Transfer printing is one of the special printing methods, which can print various texts and patterns on irregular product surfaces. It can be printed in single color, dual color, or multi-color. The process is relatively simple and can be printed successfully in one go without the need for other processes. Nowadays, transfer printing technology is widely used, such as the water cups, keyboards, pens, and various electronic product surfaces that we use every day, which are all completed through transfer printing.



Transfer printing technology first appeared in Europe, used to print watch dials. It was introduced to China in the 1980s and has great advantages due to its ability to print on small, irregular concave convex products.

The graphic content of transfer printing needs to be etched onto the steel plate first. After cleaning the steel plate, a layer of photosensitive adhesive should be evenly applied, and a printing film with graphics and text should be attached. The area without graphics and text will become hard when exposed to ultraviolet light. The graphics and text on the film should be washed with developer water to present on the steel plate. Corrosion solution should be poured in to ensure that the depth of the graphics and text on the steel plate does not exceed 0.5 millimeters. It is also possible to directly use laser to corrode graphics and text on the steel plate.

Transfer printing is based on the principle of imaging. First, ink is applied to an etching plate, and a retractable scraper scrapes off excess ink. The remaining ink will remain in the grooves of the etching plate. A transfer head made of silicone material sticks the ink inside the concave plate to the surface of the transfer head, and then presses it onto the surface of the product to be transferred, resulting in the image and text on the concave plate.