Recently here at Inkcups Now we received a phone call from a customer in distress. When the customer placed ink in their ink cup, it would spill out of a small hole on the bottom of the ring. The customer had chipped one of their ceramic rings on his ink cup. The customer did not know what to do next. They didn’t have a replacement ring or a ring removal tool and they had a high production demand. The customer could not wait two or three days for a new ring and ring removal tool.

Our technicians had a fast and easy solution for the customer. Place the ink cup in the freezer. Yes, the freezer. Now this seems a little odd, however it certainly does work. When metal gets cold it shrinks, the colder it gets the more it shrinks. The ring is ceramic, thus the cold will have no effect on it and it will remain the same size. Once the metal shrinks enough (usually after about 2-3 hours), the ring can be removed. BE CAUTIOUS the edges of the ring are extremely sharp and can cut if not handled properly.

Now you must be asking yourself, what about the replacement ring? If the customer didn’t have one on hand how is he supposed to replace the damaged ring? The answer is simple. Flip the ring over. All Inkcups Now ceramic rings are double-sided. Just flip it over and it works as good as new!

Remember, keep the ink cup cold while removing and installing the ring, do not let it warm in between. If the ink cup gets warm it will expand again and the ring will not fit. Also, once you change the ring, let the ink cup sit out at room temperature for about an hour or two in order to allow the metal expand to its original form. Just place the ink cup back into the pad printer and continue printing!

Contact us for more information and other helpful hints.

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Technorati tags: Ink Cup, Ceramic Rings, Pad Printer

Over the years we here at Inkcups now have gotten many phone calls and emails pertaining to polymer plate making, also known as photopolymer plates. Customers often don’t understand the technical aspect of creating a film positive or they get stuck at a step in the process. We have decided the pain and anguish has gone on long enough! Creating photopolymer plates for pad printing machines should be fun, not difficult! Inkcups Now has created a two part instructional video to show each step (in detail) in the polymer plate making process using alcohol wash plates. The first video showcases how to create the film positive on your computer using the Adobe Illustrator software. We created a step by step instructional guide to assist the user through the process because this is often where the user has the most difficulty. The second video shows the entire polymer plate making process. We captured the whole process on video so the user can visually see exactly what to do. Photopolymer plates are great to use as a pad printing plate. The image can be created with great detail for clear/sharp looking prints. Polymer plate making is much more time consuming than laser engraving by about 20-30 minutes, however it is a much more cost effective process.

Questions or Comments? Click Here. Plate used in this project: Type: Alcohol Wash Brand: Photopolymer Plate Color: Green For use with: ICN-B100, ICN-2200, ICN-150, ICN-2500, ICN-2506 More info: Photopolymer Printing Plates page Technorati tags: Photopolymer Plates, Pad Printing Plates, Pad Printing Machines

Here is a video of the ICN-150L pad printing machine in action! Pad printing is great for creating tagless labels on garments and clothing. Tagless printing is fun and easy! Just watch the video and see for yourself! The ICN-150L features a linear conveyor, a great addition for companies with high production volumes or anyone who wants to get their pad printing done faster. The ICN-150L is a 2 cups machine, meaning it can do multiple colors or one color twice as fast. Featuring a 150mm ink cup system for large images, this pad printer has it all!

Printer used in this project: Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer Brand: ICN-150 Model: Two Color Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts… Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses More info: ICN-150 Tagless Pad Printer page Technorati tags: Tagless Printing, Pad Printing, Multi Color

Introducing the most versatile, capable, and cost effective pad printing machine on the market! The ICN-2200L is a heavy duty tagless pad printer that has a two color sealed cup pad printing system. This particular model is fitted with the linear conveyor, which is great for situations where future production volumes are unknown or are likely to increase. The ICN-2200L also has an XYR micro-adjust plate holder, allowing the user to get accurate prints every time! Its quick and easy to use!

Printer used in this project: Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer Brand: ICN-2200L Model: Two Color Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts… Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses More info: ICN-2200L Tagless Pad Printer page Technorati tags: Tagless Printing, Pad Printing, Heavy Duty

Here is a great new video from the Inkcups Now team! This video showcases our ICN-B100 pad printing machine. In the video you can see exactly how tagless t shirts are made in a real production situation. Apparel production can be time consuming, especially when manufacturers have to sew the tags onto shirts. Tagless printing is much faster and cheaper than tags, not to mention they look better and feel more comfortable!

