Clear, Durable Part Marking with In-House Pad Printing
UB Plastics offers in-house pad printing for plastic components, providing clear, durable surface decoration for branding, identification or instructional use. Pad printing is ideal for adding logos, batch codes, symbols or colour markings directly onto moulded parts, even those with curved or uneven surfaces.
Why Choose UB Plastics for Colour Printing
We’ve built our reputation on practical experience, dependable service and long-term customer partnerships. With advanced mould tooling, automation and design support, we offer a complete moulding service, from concept to final delivery. Trusted by global brands and committed to sustainability, UB Plastics is a reliable partner for high-performance moulded parts.
Built on Experience
With roots going back to 1983, UB Plastics has decades of know-how in injection moulding. Trusted by major brands. We’re proud of our heritage, and even prouder of where it’s taken us.
Advanced Capability
We run 23 injection moulding machines, from 35T to 220T, with high-speed robotics and in-mould labelling. It means we can deliver consistent, high-volume production with precision, every time.
Committed to Sustainability
From recycled tamper-evident caps to efficient, low-waste production, we help our customers meet sustainability goals without compromising on quality.
End-to-End Support
We go beyond moulding – offering in-house design, tooling, stockholding and delivery, to make your project run smoothly from start to finish.
Trusted by Leading Brands
We’ve earned the confidence of major names in brewing, food, packaging and construction – by delivering quality, reliability and service that speaks for itself.
What is Pad Printing?
Pad printing is a versatile printing process that uses a silicone pad to transfer ink from a printing plate onto a moulded plastic surface. It’s especially effective for printing on complex shapes, textured surfaces and recessed areas where other printing methods may struggle.
At UB Plastics, we use pad printing to add fine details, instructions or brand marks to parts like shives, caps, lids and custom components — helping customers meet both functional and branding requirements.
Our Colour Printing Capabilities
All pad printing is carried out in-house at our Burton-upon-Trent facility using industrial-grade equipment and specialist inks designed for long-lasting adhesion to plastics.
- Single or multi-colour pad printing
- Suitable for curved or irregular surfaces
- Durable, solvent-resistant inks
- Ideal for logos, text, warnings, identification marks and batch codes
- Integrated with our moulding, packing and delivery processes
We’ll work with you to determine the best print position, ink system and setup for your part.
Sectors we serve
Pad printing is used across our product range — from branded shives in the brewing sector to part identification on custom components for packaging and construction. Whether you need branding for shelf appeal or clear markings for function and safety, we’ll ensure the result is clean, consistent and built to last.
Brewing
We supply millions of moulded parts for the brewing sector, including closures, keystones and shives. Built for function, made for efficiency.
Learn moreBeverage
From soft drinks to spirits, we mould closures, caps and dispensing parts for beverage brands big and small.
Learn moreFood Packaging
Tamper-evident caps, containers, spoons and more, made to meet strict food safety and packaging standards.
Learn moreConstruction
From site essentials to custom fixtures, we mould strong, functional components to support demanding construction environments.
Learn moreCustom Mouldings
Need something bespoke? We offer flexible moulding capacity for trade customers across the UK.
Learn more
Quality & Compliance
UB Plastics is ISO 9001:2015 certified, with a documented quality management system covering every stage of production – from design and tooling through to packaging and delivery. We monitor performance, maintain detailed traceability, and conduct regular internal and external audits to ensure compliance. Our quality processes are embedded in daily operations, giving customers confidence in every product we supply.
Get in Touch Today
Looking for a manufacturer to support your next printing and moulding project? Contact our team to request samples, discuss specifications or place an order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pad printing is a flexible solution for adding detail to plastic parts — but it often raises questions about artwork setup, durability and compatibility. Here are answers to some of the most common enquiries:
Pad printing is used to apply branding, part numbers, safety symbols, instructions or batch codes directly onto plastic parts after moulding.
It’s ideal for parts with curved, uneven or recessed surfaces, such as shives, caps, lids and complex mouldings that can’t be labelled easily.
We offer single or multi-pass pad printing, typically up to 2–3 spot colours depending on part geometry and artwork complexity.
We use solvent-resistant inks designed for plastic applications. While no surface print is truly permanent, our prints are highly durable under typical handling and cleaning conditions.
Yes, we use food-contact compliant inks when printing on parts that may be used around beverages or packaging. Let us know your application requirements.
Vector files (AI, EPS or PDF) are preferred for sharp, scalable results. Our team can help with setup, sizing and positioning.
In some cases, yes, depending on the shape and area available. We can advise on the most suitable combination of branding techniques for your part.
MOQs vary by part size and setup, but we typically offer pad printing for production runs starting from 1,000 units.
Once the tooling and artwork are approved, pad printing is integrated into your part’s production and packing process, adding minimal lead time.
Yes. We can match Pantone or brand colours as closely as possible using specialist inks and can provide samples upon request.