Cliché plates are the essential part of pad printing, serving as the image carrier that transfers ink onto the printing pad, and ultimately onto the product surface. Their quality directly affects the accuracy, clarity, and consistency of the print.
Traditionally, the plates are made of thick steel and undergo a specialized hardening process, followed by chemical milling for etching. These plates are sized, ground, toughened, lapped, polished, and then etched. The entire process takes approximately 25 days. Therefore, standard sizes are usually kept in stock, while special clichés/plates require additional time
| # | Width | Height | Length | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70 | 140 | 10 | mm |
| 2 | 100 | 100 | 10 | mm |
| 3 | 100 | 210 | 10 | mm |
| 4 | 100 | 215 | 10 | mm |
| 5 | 100 | 250 | 10 | mm |
| 6 | 150 | 150 | 10 | mm |
| 7 | 150 | 300 | 10 | mm |
| # | Width | Height | Length | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70 | 140 | 0.5 | mm |
| 2 | 100 | 100 | 0.5 | mm |
| 3 | 100 | 210 | 0.5 | mm |
| 4 | 100 | 215 | 0.5 | mm |
| 5 | 100 | 250 | 0.5 | mm |
| 6 | 150 | 150 | 0.5 | mm |
| 7 | 150 | 300 | 0.5 | mm |
We use high-quality Japanese and German machines to manufacture these pad printing cliché plates.
The plates are made from materials designed to last for at least 300,000 impressions, but our plates are known to exceed 1.5 million impressions, depending on the machine, design, pressure, and other factors.
A good cliché requires highly accurate etching depth. The selection of the correct depth is crucial. For example, if the design includes fine lines, a depth of 18–20 microns is sufficient. However, if the design has solid patches, the depth may need to be increased to 30–35 microns.
...Clichés or plates play a critical role in the pad printing process. Therefore, selecting the appropriate plate or cliché is essential for ensuring high-quality print results.
Based on the Nature of Pad Printing Jobs
Thick steel clichés/plates
Thick ceramic clichés/plates
Thin pad printing aloxide plates
Thin pad printing steel plates
Roller ceramic clichés for rotary pad printers
Steel rollers for rotary pad printers
Thin nylon plates
Steel clichés are made from high-quality, corrosion-resistant chromium steel (hardness: 63 Rc).
For many years, our special casting process and high chromium content have enabled Spinks World's steel clichés to gain a substantial market share due to their superior quality.
Today, many steel clichés are produced using laser engraving technology, a relatively new innovation in the pad printing industry. This allows for extremely high performance with exceptional durability and print consistency.
Spinks World’s Preciteel offers high-quality steel cliché plates for pad printing machines. We specialize in both thin and thick steel clichés, delivering precision, durability, and consistent performance for a wide range of pad printing applications.
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Preciteel offers premium aloxide cliché plates designed for precise and accurate pad printing. These plates are ideal for jobs requiring fine detail and consistent quality.
These cliché plates are thin pad printing plates made from a metal base coated with aluminum oxide. Known for their lightweight, durability, and fine detail reproduction, they are ideal for short to medium production runs. These Cliché Plates are used in industries like toys, electronics, and cosmetics.
Request InfoCeramic clichés represent a groundbreaking innovation, once again highlighting our role as market leaders in pad printing solutions
After extensive materials research, we successfully brought ceramic clichés into serial production. Today, they are a popular choice among customers who demand:
They are especially well-suited for line motif printing.
We proudly offer the best ceramic cliché plates for pad printing applications.
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The Micro-Laser cliché band was specially developed by Spinks for use with the CTP and Hybrid machine series. These machines, equipped with integrated laser components, enable the direct production of clichés inside the pad printing machine, ready for immediate use—no need to change the ink or doctoring cup.
The Micro-Laser cliché is a 25-meter-long cliché band coated with a special lacquer developed by us.
Request InfoGrowing environmental awareness has increased demand for eco-friendly cliché production processes.
In response, we introduced the Magnet-Screen Cliché and its innovative counterpart, the Magnet Aqua Cliché—a water-washable cliché plate that maintains the same high-quality standards without using alcohol-based solvents.
The production process remains nearly identical to that of the traditional Magnet-Screen Cliché, with the key difference being the replacement of the wash-out medium from alcohol to water.
Spinks World proudly offers high-quality magnetic cliché plates for sustainable pad printing.
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Spinks World also offers high-quality cylinder clichés designed for rotary pad printing applications. These cliché rollers ensure precise and consistent printing results, even at high speeds. Available in two variants steel and ceramic cliché rollers, each provide durability, and accuracy with rotary pad printing machines.
Choosing the Right Cliché Plate and Cylindrical Clichés
Selecting the appropriate cliché plate and cylinder clichés depends on the printing volume, required print quality, turnaround time, and cost considerations. Contact us for more information.
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