“Who invented pad printing?  There are several theories, the most popular of which suggests that the process was “created” by Swiss watch markers out of necessity.  It was difficult or impossible to decorate watch faces using any printing processes that existed at the time, and hand painting was too tedious a process.”

“Today pad printing is often compared to screen printing, hot stamping, ink jet marking or rubber-stamping.  While the final result may appear similar, pad printing is fundamentally different than any of these processes.  The clever use of solvent evaporation that allows pad printing to transfer an image out of an etched plate and onto the part makes it a bit more complex that most other processes.”