including flat panels, drinkware, bottles, boxes, awards, tags, signs, and other branded items that fit the printer and fixture setup.
Variable Data Printing
Add names, serial numbers, QR codes, barcodes, batch information, and other variable data for personalized promotional products and custom branded merchandise.
Full-Color Graphics
Produce photographic-quality logos, gradients, images, and detailed artwork without color separations, screens, or pad printing plates.
Short Runs and Personalization
UV digital printing is ideal for short-run promotional campaigns, sample production, one-off customization, and jobs where artwork changes frequently.
No Traditional Tooling
Eliminate the need for clichés, screens, and many traditional setup steps. Digital workflows help reduce setup time and make small orders easier to produce profitably.
Rotary Printing Options
Rotary printing options can support cylindrical promotional products such as bottles, tumblers, drinkware, and other round items, depending on the part size and application requirements.
MATERIALS, INKS & ADHESION
Printing on Promotional Product Materials
Promotional products are made from a wide range of materials, including plastics, metals, glass, rubber, silicone, coated surfaces, and natural materials. Achieving consistent print quality depends on matching the product material to the correct printing process, ink system, surface preparation, fixture, and production settings.
For pad printing, ink selection, viscosity, reducer adjustment, pad shape, cliché quality, and surface condition all affect ink transfer and image clarity. For UV digital printing, fixture setup, print height, surface compatibility, adhesion preparation, and curing settings all influence the final result.
Low-surface-energy plastics such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and some coated materials may require surface treatment before printing. Automark supplies surface treatment systems from Tantec to help increase surface energy and improve ink adhesion on challenging promotional product substrates.
Ink Selection
Different materials require different ink systems. Automark helps match pad printing inks, UV inks, hardeners, reducers, and adhesion requirements to the surface.
Surface Preparation
Some plastics and coated materials require corona or plasma surface treatment to improve surface energy and help the ink bond properly.
Process Control
Consistent results depend on fixture design, print setup, ink adjustment, curing, and repeatable production settings.
Common Promotional Product Materials
PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT APPLICATIONS
Common Promotional Product Printing Applications
From pens and drinkware to electronics, accessories, and branded merchandise, Automark helps promotional product companies choose the right pad printing or UV digital printing system for the product shape, material, artwork, and production volume.
01
Pens and Writing Instruments
Pad printing is commonly used for pens, markers, highlighters, and writing instruments because it can print sharp logos and text on cylindrical barrels, clips, caps, and small molded surfaces.
02
Drinkware and Bottles
Decorate tumblers, water bottles, mugs, travel cups, and promotional drinkware with single-color logos, full-color graphics, or rotary printing options for cylindrical products.
03
USB Drives and Electronics
Print logos, icons, labels, and full-color graphics on USB drives, power banks, earbuds, chargers, cases, and other electronic promotional products with small or irregular surfaces.
04
Keychains and Accessories
Pad printing works well on keychains, lanyard clips, badges, clips, tags, and other accessory products where curved, contoured, recessed, or molded surfaces make flat printing difficult.
05
Awards, Gifts, and Specialty Items
UV digital printing and pad printing can be used for awards, plaques, gift items, tools, lifestyle products, and specialty promotional products that require durable branding or detailed graphics.
06
Corporate and Retail Branded Merchandise
Automark printing systems support branded merchandise programs, event giveaways, retail promotional products, and corporate marketing items where print quality, repeatability, and fast job changeover matter.
Pad Printing vs. UV Digital Printing for Promotional Products
Both pad printing and UV digital printing are widely used for promotional product decoration, but each process is better suited for different product shapes, graphics, production volumes, and customization needs.
Pad Printing
Best for
- Curved, cylindrical, recessed, or irregular products
- Pens, drinkware, keychains, USB drives, and accessories
- Single-color and multi-color logo printing
- Repeatable production on high-volume promotional items
- Precise placement on molded or difficult-to-print surfaces
When to Choose It
Choose pad printing when the product has a curved, recessed, cylindrical, or irregular surface, or when the job requires repeatable logo placement across medium- to high-volume production runs. Pad printing is especially effective for promotional items such as pens, drinkware, accessories, and small molded products.
BEST FOR CURVED & IRREGULAR PRODUCTS
UV Digital Printing
Best for
- Full-color graphics and photographic-quality printing
- Names, QR codes, serial numbers, and variable data
- Short runs and frequent artwork changes
- Personalization and custom branded merchandise
- Flat or moderately contoured promotional products
When to Choose It
Choose UV digital printing when the application requires full-color artwork, personalization, variable data, or short production runs. UV digital printing is ideal for branded merchandise, custom promotional items, and products where artwork changes frequently or high-resolution graphics add value.
FULL COLOR, PERSONALIZATION & SHORT RUNS
Still unsure which process fits your product?
Automark can review your product, artwork, material, print area, production volume, and customization goals to recommend the right printing process, machine, and supporting supplies.
Equipment
Recommended Systems for Promotional Product Printing
Purpose-built printing systems trusted by promotional product companies, print shops, and branding agencies across North America for high-quality, high-efficiency product decoration.
Pad Printing
Manual Pad Printers
Manual pad printers are a practical entry point for promotional product companies printing logos and simple graphics on pens, keychains, tags, accessories, and small branded items.
Best for:
• Low-volume production
• Sample work and short runs
• Shops that need a compact, affordable pad printing system
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Pad Printing
Universal Series Pad Printers
Universal Series pad printers are automatic TTN systems designed for repeatable promotional product decoration, faster setup, and higher production output.
Best for:
• One-color and two-color production
• Pens, drinkware, accessories, and molded parts
• Shops ready to move beyond manual printing
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UV Digital Printing
Azon UV Digital Printing Systems
Azon UV digital printers are built for full-color promotional product decoration, personalization, variable data, and short-run branded merchandise.
Best for:
• Full-color graphics up to 2,880 DPI
• Names, QR codes, barcodes, and variable data
• Short runs and frequent artwork changes
FAQ
Promotional Product Printing FAQs
What is the best printing method for promotional products?
The best method depends on the product shape, material, artwork, and production volume. Pad printing is often best for curved, recessed, irregular, or small items. UV digital printing is often better for full-color graphics, personalization, and short-run decoration.
Can pad printing be used on pens, golf balls, drinkware, and keychains?
Yes. Pad printing is commonly used for promotional products because it can transfer logos and graphics onto curved, molded, textured, and irregular surfaces that are difficult to decorate with flat printing methods.
Can you print full-color promotional products?
Yes. Full-color promotional product decoration is typically handled with UV digital printing, depending on the product shape, surface, and production requirements.
Do you help with inks, pads, plates, and fixtures?
Yes. Automark supplies pad printing machines, UV digital printers, inks, pads, plates, fixtures, tooling, cleaning systems, and application support.
Is pad printing or UV digital printing better for automotive components?
Pad printing is often preferred for high-volume production, curved surfaces, recessed areas, and repeatable single- or multi-color markings. UV digital printing can be a better fit for full-color graphics, variable data, short runs, frequent design changes, or applications requiring photographic detail.
Can you help determine which printer is right for my product?
Yes. Automark can review your part, artwork, material, desired print area, production volume, and durability requirements to help recommend the right printing system.
Need Help Choosing a Promotional Product Printing System?
Automark can review your product, artwork, material, print area, production volume, and customization goals to recommend the right pad printing or UV digital printing system.
Or call us directly: +1-512-593-7100 Â |Â sales@automarkco.com
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