Printer used in this project: Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer Brand: ICN-B100 Model: Single Color Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts… Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses More info: ICN-B100 Tagless Pad Printer page Technorati tags: Tagless Printing, Pad Printing, Apparel Production

Look at all these bright colors! Don’t stare too long though, may hurt your eyes.

Tagless printing has done it again! We were able to use our pad printing machine to print labels onto these bright colored safety shirts. These tagless t shirts are great for wearing at night time when it is difficult to see. Typically, people will be wearing these shirts for physical activities at night time, such as jogging or riding a bicycle. In these situations a tag sticking into the back of your neck can get really annoying and uncomfortable, tagless labels maximize the comfort level so people can get out and be active.

Printer used in this project:
Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer
Brand: ICN-150
Model: Two Color
Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts…
Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses
More info: ICN-150 Tagless Pad Printer page

Technorati tags: Tagless Printing, Pad Printing, Multi Color, Bright Colors, Safety Clothing

Make that tagless apparel look even better and add depth to an otherwise plain object by adding multiple colors! This tagless printing video shows the basic principle of multi color printing with the ICN-2500 pad printing machine. The printer uses 3 pads to add more color to tagless garments. Once the ink cups are filled with ink, each pad will be dipping into a different colored ink with only one part of the overall design. You see the pads pressed onto the fixture, where you would position the garment, in order to complete the desired multi-colored design. The ICN-2500 tagless pad printing machine offers a wide variety of features that allows the user to print the highest quality images with the greatest of ease.
Designed for rapid job setup, the ICN-2500 contains a programmable shuttle table and quick-release locking handles on pad and cup assemblies. Multi color tagless printing is just as fast and easy as using a single colored image! Printer used in this project: Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer Brand: ICN-2500 Model: Three Color Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts… Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses More info: ICN-2500 Tagless Pad Printer page Technorati tags: Tagless Printing, Pad Printing, Multi Color

Tagless label printing is the apparel industry’s newest and hottest trend! Here is a tag-less video of an actual company that is using the B100 tagless pad printing machine. As the video shows, it is very fast and easy to use in production. Not only does the pad printing ink dry instantly (which allows for stacking or direct packaging of the fabric), but it also has a “soft hand” texture (no rough surfaces.) The B100 pad printer can generate 1200-2000 prints per hour (depending upon the quality), and best of all tagless printing is cheaper than heat transfer!

Printer used in this project: Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer Brand: ICN-B100 Model: Single Color Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts… Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses More info: ICN-B100 Tagless Pad Printer Page Technorati tags: Tagless Production, T-Shirt Labels, Tagless Apparel

Shapewear is a new trend hitting the apparel industry. Shapewear comes in many forms, it is mostly referred to as underwear/undergarments. Lingerie is also a form of shapewear. With all of these tight fitting clothes, it makes perfect sense to print tagless labels using the ICN-2200 pad printing machine.

Tagless printing on shapewear has many benefits such as:
• No cracking on the label
• No annoying bump where the tag lies
• No Ribbon labels (those annoying labels usually located on the side of the inside of clothes)
• No grin through (reduces visibility on the outside of the clothing where the tag is)

You can always look great and feel comfortable at the same time, especially with tagless printing!

Click here to submit any questions on tagless printing on shapewear! The consultation is free of charge, no strings attached!

Printer used in this project:
Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer
Brand: ICN-2200
Model: Two Color
Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts…
Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses
More info: ICN-2200 Tagless Pad Printer Page

Technorati tags: Shapewear, pad printing, Tagless Apparel

Check out these great uniforms! Know what the best part is? That’s right! they’re tagless!

Tagless printing on uniforms are essential for professionals to look professional. There is no tag sticking out of the uniform or poking through the back. Look at the pictures of the scrubs, employees are often wearing just these uniforms for long periods of time. It is important that the people wearing these feel comfort. Thanks to tagless printing, there are no more annoying tags that stick into the back of the neck and provide discomfort!

Click here to submit any questions on tagless printing on uniforms! The consultation is free of charge, no strings attached!

Printer used in this project:
Type: Semi-Automatic Pad Printer
Brand: ICN-150
Model: Two Color

Standard applications: neck tagless labels, pens, stress balls, other metal and plastic parts…
Unconventional applications: cookies, contact lenses
More info: ICN-150 Tagless Pad Printer Page

Technorati tags: Uniforms, tagless, Tagless printing